Elizabeth A. Nowicki

A Meta-Analysis of School-Age Children's Attitudes Towards Persons with Physical or Intellectual Disabilities

Factors associated with childrens attitudes towards persons with physical and intellectual disabilities were examined in a meta-analysis spanning the years 1990 to 2000. A total of 20 studies met the inclusion criteria allowing for 65 comparisons across 2,240 participants. Factors of interest were attitudinal components, type of disability, age and gender of respondents, and role of inclusion. The majority of research findings revealed that children preferred target children without disabilities compared to targets with physical or intellectual disabilities. Three methods for calculating average effect sizes were used: (a) unweighted means, (b) weighted means, and (c) vote counting. It was concluded that biases in attitudes do exist but that summary results need to be interpreted with regard to individual study differences and the methods used to calculate mean effect sizes.

Children's thoughts on the social exclusion of peers with intellectual or learning disabilities.

BACKGROUND Previous research has shown that children with intellectual or learning disabilities are at risk for social exclusion by their peers but little is known of childrens views on this topic. In this study, we used concept mapping to investigate elementary school childrens thoughts on why they believe their peers with intellectual or learning disabilities are sometimes socially excluded at school. METHOD Participants were 49 grade five and six children who attended inclusive classrooms. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed. We extracted 49 unique statements from the transcribed data, and then invited participants to sort the statements into meaningful categories. RESULTS Sorted data were entered into matrices, which were summed and analysed with multi-dimensional scaling and cluster analysis. A four-cluster solution provided the best conceptual fit for the data. Clusters reflected themes on (1) the thoughts and actions of other children; (2) differences in learning ability and resource allocation; (3) affect, physical characteristics and schooling; and (4) negative thoughts and behaviours. CONCLUSIONS The overarching reason for social exclusion focused on differences between children with and without disabilities. This study also provided evidence that children are effective, reliable and competent participants in concept mapping. Educational and research implications are discussed.

''A Kid Way'': Strategies for Including Classmates With Learning or Intellectual Disabilities

Thirty-six children between 9 and 12 years of age were invited to share their ideas on how to socially include classmates with learning or intellectual disabilities at school. Participants generated 80 strategies which were categorized into seven major themes. Thematic categories focused on the need for teachers to intervene in academic and social situations, child-to-child instructional strategies, being supportive, focusing on similarities between children with and without disabilities, modelling appropriate behaviors and intervening in negative interactions, structured inclusive activities, and noninclusive activities. Participants were aware of the challenges experienced by classmates with disabilities, and recognized the need to work with classmates and teachers towards the social inclusion of children with intellectual and learning disabilities. Educational implications are addressed.

Children’s Beliefs about Learning and Physical Difficulties

Beliefs about learning and physical difficulties were explored in 50 younger children (M = 5.6, SD = 1.0 years) and 50 older children (M = 9.5, SD = 1.1 years). Participants were asked why they thought some children had learning or physical difficulties and whether children with these difficulties would always have them. The majority of older children were able to generate one or more ideas about the causes of learning and physical difficulties, but 58% of the younger children did not know the causes of learning difficulties and 42% did not know the causes of physical difficulties. Younger and older children thought that learning difficulties could be overcome with increased effort on the part of parents, teachers, and child, whereas physical difficulties were believed to be beyond anyone’s control. Results suggest that some aspects of children’s knowledge about causes and outcomes of learning and physical difficulties are limited. Research is needed to determine whether beliefs and misconceptions about learning and physical difficulties are associated with the quantity and quality of interpersonal interactions, and to determine the sources of children’s information as well as the accuracy of these sources.

Creativity as a distinct trainable mental state: An EEG study of musical improvisation

ABSTRACT Alpha‐band EEG was used to index how creative mental states relate to the creation of artistic works in skilled musicians. We contrasted differences in frontal upper alpha‐band activity between tasks with high and low creativity demands by recording EEGs while skilled musicians listened to, played back, and improvised jazz melodies. Neural responses were compared for skilled musicians with training in musical improvisation versus those who had no formal improvisation training. Consistent with our hypotheses, individuals showed increased frontal upper alpha‐band activity during more creative tasks (i.e., improvisation) compared to during less creative tasks (i.e., rote playback). Moreover, this effect was greatest for musicians with formal improvisation training. The strength of this effect also appeared to modulate the quality of these improvisations, as evidenced by significant correlations between upper alpha EEG power and objective post‐hoc ratings of individuals’ performances. These findings support a conceptualization of creativity as a distinct mental state and suggest spontaneous processing capacity is better nurtured through formal institutional training than informal. HIGHLIGHTSFrontal alpha activity was measured during different creative processing modes.Those with training showed greater right frontal upper alpha during improvisation.Right frontal upper alpha associated with higher quality improvised performances.Findings interpreted as a mental state characterized by Type 1 creative thinking.

