Keri Wilton

Promoting the Social Acceptance of Young Children With Moderate–Severe Intellectual Disabilities Using Cooperative-Learning Techniques

The effects of a cooperative-learning program on the social acceptance of children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities by young children without disabilities were examined. Children without disabilities were assigned to a cooperative-learning program or a social-contact program involved with the special class children or to a control (no classroom contact) condition. Significant pretest-posttest changes over a 10-week period in the cooperative-learning context indicated that children without disabilities gave the special class children higher peer acceptance ratings, greater popularity indices, and lower social-distance ratings. There were also more frequent interactions with the children without disabilities. These changes did not occur in either the social-contact or the control groups.

Self‐concept and Anxiety in University Students Studying Social Science Statistics Within a Co‐operative Learning Structure

Abstract Students enrolled in an educational psychology course, which included a laboratory component in social science statistics, were assessed for mathematics self‐concept and mathematics anxiety at the beginning and end of the course. The laboratory teaching practices emphasised co‐operative learning activities and full‐class discussion in an attempt to provide a positive environment. Self‐concept improved significantly over time, as did student confidence in dealing with statistical problems, but mathematics anxiety did not show a significant reduction. These attitudinal factors were mediated by prior experience in mathematics. It is important that such attitudinal factors be considered alongside curriculum issues when designing instruction in mathematics‐related areas, particularly where strong negative attitudes are known to exist for some groups of students.

Popularity and Intimacy as Determinants of Psychological Well-Being in Adolescent Friendships

A great deal of research has shown that childrens friendship is linked with mental health. Much of this research has placed a heavy reliance on determining popularity by a sociometric technique in which children nominate their friends, but this procedure fails to identify the intimacy component of friendship known to be important in adolescent relationships. The current study combined measures of popularity and intimacy in an orthogonal, factorial design to determine their relationship to two separate measures of psychological adjustment, self-esteem and sex-role orientation, in early adolescents. The results showed intimacy to be more predictive of psychological adjustment than popularity. The results are discussed in terms of the need to differentiate the components of friendship.

Characteristics distinguishing high-anxious and medium-/low-anxious women during pregnancy

Abstract Biographical and psychological data were obtained from pregnant women by means of questionnaires. An analysis was undertaken to compare 20 high-anxious with 20 medium-anxious and 20 low-anxious women to determine whether there were particular distinguishing characteristics between the groups. No significant differences were found between medium- and low-anxious women but high-anxious women were significantly different from the other two groups on three variables: Level of financial security, tertiary education, and family living in locality. Medium- and low-anxious women were financially more secure, were better educated and were less likely to have immediate family living in the locality than highly anxious women.

Teacher Factors and Special Class Referral Decisions

Abstract Using questionnaire data an examination was made of the personal and professional characteristics of 127 regular class (Grade 2‐5) teachers, all of whom had a child in their class whom they believed to be mildly retarded and not coping academically as well as socially in school. Of this group, 53 had referred the child to school psychological services while the remainder had not done so at the time of the study. A set of 28 variables derived from the questionnaire data was subjected to multiple regression analysis in order to examine the predictability of teachers’ referral decisions. Nine significant predictors were identified which together accounted for 35 percent of the variation in referral decisions. Inter‐group contrasts on these measures revealed that referring teachers were more likely to have made previous referrals, had better access to psychologists, were more confident of their ability to identify children who would qualify for special class admission, believed their school policy to...

Prevalence, School Progress and Referral of Mildly Retarded Children in Regular Classes

Abstract This study sought to determine the prevalence of mildly retarded children in a sample of 312 primary school classes (N (pupils) = 8,967). Schools were chosen at random from each of the eight Psychological Service districts of metropolitan Auckland; all Grade 2‐5 classes in the sample schools were included in the investigation. Eighty percent of the teachers surveyed believed they had one or more mildly retarded children in their classes, yielding an overall prevalence rate of 8.04 percent (N = 721). Approximately one‐third of the children designated as mildly retarded were considered by their teachers to be not coping academically as well as socially, but of these 75 percent had not been referred for special educational consideration. Comparisons among the eight districts revealed that prevalence/referral rates and characteristics of identified/referred children did not differ significantly across districts. Results are discussed in terms of their policy implications for the identification and re...

Special Educational Placement Decisions for Handicapped Children: An Initial New Zealand Study.

Abstract An examination was made of the case records and special educational placement decisions for a sample of 40 children, all of whom had been tested and/or reviewed by school psychologists during the year preceding the study and classified within one of the traditional special educational categories: intellectually handicapped, mentally backward, physically handicapped, hearing handicapped, visually handicapped, and emotionally maladjusted. It was found that very few children receiving special education were being returned to regular classes, and that factors other than the childs ability and/or learning/behavioural characteristics were strongly implicated in special educational decisions for mentally backward (mildly retarded) children, but to a lesser extent in decisions reached for children in other special educational categories. The study highlighted a difficulty likely to arise in a wide range of situations involving parents and children, where research access to case information must be balan...

Employment and adjustment of school-leavers with mild retardation in New Zealand

A series of three studies was undertaken into the employment and adjustment of mildly retarded school leavers. Study 1 focused on the employment status and community adjustment of graduates of a secondary school special education program in West Auckland. Less than half of the graduates surveyed were in open employment and a high proportion (24%) were unemployed at the time of the survey (the remainder were in sheltered employment). Comparatively high levels of police contact and low levels of community participation were also reported. Employment rates and adjustment characteristics were found to be similar in familial retarded and other retarded graduates. Study 2 was concerned with the generalizability of the Study 1 employment findings for the total Auckland metropolitan area. It was found that 45 percent of graduates were in open employment and that 18 percent were unemployed. These percentages are noticeably close to those obtained in Study 1. It is important to note that the rate of unemployment do...

Classroom interactions of mildly intellectually disabled children in special and regular classrooms

The nature and conduct of learning activities in reading and mathematics was surveyed in eight special classes for mildly intellectually disabled children, and eight regular classes, each of which contained a midly intellectually disabled child. It was found that the children attending special classes spent most instructional time in individualized activities whereas mildly intellectually disabled children in regular classes spent conspicuously little time in individualized activities. In all cases, the reading and maths programs were judged to be appropriate (by independent judges) for the mildly intellectually disabled children concerned, and the mode of interaction of the disabled children with both teachers and peers was similar in special and regular ciasses. While the percentage of individual learning time during which pupil interactions with teachers occurred, was lower for the special class pupils than for the disabled children attending regular classes, the special class pupils still spent substa...

Len Cosson Memorial Lecture. Special Education Policy for Children with Moderate Learning or Behavioural Difficulties in New Zealand: Does “Inclusion” Really Mean “Exclusion“?

This invited Lecture is held at each National Conference of the New Zealand Special Education Association to honour the memory of Len (Leyland Duvalle) Cosson (1933–1987), and is sponsored by the Len Cosson Memorial Trust. Len was a distinguished New Zealand special educator, and at the time of his untimely death he was Principal Lecturer in Special education at Christchurch College of Education. At Christchurch, had established New Zealand’s first special 1‐year training course for teachers in special education; he wrote many influential handbooks and articles aimed at improving teaching practice in special education; and played a major role in the establishment of NZSEA.