A STUDY OF THE SOCIAL POSITION OF MENTALLY-HANDICAPPED CHILDREN IN REGULAR GRADES

141 Pages·06.115 MB·English

by  JOHNSON, GEORGE ORVILLE

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
THE GRADUATE COLLEGE
January 7, 1950
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i
I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY
5
13
SUPERVISION BY. . _G?i>^e__cl',Ti1-Le Johnson
ENTITLED "A Study of the Soci_al_ J osition of I.Ientaily-iiandicapped
Children in .-tegular Grades"
BE ACCEPTED!: AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE DEGREE OF Doctor of Education
^^>t^u^P r\
In Cliaige of Thesis
/ Hcarfof Department
Recommendation concurred inf
^h^f?l^lr-
Committee
a>{QU^^\ ^M
on
Final Examination!
'''Subject to successful final examination in the case of the doctorate,
t Required for doctor's degree but not for master's.
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A STUDY OF THE SOCIAL POSITION
OF MENTALLY-HANDICAPPED
CHILDREN IN REGULAR
GRADES
BY
GEORGE ORVILLE JOHNSON
B.S., Milwaukee State Teachers College, 1938
Ed.M., University of Illinois, 1949
THESIS
SUCMllTEU IN PAUTIAI. FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
IN THE GRADUATE COLLEGE OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, 1960
URBANA, ILLINOIS
COPYRIGHTED
by
GEORGE ORVILLE JOHNSON
1950
ACKNOWLEDGE TS
The writer gratefully acknowledges his indebtedness to his advisor,
Dr. Samuel A. Kirk and to Dr. Glenn Blair, Dr. Frank Finch, and Dr. Thomas
Hastings for their aid and criticism throughout this study.
A ipreciation is extended to Surorinl.endent J. B. Jeffries of the
Charleston, Illinois Co.mnunit^ Unit District, and to Superintendent J. E. Bohn
of the Springfield, Illinois r*i;bJ ic Schools for t> eir permission to conduct the
study in the re&oective communities, special indebtedness is due Mr. Harold S.
Robbins, Director of S^jcial Education and Guidance of Charleston, Il]inois and
;
Mir. R. B. Zimmerman, Director of Elementary Education of Springfield, Illinois
and to the orLncipals and teachers for their cooperation. Without tneir he]p -
fulness and cooperation this stud/ cjuld not have been comoleted.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
1. HISTORICAL liMTiODUCriON To THE EDUCATION OF THE MENTALLY
HANDICAPPED 1
II. THE PROBLEM AuU DEFINITION^ uF T^il/xS USED 10
The problem 11
Definitions jf terms used 12
ill. REVlaiV oF Lit-, LIT^ .if J IE 16
Literature in the fiolu of the mentally handicapped 16
delated literatuie that has indirectly dealt vrith phases of the
problem of the .ocial position of t,he mentally ^andicaoped in
the ^ egalai" grade 19
The reliabilitr of tne sociornetric questionnaire 22
Summary 2li
IV. iJLTHUDS oi< P?0C<JjJ"E 27
The selection of communities 28
oelection of classes 29
Group achievumjnt ancl intelligence tests adrainibtered 30
individual intelligence best.j administered 3I1
Social maturity „ , 3^
Sociornetric questionnaire 37
Summary \±o
V. CHA.UCTEUSL'J'JD OF ROUPS oTUDIED ^2
Sex and chronological age )<2
Ilental a ^e arm Intelligence quotient 1;3
Academic acnlivement [^
Social ma turity )I[I
CHAPTER PAGE
Summary h8
VI. RESULTS OF SOCIuMETRIC STUDY £0
Comparison of the acceptance and rejection scores of mentally-
handicapped, borderline, and typical children $0
Results on acceptance 5l
Results on rejection $6
Comparative number of stars, isolates, and rejectees in the
groups studied 6£
results on comparative number of stars, isolates, and
rejectees 68
Results on comparative number of isolates and rejectees and
isolates or rejectees 7u
Results on incidence of most isolated and most rejected
children 7b
Reasons for rejection of mentally-handicapped children 80
Mentally-handicapped stars 81
Results on classes containirg mentally-handicapped stars . .. 8l
Results on trJ study of mentallv-handicapned star "A" . . .. 82
Results on the stud" of meniallv-hnndicaoped star "B" . . .. 8h
Factors not directly dependent upon intelligence 86
Results of a stud"'" of the comparative isolation and rejection
scores of the rnentally-handicapoed group and a selected
group of older typical children 86
Results of ° study of a comparison of the socio-economic
