THE DESIGN OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR CHILDREN CLASSIFIED AS 'HANDICAPPED'.
Item
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Title
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THE DESIGN OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR CHILDREN CLASSIFIED AS 'HANDICAPPED'.
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Identifier
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AAI8501181
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identifier
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8501181
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Creator
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WEILAND, GEOFFREY.
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Contributor
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Maxine Wolfe
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Date
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1984
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical
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Abstract
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Current literature in designing learning settings for children classified as 'handicapped' reveal two basic implicit assumptions: (1) Children classified as 'handicapped' have fundamentally different design needs from children labeled 'normal'; (2) 'Handicapped' children require a reduced level of stimulation from what is theoretically formulated for 'normal' children. This research examined an alternate design perspective with the following set of assumptions: (1) Children classified as 'handicapped' and 'normal' are fundamentally alike in their design needs; (2) By offering children varied opportunities to interact and effect their settings, a stimulus enriched setting promotes learning from all children, regardless of psychiatric/education classification.;This study examined the behavior and learning of four groups of ten latency age children, classified as 'neurologically impaired-emotionally disturbed,' 'moderately mentally retarded,' 'learning disabled,' and 'normal.' These children were studied in a 'reduced' and 'enriched' stimulus setting. The children's Behavior, Attention, Affect and Learning Performance was evaluated in each of the two settings during a free play period and four learning tasks. Repeated measure ANOVA's by setting and between groups were performed for each variable during each play period and learning task.;Results indicated that despite characteristic differences between the four groups, there was a significant degree of similarity among all groups in terms of their Behavior, Attention, Affect and Learning Performance. All groups displayed a significantly greater frequency of behaviors and affects consistent with learning, as well as a greater learning performance, in the 'enriched' than in the 'reduced' stimulus setting. At times, the 'handicapped' children evidenced more difficulty coping with the 'reduced' than with the 'enriched' setting. Intergroup differences do not support the need for a different set of design assumptions for 'handicapped' children from those formulated for 'normal' children. The stimulus 'enriched' setting was found to be beneficial to learning for all children, regardless of psychiatric/education classification.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
