Social acceptance and the choosing of favourite classmates: a comparison between students with special educational needs and typically developing students in a context of full inclusion

Abstract

Empirical data on the effects of inclusion regarding the social participation of typically developing students and those with special educational needs are still controversial. While some studies suggest that the more extensive the inclusion, the higher the social position of students with special educational needs, evidence from other studies indicates that the full inclusion of students with special educational needs into ordinary schools is not sufficient, per se, to increase their social participation. In this study, we set out to investigate the social position of students with special educational needs and typically developing students studying in regular classroom environments in Italian primary and secondary schools. Given that being accepted is far from the same as being chosen, besides examining rates of acceptance and rejection, we also considered the choices made by students regarding their favourite classmates. The results demonstrated that students with special educational needs are significantly less accepted and are very rarely chosen as favoured classmates by their typically developing counterparts. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Relationship between the social participation and social skills of pupils with an intellectual disability: A study in inclusive classrooms

“…Thus, there must be other mechanisms influencing the social participation of pupils with ID in inclusive classrooms, for example, the achievement level of these pupils. In fact, Krull et al (2014) and Nepi et al (2015) found a relationship between low academic achievement levels and low social acceptance by peers. Further, on a group level, classroom composition and group norms can also play a crucial role regarding the social participation of individuals in inclusive classrooms (Garrote, 2016;Grütter et al, 2015).…”

“…However, the mere presence of these pupils in general education classrooms does not automatically result in successful social participation. Pupils with SEN are less involved in social interactions with peers, less accepted and more frequently rejected than their typically developing (TD) peers (Avramidis, 2013;Estell et al, 2008;Feldman, Carter, Asmus, & Brock, 2015;Garrote, 2016;Grütter, Meyer, & Glenz, 2015;Huber, 2006;Koster, Pijl, Nakken, & van Houten, 2010;Nepi, Fioravanti, Nannini, & Peru, 2015;Pijl & Frostad, 2010;Rotheram-Fuller, Kasari, Chamberlain, & Locke, 2010). …”

Facilitating the social participation of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools: A review of school-based interventions

“…The most studied dimension of social participation is the social acceptance of pupils with SEN. A majority of the studies show that pupils with SEN included in preschool or primary classrooms are more often rejected and less well accepted by their peers than TD pupils (Avramidis, 2013;Cambra & Silvestre, 2003;Estell et al, 2008;Frederickson, Simmonds, Evans, & Soulsby, 2007;Freeman & Alkin, 2000;Garrote, 2016;Grütter, Meyer, & Glenz, 2015;Hestenes & Carroll, 2000;Huber & Wilbert, 2012;Koster, Pijl, Nakken, & van Houten, 2010;Krull, Wilbert, & Henneman, 2014;de Monchy, Pijl, & Zandberg, 2004;Nadeau & Tessier, 2003;Nowicki, 2003;Nepi, Fioravanti, Nannini, & Peru, 2015;Odom & Diamond, 1998;Pijl & Frostad, 2010;Pijl, Skaalvic, & Skaalvic, 2010;Rotheram-Fuller, Kasari, Chamberlain, & Locke, 2010;Yude, Goodman, McConachie, 1998). This is the case not only during recess but also in the classroom (Cambra & Silvestre, 2003;Frederickson et al, 2007).…”

Strengthening Social Skills in Students With an Intellectual Disability in Secondary Education

“…The study concluded that we need to do effective educational interventions to social skills of students with or without SEN in schools of general education. Nepi, Fioravanti, Nannini, and Peru (2015) investigated the social position of students with SEN in general classes of primary and high schools in Italy. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of inclusion in different aspects of social participation, from having positive interactions between students with SEN and those without to the acceptance of the students with SEN and the growth of friendly relationships inside the group of students who grow up together as a whole.…”