status of the mentally-handicapped and a samnle of the
typica L gr\ dps , 91
Summary 9),
iv
CHAPTER PAGE
VII. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 99
VIII. DISCUSSION 103
BIBLIOGRAPHY 109
APPENDIX 113
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
I. Historical Summary of Statistics Reported for Special Schools
and Classes in City School Systems for Mentally-Handicapped
Children 8
II. Distribution of Grades and Classes Visited and Used in the
Two Communities 31
III. Number of Mentally-Handicapped and Borderline Children Found
at Each Grade Level 35
IV. Comparison of Social Quotients of the Mentally-Handicapped
Group and a Sample of the Typical Group ii6
V. Comparison of Social Ages of the Mentally-Handicapped Group
and a Sample of the Typical Group hi
VI. Comparison of Acceptance Scores of Mentally-Handicapped and
Typical Groups $2
VII. CcKiioariivcn of Acceptance Scores of Borderline and Remainder
of Typical Groups Q
VIII. Comparison of Acceptance Scores of Mentally-Handicapped and
Borderline Groups •, £5
IX. Comparison of Acceptance Scores of Lower Mentally-Handicapped
Group, Upper Mentally-Handicapped Group, Borderline Group,
and Group of Typical Children Not Included in One of the
Other Three Groups . £7
X. Comparison of Rejection Scores of Mentally-Handicapped and
'Typical Groups 60
XI. Comparison of Rejection Scores of Mentally-Handicapped and
Borderline Groups . . 6l
vx
TABLE PAGE
XII. Coroarison of Rejection Scores of Borderline and Remainder
of Typical Groups «. 63
XIII. Comparison of Rejection Scores of Lower Mentally-Handicapped
Group, Upper Mentally-Handicapped Group, Borderline Group,
and Group of Typical Children Not Included in One of the
Other "Three Groups 6Ii
XIV. Number of Jtars, Isolates, and Rejectees in Lower Mentally-
Handicapped Group, Upper Mentally-Handicapped Group,
Borderline Group, and Group of Children Not Included in
One of the Other Three Groups , . . . 69
XV. Number of isolates ami Rejectees and Isolates or Rejectees in
Lower Mentally-Handicapped Group, Upper Mentally-Handicapped
Group, Borderline Group, and Group of Typical Children Not
Included in One of the Other Three Groups 75
XVI. Incidence of Mentally-Handicar.' ed and Typical Children Being
One of the Most Isolated Children and the Most Rejected
Chij.iT'fen in the Class 79
XVII. Reasons for Rejection of Mentally-Handicapped Children . . .. 81
XVTII. Reasons for Acceptance of "A" 82
XIX. Reasons for Acceptance of "B" 8ii
s
XX. Comparison of Chronological Ages, Acceptance Scores, and
R&jertion Scores of Mentally-Handicapped Group and Selected,
02 ier Typical Group 87
XXI. Comparison of Acceptance Scores and Rejection Scores of
Selected, Older Typical Group and Remainder of Typical
Group 89
XXII. Comparison of Intelligence Quotients, Acceptance Scores, and
r— — — —n
TABLE PAGE
Rejection Scores of Mentally-HandLcaoped, Borderline, Older
Typical aiiu Total Typical Groups 90
XXIII. Comparison of bocio-Economic Scores of Mentally-Handicapped
Group and Sample of the Typical Group 93
XXIV. Summary Table of Mean Acceptance and Rejection Scores and
Percentage of Stars, Isolates, and Rejectees in Lower
Mentally-Handicapped Group, Upper Men tally-Handicapped
Group, Borderline Group, and Group of Ty-lcal Children Not
Included in One of the Other Three Groups 96
XXV. Comparison of Number of Boys and Girls in Mentally-Handicapped
and Typical GROUPS "II)|
XXVI. Comparison of Chronological Ages of Mentally-Handicaooed and
Typical Groups 115>
XXVII. Comparison of Mean Binet and California Short-Form Test of
Mental Maturity Intelligence ^lotients for the Jientally-
Handicaoped Group 116
XXVIII. Comparison of Total Factors Intelligence Quotisnts of
MentaLly-Handica ;oed and TvpicaL Groups 117
XXIX. Comparison of Total Factors «.ental A.ges of Mentally-
Handicapped and Typical Groups 118
XXX. Corupar Lson of Average leading and Arithmetic Ages of Mentally-
Handica ped and Tvnical Groups 119
XXXI. Comparison of .Number of Bo/s and Girls in Total Typical Group
and Samole of 1\ i cal Group 120
XXXII. Coma"it.on of Chronological Ages of Sample of Typical and
Remainder of Typical Group 121
XXXIII. Comparison of Total Factors Mental Ages of Sample of Typical