ERIC Number: EJ1469391
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1088-3576
EISSN: EISSN-1538-4829
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Can Kindness Thwart Stigma toward People with Special Educational Needs? Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Evidence in the Philippine Context
Jesus Alfonso D. Datu1; Randolph Chun Ho Chan2
Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, v40 n2 p80-90 2025
There is growing traction regarding the valuable effects of kindness on well-being and positive interpersonal functioning. However, existing literature has paid little attention to the association of kindness with discriminatory attitudes toward people with special educational needs (SEN). This research examined the link of kindness to stigma toward and acceptance of individuals with SEN among Filipino high school students using cross-sectional (Study 1) and longitudinal (Study) designs. In Study 1, the researchers used regression analyses to show that kindness negatively predicted stigma and positively predicted acceptance toward people with SEN, even after controlling for age and gender. In Study 2, the researchers adopted a cross-lagged panel structural equation modeling approach to demonstrate that Time 1 kindness positively predicted Time 2 acceptance even after controlling for auto-regressor effects. Time 1 kindness did not predict subsequent stigma. Findings allude to the significance of kindness in promoting positive attitude toward people with disabilities.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Social Bias, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Altruism, Students with Disabilities, High School Students, Predictor Variables, Age Differences, Gender Differences
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Philippines
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; 2The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China