[Cross Cultural Analyses Of Attitudes To Mental Disability- Comparing Egyptian attitudes to IDs with those of UK's]

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Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

Scientifically, there is no standardisation for considering specific cultural groups as superior while others are not, because each and every cultural group has its own way of thinking and feeling and consequently acting accordingly. To study how culture differs among groups, communities and societies necessitate a position of cultural relativism. Though it does not mean normalcy for the person him/herself of the society to which he/she belongs; it calls for judgment when dealing with groups or society that differs from the person's own. Judging a certain society and how it acts (towards specific events) should be preceded by the information about the nature of cultural differences of that society and about the roots of those differences and their consequences. Attitude is more likely to be accepted when the parties concerned understand the reasons for the differences in viewpoints. However, little is known about attitudes towards people who have ID in Egypt

The focus of this paper is on the Egyptian attitudes to IDs and comparing them with those of the UK's, in order to investigate how cultural backgrounds, existence of contact with intellectual disabled persons, gender, professional education effect on perceiving IDs.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Study1

Problem Statement1

Acculturation2

Individualism vs. collectivism2

Aims & Objectives4

METHODOLOGY5

Introduction5

Research Design5

Participants & Sampling Procedure6

Data Collection6

The consent6

Ethical Consideration6

RESULTS8

DISCUSSION10

REFERENCES12

Introduction

Background of the Study

Stereotypes about female inferiority in mathematics (Bhana, 2005; Fennema, Peterson, Carpenter, & Lubinski, 1990; Fennema & Sherman, 1977; Hyde, Fennema, Ryan, Frost, & Hopp, 1990; Li, 1999) stand in distinct contrast to the actual scientific data reported in previous studies. This discrepancy is particularly problematic because such negative stereotypes can impair math test performance and cause anxiety via stereotype threat (Blascovich, Spencer, Quinn, & Steele, 2001; Spencer, Steele, & Quinn, 1999). Reviewing evidence from research with infants and preschoolers Spelke (2005) concluded that gender similarities are the rule in the development of early number concepts. Girls earn better grades in mathematics courses through the end of high school (Dwyer & Johnson, 1997; Kenney-Benson, Pomerantz, Ryan, & Patrick, 2006; Kimball, 1989).

In the UK, gender differences in mathematics performance are declining. A meta-analysis in 1990 (Hyde, Fennema, & Lamon., 1990) found an effect size of d 0.05 for the gender difference in math performance among the general population, indicating a negligible female advantage (note that positive values of d represent higher scores for males than females, whereas negative values represent higher scores for females). At that time the gender gap increased during high ...