Information sources, perceptions, and attitudes as predictor and mediator of behavioral inclination: A study of school students social learning about persons with a disability

This study is a secondary analysis of survey data of primary and secondary school students (N = 2,865) in Hong Kong. Guided by Social Cognitive Theory, path models of social learning about persons with a disability (PWDs) were tested connecting exposure to information from different sources and contents of information with perceptions of, attitude, and behavior inclination toward PWDs. The best-fit model showed contents as better predictors of perceptions and attitudes than exposure to information from either media channels or interpersonal sources. Exposure to interpersonal sources was better predictor than that to media channels. The effects of content and exposure were also mediated by perceptions of PWD capabilities, of PWD inner state, and general attitude toward PWD.