The inclusiveness of social networks in regular kindergartens attended by children with disability who are about to transition to a regular primary school education is the main topic of the present study. In particular, the study seeks to address the following research question: To what extent children with disability experience participation in the context of social interactions with their peers without disability in regular kindergartens as they prepare for transition to the primary school education? 

The concept of social participation is central to understanding and implementing inclusive education in practice. The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities through the General Comment No4, emphasises the importance of ensuring participatory experiences for all pupils in educational and social activities to guarantee inclusive education (UN, 2016). Further, the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (EASNIE) has identified social participation as a key indicator in monitoring and evaluating the quality of inclusive education provided to each learner (EASNIE, 2025), while also acknowledging its long-term positive impact on social inclusion within everyday communities across the lifespan (EASNIE, 2018). 

Within the literature, social participation has been conceptualised through several core themes, including social interactions and relationships, social contacts, friendships, and shared play activities (Koster et al., 2007). The present study adopts a social network theoretical approach to social participation for illustrating not only the quantitative characteristics of social relational ties between children with and without disability. A more qualitative aspect of children’s social networks focuses on their friendships and playing together in play activities in a kindergarten setting. According to Daly (2010), understanding the structure and nature of children’s social networks is crucial for documenting how well each child experiences social acceptance and active participation in their classroom environment. Building on this perspective, Mamas and colleagues have extended social network theory by linking it to classroom social responsiveness and inclusivity, particularly in relation to children with disability across different school levels (Mamas et al., 2019; 2020).

Further, Then and Pohlmann-Rother (2023) have underscored the pivotal role of peers in making the transition from kindergarten to primary school inclusive. Within their ecological framework of inclusive transition, the social ties of children with disability to their peers contribute to their adaptivity to the school environment and moderate their participation in navigation-related processes (Then & Pohlmann-Rother, 2024). Accordingly, careful observation of the social ties of children with and without disability is required across their transition journey from kindergarten through entry into Grade 1 and beyond. Such research is particularly important in light of findings from European and international studies indicating that children with disability often experience social rejection and exclusion in both their current and subsequent school environments (e.g., Fyssa, 2015; Holliman et al., 2021; Margetts, 2014). 

The present study contributes to this body of research by providing longitudinal evidence on the social participation of a group of children with disability, following them from kindergarten through their transition to primary school. In the Greek context, research focusing on this area is of critical importance, given the limited empirical evidence available and the ambiguity observed in national educational policies regarding inclusive transitions.

The present study is part of a larger project examining the psychosocial adjustment of children with disability and the inclusive processes involved in their transition from regular kindergarten to primary school. It adopts a case study design focusing on 25 six-year-old children with disability attending regular kindergarten classrooms under the auspices of the Directorate of Early Childhood and Primary Education in Achaia, Greece. Children were selected based on a diagnosis of intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, or a genetic syndrome. In addition, all participants had either undergone assessment procedures by official evaluation and counselling bodies in Achaia or had been registered in Grade 1 of a general primary school at the discretion of their parents or guardians, in accordance with Greek legislation (Law, 3699/2008). Data on social participation within peer networks will be collected at multiple time points: during kindergarten, three months after Grade 1 attendance, and at the end of the Grade 1 school year. In this presentation, we focus exclusively on the kindergarten phase. Data collection is in progress, following ethical approval from the Research Committee of the Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education at the University of Patras (Decision No. 79462/25-09-2025). A social network survey is administered to children with disability and their peers. To examine classroom-based social networks, each child receives a classroom roster and is asked to identify close friends (friendship networks) and peers they play with (play networks) using two piloted relational questions: (1) ‘Which of your classmates are your friends?’ and (2) ‘Which of your classmates do you hang out with?’. Children may indicate as many peers as they wish. To ensure accessibility, the survey includes visual supports, such as photographs of classmates provided by teachers, as well as child-friendly illustrations and plain language prompts. Each survey is completed individually outside the classroom at a time and location arranged with the kindergarten teacher. Following data collection, responses are entered and analysed using the Social Networks Analysis Toolkit (Mamas et al., 2019) to construct sociograms and examine peer social networks for each school setting. This approach allows for both quantitative and qualitative insights into social participation patterns, providing a foundation for understanding the social inclusion of children with disability within regular early childhood settings.

Taken together, the expected outcomes of the present study suggest a nuanced pattern of social participation among children with and without disability. Consistent with previous research, children with disability are anticipated to occupy less central positions within their peer social networks. This may indicate that they are either rejected by peers or accepted only as passive participants in activities and daily routines. Beyond low levels of peer acceptance, the findings may reveal fewer reciprocal friendships of lower quality and reduced engagement in peer interactions among children with disability compared to their peers without disability. However, in highly diverse classroom contexts, patterns of social participation may vary. For instance, in classrooms located in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas or in settings with high ethnic and linguistic diversity, statistically significant differences associated with disability status may not emerge. Furthermore, differences may depend on the type of social network examined, with distinct patterns evident between friendship networks and play networks for children with disability. Overall, the study is expected to confirm that, while structural inequalities in friendship networks -especially regarding peer acceptance- remain evident, social participation is not uniformly diminished across all relational contexts. These conclusions highlight the importance of examining both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of social networks over time and across contexts, particularly during critical educational transitions, to better understand pathways toward social inclusion or marginalisation for children with disability.

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