Abstract

This study examines the effects of a Disability Awareness Merit Badge Clinic on boy scouts’ attitudes toward peers with disabilities. The clinic was created and facilitated by two faculty members and 18 undergraduate students at a Midwest public regional university. Boy scouts (ages 10-17) attended the clinic and participated in various educational activities across campus throughout the day which were designed to promote disability awareness. A pretest/post-test method was used to assess whether the clinic had a measurable effect on the scouts’ (N = 58) disability-related attitudes. It was hypothesized that participation in the merit badge clinic would increase the boy scouts’ positive attitudes toward peers with disabilities. The results show a modest but significant increase in positive attitudes among participants, with the highest increase among younger scouts. Findings support the need for disability awareness interventions for individuals at early stages of social development. Future research should address whether incorporation of experiential learning activities to the clinic curriculum would enhance its effectiveness in improving disability-related attitudes.

摘要

这项研究研究了残疾意识优异徽章诊所对童子军对待残障同伴态度的影响。该诊所由中西部公共区域大学的两名教职员工和18名本科生创建并提供便利。童子军（10-17岁）参加了诊所，并全天参加了校园内的各种教育活动，旨在提高残疾人的意识。检验前/检验后的方法用于评估诊所是否对童子军（N = 58）与残疾相关的态度产生可测量的影响。据推测，参加优异奖章诊所将提高童子军对残障同伴的积极态度。结果表明，参与者的积极态度有适度但显着的提高，在年轻球探中增幅最大。研究结果支持在社会发展的早期阶段对个人进行残疾意识干预的需求。未来的研究应解决将体验式学习活动纳入临床课程是否会增强其在改善与残疾相关的态度方面的有效性。