Exploring Gender and Grade Level Influences on the Friendship Expectations of Young Adolescents Toward Peers With Disabilities

This study was designed to systematically examine the friendship expectations of typical middle school students toward their peers with disabilities. Specifically, this study looked at the differences in friendship expectations by gender and grade level. Friendship experiences of typical students with peers with disabilities were also investigated. A total of 206 typical middle school students filled out the Middle School Friendship Survey-Revised, and thirty-three of them who had friendships with peers with disabilities were interviewed. It was found that qualities associated with friendship expectations were 'somewhat' important to typical middle school students for making friends with peers with disabilities. The friendship expectations differed by grade level, and gender also played a role for specific friendship qualities. The friendships expectations for peers with and without disabilities were different for Support and Companionship qualities. However, no difference was found between the friendship expectations of those who had friendships with peers with disabilities and those who did not. Limited opportunities to interact with peers with disabilities and the presence of adult teaching assistants were the major reasons why typical students felt they had difficulties in forming friendships with peers with disabilities. Nonetheless, typical middle school students' friendships with peers with disabilities seemed to be satisfactory. There was evidence that some students had intimate relationships with peers with various types of disabilities. Strategies for promoting friendships included the formation of in-school and after school inclusion programs, active teacher interventions, and prosocial initiations from typical students.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Han, Kyoung Gun

Contributors dc:contributor

• Chadsey, Janis G.

• Education, Sociology of

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3101854

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/79748