Social Participation of Students with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Seventh Grade

AbstractThis study addresses the social participation of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream 7th grade in Flanders (Belgium). Social participation (i.e., social interactions, peer acceptance, friendships, and social self-concept) was assessed by means of questionnaires among 86 students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 61 students with motor and/or sensory disabilities (MOTSENS) and 1926 normally developing classmates. Seventh grade students with ASD scored less favorably in all aspects. Girls with MOTSENS scored less favorably on some aspects of social participation than typically expected of their peers. The social participation of students with ASD and students with MOTSENS did not differ significantly

Social participation of students with special educational needs in mainstream secondary school

Over the past decades, the inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools has become a global trend. Social participation has been considered a key issue in the inclusion debate. Nonetheless, research including all key themes of social participation, the quality of social participation, loneliness of students with SEN and its protective factors was scarce. Moreover, at the onset of our study, a claear delineation of social participation in secondary school was still lacking. Also comparisons between subgroups of students with SEN and boys and girls with SEN were scarce.Our study on social participation of students with SEN at 7th grade aimed to address these gaps. First, the concept of social participation of students with SEN in mainstream secondary school was delineated. We identified the same four key themes as found in primary school, i.e., (1) social interactions between students with SEN and their classmates; (2) peer acceptance; (3) friendships between them and their classmates, and (4) the social self-concept of the student with SEN. Second, a large-scale study was set up, including 147 student with SEN, and their 1926 typically developing classmates. This study revealed that two to three times as many students with ASD had social difficulties and felt lonely compared to typically developing classmates. Also significantly more girls with motor and/or sensory disabilities experience social difficulties than their typically developing classmates, yet they did not feel lonely. No differences in friendship quality were found between students with SEN and their typically developing classmates, nor were significant differences found between students with ASD and students with motor and/or sensory disabilities on any aspect of social participation. For 7th grade students with SEN, same-sex social self-concept was related with loneliness, but not, as for typically developing students, number of friends and opposite-sex social self-concept. Also friendship quality had a marginally significant effect on loneliness for students with SEN, but not for typically developing students.In conclusion, our findings underline the need to monitor the social situation and the subjective feelings of students with SEN more closely. Moreover, due to the different relations between friendships, social self-concept on the one hand and loneliness on the other hand, it seems that lonely students with SEN at this age are in need of different or adapted types of interventions than their classmates. Normal 0 21 false false false NL-BE X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify; line-height:150%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}status: publishe

“We Are Only as Strong as We Are United, as Weak as We Are Divided” a Dynamic Analysis of the Peer Support Networks in the Harry Potter Books

Copyright © 2013 Goele Bossaert, Nadine Meidert. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribu-tion License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This research studied the concept of enacted peer support during adolescence by means of the Harry Potter Series. A network approach was used. Results indicated the importance of reciprocity and transitivity for enacted peer support during adolescence. Contrary to our expectations, gender, age and personality traits did not affect enacted peer support. No homophily effects based on gender and age were detected. However, students were found to be more supportive of students with similar personality traits. We hope this study adds to the current knowledge on peer support in adoles-cence and promotes the use of social theories and methods in literacy research

Predicting children’s academic achievement after the transition to first grade

The transition from kindergarten to first grade has been described as a critical period for children's academic development. Furthermore, research indicates that peer status is connected with academic adjustment, yet the underlying processes remain unclear. By means of a two-year longitudinal study during kindergarten and first grade (N = 153), we aimed to shed light on the antecedents of achievement at the end of first grade. Based on the parallel processes mediation model (Buhs, 2005), a comprehensive predictive model was constructed and tested. Results showed that (a) the parallel processes mediation model is partially valid during the transition from kindergarten to first grade; and (b) there is more support for an effect of academic self-concept on achievement than vice versa. This comprehensive model increases our insight in the factors that enhance children's academic development during the transition to first grade.status: publishe

Loneliness among students with special educational needs in mainstream seventh grade

The goals of this study were twofold. The first aim was to compare loneliness prevalence in typically developing students, students with ASD and students with motor and/or sensory disabilities in mainstream 7th grade in Belgium. The second aim was to explore the relations between number of friends, friendship quality, social self-concept on the one hand and loneliness on the other for each of these three groups, and to compare them across groups. In this study, 108 students with special educational needs (SEN; i.e., 58 students with ASD and 50 students with motor and/or sensory disabilities) were matched to 108 typically developing classmates. Students with ASD reported more loneliness than typically developing students and students with motor and/or sensory disabilities. Loneliness prevalence for typically developing students and students with motor and/or sensory disabilities did not differ significantly. Factors related with loneliness differed between typically developing students and students with SEN (i.e., students with ASD and students with motor and/or sensory disabilities). For students with SEN, same-sex social self-concept was related with loneliness, but not, as for typically developing students, number of friends and opposite-sex social self-concept. Also friendship quality had a marginally significant effect on loneliness feelings for students with SEN. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.status: publishe

