Abstract. The German version of the Perception of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ), which is used to assess students’ emotional inclusion, social inclusion, and academic self-concept, was analyzed with the multi-unidimensional graded response model (GRM) and investigated for differential item functioning (DIF) between students with and without learning difficulties (LD). The PIQ was administered to 823 primary school students in Switzerland ( Mage = 11.94, SD = 1.01 years), of which 190 were classified as having LD. Results show that the PIQ is a reliable instrument for assessing students’ perceptions of their inclusion at school, especially in the lower ranges of the scales. No bias was detected for any items of the PIQ’s three scales in relation to the exogenous variable LD, with the exception of one item that showed a minor deviation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the consistency between the self-reports and teacher ratings of students’ emotional and social inclusion at school as well as for their academic self-concept. The German version of the Perceptions of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ) was administered to 329 grade 8 students (50.8% female, M age = 14.5 years, SD age = 0.5 years) and their teachers. First, the three-dimensional structure of both PIQ versions was confirmed by confirmatory item factor analysis. The α and ω coefficients demonstrated good reliability for all scales. Second, a correlated trait-correlated method minus one model provided evidence that the method-specificity of teacher ratings was larger than the consistency between the self-reports and teacher ratings. Third, the results of a latent difference model indicated that general method effects can partly be explained by a student’s gender or special educational needs. Finally, the low consistency between self-reports and teacher rating is discussed.

Classroom composition research on social-emotional outcomes (CCRSO) aims to systematically explore how characteristics of classmates are related to the social-emotional outcomes of children and adolescents. In this introduction to the special issue, we first provide an overview of the scientific roots of CCRSO. We then develop a conceptualization of research areas typically of interest in CCRSO, which comprises 4 different fields of inquiry. Based on this, an overview on exemplary studies in these areas of research is given. Finally, we provide an introduction to methodological approaches and current challenges of CCRSO. We end with a brief discussion on potential future research directions.

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