Purpose of the Questionnaire

The aim of the questionnaire is to record the attitudes held by students aged 10 to 12 towards peers who are living with chronic illnesses.

Questionnaire Analysis

The questionnaire was developed by Gash in 1993 and was administered to 1,032 students in the 5th and 6th grades of primary school. It consists of three sections. The first section collects general demographic information about the respondents, such as age and gender. Next, students are presented with a fictional scenario based on which they are asked to respond to 20 questions—9 of which relate to social interactions and the remaining 11 to school life. Finally, students are given a list of 31 adjectives from which they may select any number to describe children living with chronic illnesses.

Question Scoring

The score is calculated by summing up responses after recoding certain questions that require reverse scoring. A 4-point Likert scale is used, with 1 corresponding to the answer “definitely yes” and 4 to “definitely no.” For the evaluation of the adjectives selected, the percentages of adjectives chosen for each category are compared.

Statistical Analysis

The lower the total score—specifically below 20—the more positive the students’ attitudes toward classmates with chronic illnesses.

Validity of the Questionnaire

Factor analysis indicates that the scale demonstrates adequate construct validity.

Reliability of the Questionnaire

The internal reliability index appears to be quite satisfactory for the overall scale (Cronbach’s α = 0.83).

References

Gash, H. (1993). A constructivist attempt to change attitudes towards children with special needs. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 8(2), 106–125.
Gash, H. (1996). Changing attitudes towards children with special needs. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 11(3), 286–297.
Gash, H., Gonzales, S. G., Pires, M., & Rault, C. (2000). Attitudes towards Down syndrome: A national comparative study in France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. The Irish Journal of Psychology, 21(3–4), 203–214.
Gash, H., Illán Romeu, N., & López Pina, J. A. (2004). Spanish and Irish images of special needs: Perceptions of inclusion. In Patricia Noonan Walsh & Hugh Gash (Eds.), Lives and Times: Policy, Practice and People with Disability, 180–223.