Social participation of pupils with special needs in eight, ninth and tenth grade: A pilot study

In the inclusion debate, social participation has been considered a key issue. However, research addressing the social participation of children with SEN has revealed that peer interactions between students with and without SEN may not spontaneously occur (Frostad & Pijl, 2007). This study, which is part of a larger study, has three aims; i.e., 1) exploring the psychometric properties of the Dutch translation of the CATCH, 2) exploring possible cultural differences and 3) identifying factors associated with adolescents’ attitudes towards peers with disabilities. An online survey was set up and the CATCH was tested among 173 Flemish adolescents (age range = 11-20). Furthermore, several background factors were assessed. Results supported the reliability of the translated version of the CATCH, revealing a two-factor structure of the CATCH, i.e., a cognitive and an affective-behavioral dimension. Factors independently associated with more positive attitudes were being female, having a close family member or a close friend with a disability, and viewing a video introduction of a peer with a disability before assessing attitudes. These findings underline the importance of the way in which students with disabilities are presented to their peers.status: publishe

Loneliness among Students with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Seventh Grade

The goals of this study were twofold. The first aim was to explore loneliness prevalence in typically developing students, students with ASD and students with motor and/or sensory disabilities in mainstream 7th grade in Belgium. The second aim was to explore the relations between number of friends, friendship quality, social self-concept on the one hand and loneliness on the other for each of these three groups, and to compare them across groups. In this study, 108 students with special educational needs (SEN: i.e., 58 students with ASD and 50 students with motor and/or sensory disabilities) were matched to 108 typically developing classmates. Students with ASD reported more loneliness than typically developing students and students with motor and/or sensory disabilities. Loneliness prevalence for typically developing students and students with motor and/or sensory disabilities did not differ significantly. Factors related with loneliness differed between typically developing students and students with SEN (i.e., students with ASD and students with motor and/or sensory disabilities). For students with SEN, same-sex social self-concept was related with loneliness, but not, as for typically developing students, number of friends and opposite-sex social self-concept. Also friendship quality had a marginally significant effect on loneliness feelings for students with SEN. Implications for further research and practice are discussed. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Quality of Reciprocated Friendships of Students with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Seventh Grade

This study focuses on companionship, intimacy, and support of reciprocated friendships of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), students with motor and/or sensory disabilities, and typically developing students with their classmates at the start of mainstream secondary school. The study included 1379 typically developing students, 65 students with ASD, and 50 students with motor and/or sensory disabilities of 100 different classes in 56 schools. Sociometric techniques were used. No differences were found between companionship and support of the reciprocated friendships of the three groups. Students with ASD did report significantly less intimacy in their friendships than typically developing students did. The number of friends was not related to companionship or intimacy, but was positively associated with support of the students' reciprocated friendships. Furthermore, perceptions of shared friendship quality did not differ among students with ASD, students with motor and/or sensory disabilities, and their typically developing friends. Future research is needed to tap into the predictors and consequences of reciprocated friendships of students with special education needs in mainstream classes

Truly included? A literature study focusing on the social dimension of inclusion in education

<p>Social participation of students with special educational needs (SEN) is a key issue in the inclusion debate. However, the meaning of concepts like social integration, social inclusion and social participation used in current literature is often unclear. Recently, these concepts were clarified based on preschool and primary school literature. The current study assesses the meaning of these concepts for secondary school samples and possible differences with preschool and primary school. A literature review on secondary school literature, including 19 articles, revealed large parallels, i.e. the three concepts can be used as synonyms and include the same key themes: relationships, interactions, perception of the pupil with SEN and acceptance by classmates. Although the subthemes within the key themes largely concurred, one subtheme (i.e. self-perception of social interaction) was added and three subthemes, mentioned in the scheme based on preschool and primary school, were not found.</p>

The attitudes of Belgian adolescents towards peers with disabilities

This study aimed to explore Belgian adolescents' attitudes towards peers with disabilities and to explore factors associated with these attitudes. Based on the theory of persuasive communication, this study focused on receiver variables (the "whom"), characteristics of students with disabilities ("concerning who") and channel ("how"). An online survey was created and published on several popular websites for youngsters. Attitudes were assessed by means of the CATCH questionnaire among 167 adolescents between 11 and 20 years old Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted. Belgian adolescents had fairly tolerant attitudes towards peers with disabilities. Factors associated with more positive attitudes were being female, and viewing a video introduction of a peer with a disability before assessing attitudes. Factors such as having a parent, sibling or good friend with a disability and frequent contact with persons with disabilities did not remain significant in the overall model. The way in which students with disabilities are presented to their peers is very important. Further research is needed among larger samples, including more diverse variables, concerning the former mentioned categories, but also concerning the source (the "who") and message (the "what").status: publishe