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Publication Date
8-2011
Type of Culminating Activity
Thesis - Boise State University Access Only
Degree Title
Master of Arts in Education, Early Childhood Studies
Department
Educational Technology
Major Advisor
Deborah R. Carter, Ph.D.
Abstract
Textbooks often play a key role in introductory special education coursework, and may sometimes provide preservice teachers with their only exposure to certain topics. This descriptive study examines presentations of parental response to disability in 60 introductory special education textbooks, 20 each from the following periods: 1950-1969, 1970-1989, and 1990-2010. Raters documented whether responses presented were negative, positive, or neutral, and assigned scores to indicate a general degree of positivity or negativity for each book. Results indicated that textbooks across all periods discussed more negative responses. Textbooks from 1990-2010 presented significantly more positive responses than other periods, but they also discussed significantly more negative responses. The overall score of textbooks from 1990-2010 differed significantly in degree of positivity from those of both other periods, but the score was still associated with a negative tone. Characteristics of both positive and negative responses suggest the influence of Kübler-Ross (1969) in textbooks’ approach to parental response.
Recommended Citation
Hancock, Christine Lauren, "Parental Response to Disability in Introductory Special Education Textbooks" (2011). Boise State University Theses and Dissertations. 224.
https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/td/224