Conceptualizing Concurrent Enrollment Why High-Achieving Students Go For It

Research shows that carefully planned acceleration offers academic benefits with little social or emotional risk to high-ability learners. However, acceleration is underutilized and little is known about students’ motivations to accelerate. In this study, 21 high-ability high school students in Grades 11 and 12 took part in a structured conceptualization exercise that revealed why they chose to concurrently enroll in university courses. Participants brainstormed responses to a focus prompt, then structured the data by sorting and rating their responses. The structured data were analyzed using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis to produce a cluster map of participants’ motivations. In order of importance, key concepts included (a) university preparation, (b) demonstrating initiative, (c) getting ahead, (d) love of learning, (e) self-fulfillment, (f) seeking challenge, and (g) socializing. The key concepts were examined within a self-determination theory framework. Study findings provide a deeper understanding of high-achieving students’ views on concurrent enrollment. Educational and research implications are discussed.

Children’s Structured Conceptualizations of Their Beliefs on the Causes of Learning Difficulties

Elementary school children between 9 and 12 years of age were interviewed on what they believed to be the causes of learning difficulties and were invited to take part in the analysis of the data. We achieved this with Trochim’s concept mapping approach that combines qualitative and quantitative data analyses. Study results indicated that children were more knowledgeable than expected. Although each participant gave relatively few ideas, they collectively generated a list of 42 unique statements, which they categorized into a meaningful structured conceptualization. Results showed that children were competent and reliable participants in the concept mapping process. Educational, research, and methodological implications are discussed.

Twice-Exceptionality: Parents’ Perspectives on 2e Identification

Twice-exceptional students have high abilities and coexisting learning difficulties. Abilities and difficulties tend to mask each other, and these underidentified students often struggle in school and express their frustrations at home. However, few studies have examined how parents experience the identification of their children’s multiple exceptionalities. In this study, we used purposeful maximum variation sampling and interviewed parents of twice-exceptional children who were identified with attention issues, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and emotional/behavioral disorder. We illustrate parents’ experiences through member-checked vignettes. The results show unique experiences as well as commonalities among parents of twice-exceptional students. We conclude that parents play a critical advocacy role for their twice-exceptional children, yet they need support to fulfill this role. Video abstract Read the transcript Watch the video on Vimeo

The interaction of attitudes toward racial membership and learning ability in school‐age children

Although prejudice exists during childhood, it is unclear how attitudes toward peers of lower or higher academic ability and from ones own or a different racial group interact. This study qualifies previous research by showing that prejudice varies according to whether children are asked to evaluate peers based on academic ability, racial membership, or both, and whether evaluations are based on cognitive, behavioural, or affective components of attitudes. Younger children, particularly girls, had greater negative biases toward lower‐ability and different‐race target children. Gender differences were specific to attitude component, age, and target child characteristics. Consistency in prejudice was found within components, but components were differentially correlated across target children. Results are discussed from a theoretical and applied perspective.

Saudi children’s thoughts on inclusive education

ABSTRACT Saudi Arabia has followed the global trend towards inclusive education; however, few researchers have examined the lived reality of inclusion in Saudi schools. In this study, we interviewed 31 girls and 34 boys in grades 5 and 6 who attended an inclusive school in Saudi. The overarching research question was, ‘How do Saudi children perceive social exclusion or inclusion among their classmates with learning difficulties?’ We followed a phenomenological approach, reporting descriptions in the participants’ own words. We identified two overarching groupings of responses that related to beliefs and behaviours. Students in our study voiced a variety of beliefs about why children with learning difficulties might be socially accepted or not accepted. More boys than girls believed that students with learning difficulties were socially accepted. Students gave examples of inclusionary behaviour they had witnessed or been involved in, and these examples emerged more strongly than examples of exclusionary behaviour. Inclusionary behaviours included friendship, helping with schoolwork, and including in play.