The successful implementation of inclusion is currently a much-discussed topic, as in many countries more and more students with special educational needs (SEN) are taught in inclusive classes (e.g. Schwab 2017). In the course of this, social participation has become the focus of research as an indicator for the successful implementation of inclusion (e. g., Zurbriggen & Venetz 2016). The increase in the social participation of all students, regardless of their different abilities and skills, is one of the main aims of inclusion. The literature distinguishes between four dimensions of social participation. (1) social interactions between students with and without SEN, (2) social relationships/friendships between students with SEN and their peers, (3) the acceptance of students with SEN by their peers and (4) the perception of acceptance by their peers of students with SEN (e. g., Koster, Nakken, Pijl, & van Houten 2009). Previous research in relation to these four dimensions showed that students with SEN feel less integrated (e. g., Pijl & Frostad 2010), have less friends (e. g., Avramidis, Avgeri, & Strogilos 2018), are more often disapproved by their classmates in inclusive classes (e. g., Pijl, Frostad & Flem 2008) and feel more often loneliness than students without SEN (e. g., Pijl, Skaalvik, & Skaalvik 2010). However, there is some disagreement in research about the extent of students with SEN’s social participation in inclusive settings. For this reason, the studies in this symposium deal with the different possibilities of measuring the social participation of students with SEN.

The aim of the study by Schwab, Zurbriggen, Venetz & Trauntschnig is to investigate the perspectives of students, parents and teachers with respect to academic self-concept, social inclusion and emotional inclusion (i.e., school well-being). The results indicate that the PIQ represents a reliable instrument to capture these three variables from student’s, parent’s and teacher’s perspectives. The multitrait-multimethod analysis shows high to moderate correlations between the four different perspectives for all subscales.

The paper by Finnvold & Brekke reports from efforts to measure and analyse variations in social participation and social capital among Norwegian families and children with physical disabilities. They investigate various aspects of technology and social media, and the extent to which technology remove barriers or promote social inclusion for children and families with disabilities. Furthermore, they discuss the potential of using survey analyses in combination with register data to identify patterns, which can be further elaborated by semistructured interviews.

The paper by Mamas aims to elaborate on how to use a social network analysis toolkit to measure social participation and identify students who may be at risk of social isolation, exclusion and bullying. Using multiple network relationships/indicators was found to provide compelling evidence as to the quantity and quality of classroom social relationships. In particular, network maps provided a visual representation of the students’ relationships with each other. Additionally, social network metrics provided additional evidence to identify students who are at risk.     

The fourth study by Närhi, Hoffmann & Schwab investigates the psychometric properties of the newly developed Behaviour and Learning Climate (BCQ) scale. Preliminary results indicate that the BCQ represents a reliable instrument to capture behaviour and learning climate across countries. For the Finnish sample, students felt a rather positive behaviour and learning climate in their classrooms, whereas German students rated the behaviour and learning climate a bit less positive. Multilevel regression analyses showed significance variance at the class level for both samples.

Further results and implications will be presented and discussed. In sum, this symposium delivers insight into the wide range of different methods measuring social participation.

Avramidis, E., Avgeri, G., & Strogilos, V. (2018). Social participation and friendship quality of students with special educational needs in regular Greek primary schools. European Journal of Special Needs Education, DOI: 10.1080/08856257.2018.1424779 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), 117–40. Pijl, S. J., & Frostad, P. (2010). Peer-acceptance and self-concept of students with disabilities in regular education. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 25(1), 93 - 105. DOI: 10.1080/08856250903450947 Pijl, S. J., Frostad, P., & Flem, A. (2008). The social position of pupils with special needs in regular schools. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 52, 387–405. doi:10.1080/00313830802184558. Pijl, S. J., Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2010). Students with special needs and the composition of their peer group. Irish Educational Studies, 29(1), 57-70. DOI: 10.1080/03323310903522693 Schwab, S. (2017). Interprofessionelle Lehrkraftkooperation im inklusiven Unterricht aus der Perspektive der Schülerinnen und Schüler [Interprofessional teacher cooperation in inclusive education from the perspective of students]. Unterrichtswissenschaft, 45(4), 262-279. Zurbriggen, C. & Venetz, M. (2016). Soziale Partizipation und aktuelles Erleben im gemeinsamen Unterricht [Social participation and current experience in inclusive settings]. Empirische Pädagogik, 30(1), 98-112.