Die verandering van bestuurders en werknemers se houding teenoor werknemers met fisieke gestremdhede deur middel van interaktiewe drama

Abstract

English: South Africa is a country which has experienced far-reaching changes in the political arena during the past two decades. These changes resulted in the improved management of the diverse South African population, which necessitates the effective management of people with disabilities. Disability is an international phenomenon that elicits local, national and international comment. People with disabilities represent a large proportion of people who want to work, but remain unemployed seeing that managers do not acknowledge their potential. The main reason for the exclusion of people with disabilities from the main stream is negative attitudes and prejudice of people without disabilities toward people with disabilities, as well as a lack of awareness of their capabilities. The changing of attitudes is, however, a complex process that includes cognitive, affective and behavioural components. Learning is central to this process since the changing of attitudes includes inevitably some or other form of learning. This learning experience, as well as the reflection on the experience, is known is experiential learning. Interactive drama is a method of experiential learning that challenges learners within a certain situation and with a certain mentality by using their experience as a foundation. More and more organisations turn to drama as training method since interactive drama provides organisations with the opportunity for flexible learning experiences and proves a meaningful instrument to investigate, review or practise human interactions within a secure and controlled learning environment. Several studies have investigated different aspects, namely diversity and physical disabilities as a form of diversity, as well as attitude changes. Other studies focused on attitude changes by using interactive drama. There is, however, a lack of studies that integrate the different components in the application of interactive drama in the changing of attitudes toward people with physical disabilities. The purpose of this study is to investigate interactive drama as a method of experiential learning, to develop a programme for attitude change and to implement and evaluate the programme in an attempt to change the attitudes of managers and employees toward people with physical disabilities. Several theoretical principles and strategies have been incorporated in the development of the programme. For the purpose of this study, the research population consisted of managers and employees from different big and small companies in the Free State who are currently studying a Business Leadership Degree at the School of Management at the University of the Free State. The study made use of a quasi-experimental design since participation in the study was voluntary. The Scale of Attitudes toward Disabled Persons (SADP) was used to investigate the attitude changes of managers and employees toward people with physical disabilities. The total number of respondents who participated in the study where 133. The total numbers of subjects, who were exposed to the intervention, consisted of 33 managers and 30 employees. The control group consisted of 30 managers and 40 employees. The t-test for dependent groups was used to investigate any differences within the groups. The following results were obtained from the study: It is evident that this programme has not caused a statistically meaningful change in the attitudes regarding physical disability. At the end of the • There is no statistically meaningful difference between the pre- and post-measurement of the experimental group of managers regarding the attitude scores toward people with physical disabilities. • There is no statistically meaningful difference between the pre- and post-measurement of the experimental group of employees regarding the attitude scores toward people with physical disabilities. programme, subjects have, however, completed a general evaluation questionnaire with the purpose of evaluating their experience of the programme, as well as their own perception of their attitude change toward people with physical disabilities. It is clear from this evaluation questionnaire that the programme resulted in respondents identifying, changing and improving their own prejudice and negative attitudes toward employees with disabilities. Furthermore, this programme gave rise to an increased awareness toward employees with disabilities in general, as well as their skills, duties and challenges. Finally, learners indicated that their attendance of the programme provided employees with disabilities with fair chances of employment. In the light of these results the programme was indeed successful in changing the attitudes of employees and managers toward employees with physical disabilities.

