Functional Measurement of Special Education Teachers’ and Students’ Expectations Toward Job Training for Persons with Intellectual Disability

Authors

  • Guadalupe Elizabeth Morales-Martinez Research Institute for the University and Education, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
  • Ernesto Octavio Lopez-Ramirez Department of Psychology, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey City, Mexico
  • Maria Guadalupe Villarreal-Treviño Department of Psychology, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey City, Mexico
  • Yanko Norberto Mezquita-Hoyos Department of Psychology, Universidad Autonoma de Yucatán, Mérida City, Mexico

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6000/2292-2598.2015.03.01.5

Keywords:

Intellectual disability, attitudes, special education teachers, work training, cognitive algebra.

Abstract

Persons with intellectual disability (PWID) have fewer opportunities for enrolment in school programs and post-school employment than do their peers with typical development. Evidence suggests that attitude toward PWID is a main factor in either promoting or limiting better life conditions for this population. In this paper, the goal was to determine the cognitive information integration rules underlying the expectations of 174 special education teachers and students with regard to job training for PWID. In order to accomplish this goal, four factors (Gender, Severity of disability, Type of task, and Emotional traits) were orthogonally combined to implement a cognitive algebra study design. We obtained 48 experimental conditions, with each one presented as a scenario describing a PWID in a work training situation. Participants read these scenarios and were asked to judge the probability of the success of PWID with regard to learning the skills needed to complete the required work. Patterns of response allowed us to identify low, moderate, and high viewpoints with regard to participants’ judgments of predicted success. Personal factors (Emotional traits and Severity of disability) and the Type of task factor were considered the most important in influencing the participants’ judgment. These factors seemed to be integrated in a complex systematic cognitive pattern. Implications from this type of result with regard to PWID and work training are discussed in this paper.

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Published

2015-03-26

How to Cite

Morales-Martinez, G. E., Lopez-Ramirez, E. O., Villarreal-Treviño, M. G., & Mezquita-Hoyos, Y. N. (2015). Functional Measurement of Special Education Teachers’ and Students’ Expectations Toward Job Training for Persons with Intellectual Disability. Journal of Intellectual Disability - Diagnosis and Treatment, 3(1), 35–42. https://doi.org/10.6000/2292-2598.2015.03.01.5

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Section

General Articles