Attitudes of the Public Toward Educational Mainstreaming

Abstract

This investigation measured current public attitudes toward educational mainstreaming. The Attitudes Toward Mainstreaming Scale (ATMS) was administered to 377 adults at a small city shopping mall. Results showed positive attitudes on factors dealing with general concept of mainstreaming and the mainstreaming of handicapped students with normal potential for learning. Less favorable attitudes were expressed toward mainstreaming students likely to have difficulty functioning in a general classroom setting. Attitudinal differences among subjects emerged for race, age, and child in school, but not for gender. These findings were compared to results from surveys of preservice and inservice teachers and from a public sample of the previous decade.