Effect of service learning on attitudes towards students with severe disabilities

This study utilized quantitative methodology, to explore regular education students' attitudinal change towards students with severe disabilities thro ugh the inclusion of special education students in service learning project s. Regular education students were given an attitudinal questionnaire that measured perceptions towards students with severe disabilities before engag ing in an inclusive service learning project and then again, after its conc lusion. The first intervention class contained 12 volunteers that implement ed their semester-long project involving creation of a community, garden on campus, with eight students with severe disabilities from a self-contained special education transition class on campus. Thus, the students with seve re disabilities were contributors to the se,vice with their same-age high s chool peers. By contrast, the second intervention class consisted of 12 Out door Education students whose service learning consisted of assisting eight students with severe disabilities from the self-contained class on campus at a Special Olympics event. As such these students with disabilities were the receivers of service. A control group of students enrolled in a social studies class, who did not participate in any service learning projects, al so participated.