The Effects of Educational Labels on the Attitudes of Pre-Service Teachers at Pembroke State University
- UNCP Author/Contributor (non-UNCP co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Sabrina Raley (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP )
- Web Site: http://www.uncp.edu/academics/library
Abstract: In 1975, Public Law 94-142 was passed. This law requires that handicapped students must be educated in the 'least restrictive environment.' As a result, our society has begun to look at the handicapped and the issues pertaining to them. One such issue is labeling. Labeling is more than just classifying a person according to his characteristics (such as age, race, abilities, or liabilities); the process of labeling includes 'public communication o the way the [person] is categorized' (MacMillan, 1982, p.260). Whenever there is public communication about an category in which there is public communication about any category in which a person belongs, there is the risk that the population at large may use the label to form opinions of the labeled individual. Because certain labels tend to lead to the formation of negative opinions, labels are changed periodically in order to avoid offending people who belong to certain categories. For example, the Committee on Educable Mentally Handicapped has recommended that the label Mentally Handicapped (formerly called Mentally Retarded) be change to Intellectually Handicapped. The committee gave the following reason for the proposed alteration: "Mentally is frequently used to denote mental illness and has a negative connotation for many parents" (Committee on Educable Mentally Handicapped, draft 1984). In general, the explanation for revising labels is that the old labels (such as retarded) are considered to convey a "negative connotation" which will have adverse effects on the person's self-concept.These adverse effects may occur in two ways. The person who is labeled may consider the label to be an insult and believe himself to be "less of a person" because he is identified with a label. Or, the person who is labeled may not be offended by the label as such, but the people who come into contact with him develop negative, stereotyped, expectations of the labeled person.
The Effects of Educational Labels on the Attitudes of Pre-Service Teachers at Pembroke State University
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