Prejudices against Children with Learning Disabilities in Jamaica: Using a Jigsaw Classroom as an Intervention Strategy to address the learnt bias

Abstract

Understanding why humans construct prejudices and stereotypes towards other minority groups has been a social phenomenon. Many social scientists have explored this social phenomenon of prejudice and stereotype disposition in human behaviour to give us insight into this social dilemma. Learning disabilities affect one's ability to understand or use spoken or written language, do mathematical calculations, coordinate movements, or direct attention. Although learning disabilities occur in very young children, disorders are usually not recognised until a child reaches school age.A phenomenological research design was used for this study to examine prejudice towards children with learning disabilities within an educational setting in Jamaica.The intervention that will be used to reduce this prejudice against students with intellectual disabilities is called the Jigsaw classroom, engendered by Elliot Aronson in 1978. The “Jigsaw Method” is a ten-step teaching approach to organising student group work that helps students collaborate and rely on one another. Prejudice reduction signifies a causal outcome of the intervention, whether scientifically tested in the laboratory or natural setting, to reduce the prejudice level. The intervention that will be used to reduce this prejudice against students with intellectual disabilities is called the Jigsaw classroom, engendered by Elliot Aronson in 1978. The “Jigsaw Method” is a ten-step teaching approach to organising student group work that helps students collaborate and rely on one another. To ensure that the Jigsaw classroom model effectively achieves its goal of reducing prejudice within the classroom context concerning students with learning disabilities, a Jigsaw committee will be established to implement and monitor the programme over the four weeks.