Attitudes of Czech primary school pupils towards people with intellectual disabilities: the role of experience and participant demographics

This research study aimed to identify and analyse attitudes of Czech primary school pupils toward people with intellectual disabilities (ID). In total 2295 pupils aged 10 to 15 years participated in the study. The questionnaire based on the Likert scale design was utilised as the research tool. Its items were divided into four dimensions (interpersonal liking; social status and rights of people with ID; social integration; fear) using the explorative factor analysis. The effect of pupils’ socio-demographic characteristics (gender, school year attended and their declared experience with ID person) was modelled using the multiple regression analysis. Pupils’ attitudes toward ID were rather positive overall. Neutral/negative attitudes were found in the dimension called “social integration of people with ID”, or rather their integration into regular primary schools to join peers without disabilities. The “personal experience with person with ID” proved to be the most significant predictor in all the analysed cases and it affected pupils’ attitudes toward ID in the most positive way. Differences in pupils’ attitudes were determined in relation to the effect of gender and the school year attended. In relation to the research findings, the study limitations and recommendations for further research are discussed below.