Session Information
Contribution
Over the past decades, the inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in regular schools has become a global trend (Pijl, Meijer, & Hegarty, 1997). In the inclusion debate, social participation has been considered a key issue. However, researchers disagree about the extent to which children with SEN are socially participating in regular schools. Whereas some researchers sketch a positive situation (Avramidis, 2010), others point to the risks. For example, SEN-students were found to have lower social positions than their classmates, which was found to be related with low self-concepts, have fewer friends and participate less often as a member of a subgroup (Frostad and Pijl, 2007; Pijl & Frostad, 2010).
Despite the increasing number of studies on the social inclusion of students with SEN, there are some major lacks in the current knowledge base. First, social participation of students with SEN has primarily been studied using primary school samples. However, during adolescence peer affiliations become more important in children’s lives, and social interactions become more complex (Brown & Klute, 2003). Additionally, early adolescence coincides with the transition to secondary school, often resulting in the breakup of old friendships and providing opportunities to form new relationships (Hardy, Bukowski, & Sippola, 2002). Consequently, a study of the social participation of students with SEN in early adolescence is warranted. Secondly, some studies have discovered noticeable differences between students with different types of disabilities. For example, students with ASD experience less social support and more bullying compared to students with dyslexia (Humphrey & Symes, 2010). However, research in secondary school including different subgroups remains scarce and more detailed information on the differences between subgroups for the four key themes of social participation is still lacking. Finally, the vast majority of research on the social participation of students with SEN has been conducted in North America. Nevertheless, research suggests that culture plays an important role in the formation and development of social relations and socio-emotional development (Chen et al., 2004). Furthermore, there are many differences between educational systems, even within Europe. However, research on the social participation of Flemish students with SEN is still lacking.
By means of a large-scaled, longitudinal study, conducted in seventh and eighth grade in Flemish secondary schools, we aim to extend the current knowledge base. This paper reports the first results based on the data acquired at the end of seventh grade. Three research questions will be addressed: (1). Is there a difference in the social participation of students with SEN and typically developing peers at the end of seventh grade? (2). Is there a difference in the social participation of different subgroups of students with SEN? and (3) Are there differences between the social participation of students with SEN in Flanders and the social participation of students with SEN elsewhere?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Avramidis, E. (2010). Social relationships of pupils with special educational needs in the mainstream primary class: Peer group membership and peer-assessed social behaviour. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 25, 413-429. Brown, B. B., & Klute, C. (2003)/ Friendships, cliques, and crowds. In G. R. Adams, & M. D. Berzonsky (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of adolescence (pp. 330-348). Malden, MA: Blackwell. Chen, X., He, Y., De Oliveira, A. M., Lo Coco, A., Zappulla, C., Kaspar, V. et al. (2004). Loneliness and social adaptation in Brazilian, Canadian, Chinese and Italian children: a multi-national comparative study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 1373-1384. Frostad, P. & Pijl, S. J. (2007). Does being friendly help in making friends? The relation between the social position and social skills of pupils with special needs in mainstream education. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 22, 15-30. Hardy, C. M., Bukowski, W. M., & Sipolla, L. K. (2002). Stability and change in peer relationships during the transiton to middle level school. Journal of Early Adolescence, 22, 117-142. Humphrey, N. & Symes, N. (2010). Perceptions of social support and experience of bullying among pupils with autistic spectrum disorders in mainstream secondary schools. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 77-91. Marsh, H. W., Ellis, L. A., Parada, R. H., Richards, G., & Heubeck, B. G. (2005). A short version of the Self Description Questionnaire II: Operationalizing criteria for short-form evaluation with new applications of confirmatory factor analysis. Psychological Assessment, 7, 81-102. 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, 93-105. Pijl, S. J., Meijer, C. J., & Hegarty, S. (1997). Inclusive education: A global agenda. London: Routledge.
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