| Abstract:
The purpose of the current study was to compare the attitudes of Iranian
and American high school students toward the possibility of and how to
facilitate friendships between students with severe disabilities and their
non-disabled counterparts. Thus, the xesults of the two studies conducted by
Hendrickson, Shokoohi - Yekta, Nietupski, and Gable (1996) and Kavoosi
(1998) were compared. Overall, data collected from 289 Iranian students and
656 American students were used. Both groups of subjects were in the range
of 13 to 19 years of age and were comprised of both males and females. The
Student Friendship Perception Survey (SFPS) was utilized. Results indicated
that, despite some common perceptions about these friendships, some
significant differences exist. Both groups of subjects believed that friendships
with students with severe disabilities are possible and that they were willing to
make efforts for such friendships to happen. To facilitate friendships,
American students emphasized the role of adults in general, whereas Iranian
students focused on the role of professionals. At the end, possible
explanations of the results are discussed, and applications and suggestions for
future research are presented.
|