In addition to attitude assessment, attitude measures can identify both teacher characteristics and program procedures which appear to affect teacher attitudes. Results can help improve program design and implementation, daily procedures, preservice and inservice teacher training, and support services. Assessing changes in teacher attitude over time helps to evaluate the effectiveness of experience, changes in training or procedures, or the general progress of program implementation. While teacher attitudes toward the disabled in general have been studied, educational research has focused more on identifying differences in attitudes toward different types of disabilities. Casey, for example, measured differences in attitudes toward physically handicapped, emotionally disturbed, mentally retarded, and speech impaired children.
Evaluations also can focus on attitudes toward sensory disabilities, such as blindness and deafness.
Attitudes Toward Mainstreaming Teacher attitudes can be the focus of mainstreaming evaluations or part of a larger program assessment. Studies also can look at how types of teacher attitudes reflect different stages in the implementation process and at the process of implementing mainstreaming programs. Many different questions can be asked about teacher attitudes toward mainstreaming. Many studies have examined the cognitive and affective changes in teachers to evaluate inservice treatment effects. Others have looked at specific program effects, such as class size, class composition, or support services.