Asking about inclusion: question order and social desirability influence measures of attitudes towards inclusive education

Attitudes towards inclusive education typically are measured by questionnaires. Self-reported attitudes are prone to various biases, however, that often are neglected in the interpretation of survey outcomes. The present study investigated two biasing influences experimentally: social desirability a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of special needs education 2023-11, Vol.38 (6), p.909-915
Main Author: Tempel, Tobias
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitude measures
attitudes
Attitudes toward Disabilities
Bias
Foreign Countries
Inclusion
Inclusive education
Intellectual disabilities
part-whole effect
Polls & surveys
Public Opinion
Questionnaires
Regular and Special Education Relationship
Social desirability
Students with Disabilities
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Summary:Attitudes towards inclusive education typically are measured by questionnaires. Self-reported attitudes are prone to various biases, however, that often are neglected in the interpretation of survey outcomes. The present study investigated two biasing influences experimentally: social desirability and question order. A contrast effect occurred. Global support for inclusive education was higher after participants had rated an item specifically asking about inclusion of a child with physical and intellectual disability, but only when the design of the questionnaire suggested that the institution allegedly conducting the survey was critical towards inclusive education. Expressed support for inclusion was generally higher when the institution allegedly conducting the survey appeared to support inclusive education and this support did not depend on question order. These findings show how fragile attitude measures can be. Several biases threaten their validity and must be taken into account in the design as well as interpretation of surveys.
ISSN:0885-6257
1469-591X
DOI:10.1080/08856257.2023.2162666