1. The Differential Effects of Fiction and Nonfiction Literature: Increasing Acceptance of Children with Disabilities.
- Author
-
Sipsas-Herrmann, Athanasia
- Abstract
A bibliotherapy intervention was used to foster acceptance of children with disabilities by their nondisabled peers. The study involved 247 regular students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade non-integrated classrooms at one elementary school. Treatment students read either fiction or nonfiction literature, followed by discussion of the material. The investigation employed a pretest-posttest experimental design, and examined the difference in effectiveness across fiction and nonfiction genres in promoting positive attitudes toward children with disabilities. Results indicated a weak treatment effect overall, with no difference between groups. However, the sixth grade nonfiction treatment group did show a significant improvement in acceptance. Additionally, girls were more accepting of disabilities than boys across all groups and grades. Children's evaluations of the books utilized for the interventions revealed that nonfiction books were rated higher in terms of acceptability than the fiction books by both fifth and sixth graders, but the opposite was true for fourth grade students. (Contains 26 references.) (Author/DB)
- Published
- 1996