Attitudes of Fourth and Sixth Graders Toward Peers With Mild Articulation Disorders

This study examined attitudes of fourth and sixth graders toward peers with and without mild articulatory errors. A video-tape was developed with the following peer speakers: a boy with no errors, a girl with no errors, a boy with /r/ errors, a girl with /r/ errors, a boy with /s/ and /z/ errors, and a girl with /s/ and /z/ errors. This videotape was shown to 348 fourth and sixth graders. Attitudes toward speaking ability, the speaker as a peer, and what the speaker would be like as a teenager were measured through the use of semantic differential instruments. Significantly more negative attitudes were found toward the peers who exhibited articulatory errors. Implications for school district policies were discussed.