Teachers’ Social Judgement: Effects of Type of Disability, Gender, and Social Class on the Content of Stereotypes

People with disabilities are generally perceived as less competent than people without disabilities, but warmer. In schools, teachers have ambivalent feelings about the inclusion of students with disabilities. Other factors may also affect their judgments. The aim of this research is to see how their stereotypes vary according to the type of disability, gender, and social class of students with disabilities. 321 French middle school teachers completed a two-dimensional judgement scale to assess different sub-groups of students with disabilities. The results revealed a third dimension, in addition to the warmth and capacity: assertiveness. Overall, students were judged to be more capable than warm-hearted, but less assertive. Mean comparisons show that teachers’ judgments differ according to the type of disability of the pupils. They also may be affected by the pupil’s gender and social class. This study highlights the importance of considering students’ disabilities in interaction with their other characteristics.