Using Toys as Potential Inclusive Educational Means: A Longitudinal Approach Involving Children, Parents, and Teachers

In the present paper, we focused on toys depicting physical disabilities and their potential role as inclusive educational means in kindergartens. We tested The Mere Exposure Effect and the Contact Theory (previously suggested as explanatory mechanisms underlying more favorable attitudes toward disability) by using toys depicting physical disabilities/impairments as the object of contact/exposure. The study involved Romanian children (aged 3 to 6), parents, and teachers and two measurement moments. We explored whether the presence of specific toys (more specifically, a toy in a wheelchair and one with a prosthetic leg) might contribute to specific changes in children's attitudes toward physical disability. Additionally, we investigated the links between parents' and teachers' views on disability, their views toward the inclusion of children with disability, and children's emotions and cognitions regarding disability. Overall, our results suggested that (1) Regardless of the stimuli (toy/image, depicting or not physical disabilities), the children in the experimental group reported more positive attitudes compared to the control group; (2) The experimental condition, i.e., the exposure effect had a significant moderating effect on the link between children's attitudes at Time 1 and Time 2; (3) Parents' positive attitudes toward disability were significantly associated with children's attitudes toward specific disabilities. Finally, we discuss our results concerning their theoretical and practical implication for personal, educational, and social views on physical disability and inclusion.