Project Stereo-Disk

Stereotypes as an obstacle to professional diagnosis in an inclusive school context

Practice and research show that stereotypes about learners with special educational needs (SEN) are widespread, including among (prospective) teachers. Such stereotypes could be a barrier to professional diagnosis if they lead to certain information being overlooked or overemphasised. The project investigates stereotypes about children with SEN among student teachers. Simulated diagnostic situations will be used to examine how stereotypes influence the assessment of individual pupils with SEN. Finally, it investigates how the influence of stereotypes on the diagnostic process can be reduced. To this end, the effect of an intervention to reduce stereotypes and promote diagnostic competence will be analysed.

Research questions and hypotheses

1. Do teachers’ stereotypes reduce the quality of the diagnostic process when assessing pupils with special educational needs (SEN)?
   
   1. The activation of stereotypes about certain SPFs leads student teachers to select more stereotype-compliant information for diagnosis.
   2. The activation of stereotypes about certain SPFs leads student teachers to give more weight to stereotype-compliant information.
   3. The activation of stereotypes about certain SPFs leads student teachers to arrive at a more negative result when assessing the pupils concerned, depending on the type of stereotype.

2. What individual differences exist in the distorting effects of stereotypes?

• 1. Teachers with good knowledge of SEN experience less bias in the diagnostic process because they have fewer stereotypes about these groups of pupils overall.
  2. Teachers with good diagnostic knowledge are less biased in the diagnostic process because they are better able to control activated stereotypes.
  3. Both areas of professional knowledge should therefore act as moderators of the putative effect of stereotypes on the assessment process.

3. How can the influence of stereotypes on teachers’ diagnostic behaviour be reduced?

The influence of stereotypes on the diagnostic process can be reduced by several measures:

• 1. an intervention directly aimed at reducing stereotypes, by providing knowledge about the SPF in question and enabling contact with the appropriate persons
  2. an intervention aimed at promoting diagnostic competence in general by raising awareness of professional diagnostics
  3. an intervention that combines both areas and is more effective than interventions that address only one of the two areas.