Afrikaans: Suid-Afrika is 'n land wat die afgelope twee dekades ingrypende veranderinge in die politieke arena ondergaan het. Hierdie veranderinge het aanleiding gegee tot verbeterde bestuur van die diverse Suid-Afrikaanse bevolking, wat die effektiewe bestuur van persone met gestremdhede noodsaak. Gestremdheid is 'n internasionale fenomeen wat plaaslike, nasionale en internasionale kommentaar ontlok. Persone met gestremdhede verteenwoordig 'n groot proporsie persone wat graag wil werk, maar werkloos blyaangesien bestuurders nie hulle potensiaal erken nie. Die hoofrede vir die uitsluiting van persone met gestremdhede van die hoofstroom is negatiewe houdings en vooroordele van persone sonder gestremdhede teenoor persone met gestremdhede, asook 'n gebrek aan bewustheid van die vermoë van persone met gestremdhede. Die verandering van houdings is egter 'n komplekse proses wat kognitiewe, affektiewe en gedragskomponente insluit. Leer staan sentraal in hierdie proses aangesien die verandering van houding noodwendig een of ander vorm van leerervaring insluit. Hierdie leerervaring, asook die reflektering daarop, staan as ervaringsleer bekend. Interaktiewe drama is so 'n ervaringsleermetode wat deelnemers binne 'n bepaalde situasie en denkwyse uitdaag deur hul ervaring as basis te gebruik. AI hoe meer organisasies wend hulle tot drama as opleidingsmetode aangesien interaktiewe drama verder aan organisasies die geleentheid vir buigbare leerervaringe bied en dit 'n sinvolle instrument is om menslike interaksies binne 'n veilige en gekontroleerde leeromgewing te ondersoek, te hersien of in te oefen. Daar is verskeie studies wat verskillende aspekte, naamlik diversiteit en fisieke gestremdheid as vorm van diversiteit, asook houdingsveranderinge, ondersoek. Ander studies ondersoek weer houdingsveranderinge deur gebruik te maak van interaktiewe drama. Daar is egter 'n gebrek aan studies wat die verskeie komponente in die toepassing van interaktiewe drama in die verandering van houdings teenoor persone met fisieke gestremdhede integreer. Hierdie studie het ten doelom interaktiewe drama as 'n ervaringsleermetode te ondersoek, 'n houdingsveranderingsprogram te ontwikkel en te implementeer en die program te evalueer in 'n poging om bestuurders en werknemers se houdings teenoor persone met fisieke gestremdhede te verander. Verskeie teoretiese beginsels en strategieë is in die ontwikkeling van die program geïnkorporeer. Vir die doel van die studie bestaan die navorsingspopulasie uit bestuurders en werknemers van verskillende groot en klein maatskappye in die Vrystaat wat tans 'n Bestuursleierskapsgraad by die Bestuurskool van die Universiteit van die Vrystaat studeer. Die studie maak van 'n kwasi-eksperimentele ontwerp gebruik aangesien deelname aan die studie vrywillig was. Die "Scale of Attitudes toward Disabled Persons" (SADP) is gebruik om bestuurders en werknemers se houdingsveranderinge teenoor persone met fisieke gestremdhede te ondersoek. Die totale aantal respondente was aan die studie deelgeneem het, is 133. Die totale getal proefpersone wat aan die ingreep blootgestel was, het uit 33 bestuurders en 30 werknemers bestaan. Die kontrolegroepe het uit 30 bestuurders en 40 werknemers bestaan. Die t-toets vir afhanklike groepe is gebruik om enige verskille binne groepe te ondersoek. Die volgende resultate is vanuit die studie verkry: • Daar is geen statisties beduidende verskille tussen die voor- en nameting van die eksperimentele groep bestuurders ten opsigte van die houdingstellings teenoor persone met fisieke gestremdhede nie. • Daar is geen statisties beduidende verskille tussen die voor- en nameting van die eksperimentele groep werknemers ten opsigte van die houdingstellings teenoor persone met fisieke gestremdhede nie. Hieruit blyk dit dat die program nie 'n beduidende statistiese verandering in houdings ten opsigte van fisieke gestremdhede meegebring het nie. Proefpersone het egter ook aan die einde van die program 'n algemene evaluasievraelys voltooi wat ten doel gehad het om hul ervaringe van die program, asook hulle eie persepsie van hulle houdingsveranderinge teenoor persone met fisieke gestremdhede, te evalueer. Volgens die evaluasievraelyste het die program daartoe aanleiding gegee dat respondente hul eie vooroordele en negatiewe houdings teenoor werknemers met gestremdhede kon identifiseer, verander en verbeter. Verder het die program tot 'n verhoogde bewustheid van werknemers met gestremdhede in die algemeen, asook hul vaardighede, take en uitdagings aanleiding gegee. Laastens het leerders aangetoon dat hulle na bywoning van die program aan werknemers met gestremdhede regverdige kanse tot indiensneming verskaf. In die lig van hierdie resultate was die program wel suksesvol in die verandering van werknemers en bestuurders se houding teenoor werknemers met fisieke gestremdhede.