Inclusive schooling of students with special educational needs (SEN) is an intensively discussed topic in practice as well in research (Koster et al., 2009). Few would disagree that inclusion means far more than just the access to regular school. Rather, it is a question of supporting every child’s or adolescents’ social, emotional and academic development and, thus, to promote their well-being. In brief, inclusion concerns also its quality. In this line of thought, this symposium aims to bring together three studies on students’ well-being related to inclusive education in three different countries. Each contribution sheds light on a particular aspect of well-being (e.g. Nieboer et al., 2005), by adopting different approaches.

The first paper focuses on the cognitive dimension of school-related well-being and investigates whether attitudes towards school of students with learning disabilities differ depending on the school setting. Social participation and academic performance are considered as predictors. The longitudinal data comprise about 450 students (grade 3 and 4) who attended either inclusive or exclusive schools in Germany. Findings show that the perception of social participation positively predicts attitudes towards school in exclusive schools, whereas in inclusive schools a reciprocal relationship could be found.

The second presentation, by contrast, refers to the affective component of well-being. In a study from Switzerland, about 100 grade 9 students (34% with SEN) reported on 31 randomly selected occasions during one week how they experienced everyday school life and peer contacts in their daily life. The results indicate that adolescents with and without SEN spend nearly a third of their leisure-time with peers and experience those interactions more enjoyable than being alone or receiving instruction. 

The third paper addresses the issue of parents’ expectations in explaining academic and social well-being of their children in early adolescence. Data of an Irish large-scale longitudinal survey (collected at age 9 and age 13) was analyzed to test for the hypothesized factors. The findings show that parents have lower expectations for children with SEN. Furthermore, the lowered expectations predict to some extent poorer social and academic development of young people.

The discussant will summarize the main results, integrate the three different conceptions of well-being and relate them both to questions of basic research as to practical implications.

Koster, M., Nakken, H., Pijl, S. J., & van Houten, E. (2009). Being part of the peer group: a literature study focusing on the social dimension of inclusion in education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 13(2), 117-140. Nieboer, A., Lindenberg, S., Boomsmaa, A., & Van Bruggen, A. C. (2004). Dimensions of well-being and their measurement: The SPF-IL scale. Social Indicators Research, 73, 313-353.