Mapping Jordanian students’ understanding of disability

The canon of inclusive education research is growing exponentially and filled with intervention studies and surveys to determine teacher knowledge and skills, attitudes, and beliefs. Frequently left out of the academic conversation is the impact of non-disabled peers’ construction of disability about their peers, which affects classroom teaching and learning. Attitudinal survey research using the CATCH scale reflects generally neutral or positive responses to disability from all students; yet, a limited number of qualitative studies contradict these findings, exposing exclusion in peer groups. This study aims to address the gap in academic knowledge between the positive attitudes reported by surveys and the enacted exclusion of students with disabilities. Using novel methodological approaches drawn from outside academic disciplines, this study reveals how non-disabled youth are constructing disability and the impact this has on inclusive environments. A total of 67 students in both public and private schools in Amman, Jordan participated in facilitated classroom activities about disability with experienced Jordanian researchers. The results reveal that the most prevalent models of disability are based on charity and religious understandings. It would not have been possible to identify this using attitudinal survey research, thus demonstrating the need for a wider variety of methodological choices when studying complex cultural constructs.