Effectiveness of Role Play and Bibliotherapy in Attitude Change of Primary School Pupils towards Learners with Special Needs in Nigeria

Purpose: The research addressed two major problems, namely, the persistent negative attitude towards learners with special needs; and the effectiveness of role play and bibliotherapy in changing the attitude of primary school pupils towards their differently-abled fellow students.

Method: Two null hypotheses guided the conduct of the study. Albert  Bandura’s Theory of Social Learning (1977) provided the theoretical framework for the study and the Solomon four-group design was followed in practice. The study population consisted of all the Primary Six school pupils in the 502 primary schools in Owerri educational zone. From a total of 76,481 Primary Six pupils, a sample of 80 students from two schools was selected for the study. One instrument - Attitude Towards the Disabled Rating Scale (ATDRS) - and two programmes - Nwachukwu’s Role Play Exercise Programme (NRPEP) and Nwachukwu’s Bibliotherapy Programme (NBP) - were used for the successful implementation of the study, which was validated by experts. The hypotheses were tested using t-test for correlated and independent samples.

Results: The findings indicated that the pupils’ attitudes towards learners with special needs in Owerri educational zone improved significantly after they were exposed to the NRPEP and NBP respectively, indicating the effectiveness of the two programmes.

Conclusion: Education policy makers, the Ministry of Education and State Universal Basic Education Boards should recommend the use of inclusion books and encourage the practice of role play in schools for the success of inclusive education in Nigeria.