Socially responsive classrooms for students with special educational needs and disabilities

This mixed-methods study examined the social networks of students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to understand how the degree of a socially responsive classroom may have an impact on the inclusion and participation of these students and their peers. A critical case study design grounded in social capital theory drove the study. Data were collected from two Grade 4 classrooms, where 41 students participated in the social network questionnaire and 31 students took part in semi-structured interviews. One of the two classrooms appeared to be more socially responsive and its results have indicated that SEND students were well connected to their classmates, were as popular and had as many friends as their non-SEND peers

Zugang ist nicht gleich Zugang - Verläufe, Bedingungen und Ebenen des Feldzugangs in ethnografischen Forschungen

In empirical social research, access to the field is regarded as an important step in the research process and, in ethnographical research, a crucial challenge. Typically, questions and answers about access remain so general that there are few standards in place. In the contribution at hand, questions concerning access to the field are analyzed in a more differentiated manner on the basis of data from an ethnographical study on adolescent peer groups, thereby centering on various characteristics and problems of these groups. In doing so, it can be shown that access to a research field has to be ensured throughout the duration of the study and that its organization reflects the participants and the status of the researcher, e.g. as participating observer or observing participant. In addition, there are different dimensions of access to be differentiated that contribute to generate information.Der Feldzugang gilt in der empirischen Sozialforschung als wichtiger Schritt im Forschungsprozess und wird vor allem in der ethnografischen Forschung als eine zentrale Herausforderung angesehen. In der Regel werden die damit verbundenen Fragen lediglich allgemein diskutiert, sodass man den verschiedenen Aspekten des Zugangs kaum gerecht wird. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden Fragen des Feldzugangs auf der Grundlage des Datenmaterials einer ethnografischen Untersuchung zu jugendlichen Peergroups differenzierter untersucht. Dabei kann gezeigt werden, dass der Zugang zu einem Forschungsfeld im gesamten Erhebungsprozess immer wieder gewährleistet werden muss und dass er sich je nach beteiligten Akteur*innen und in Abhängigkeit vom Status der Forschenden unterschiedlich gestaltet. Zudem lassen sich verschiedene Dimensionen des Zugangs unterscheiden, die jeweils dazu beitragen, Informationen generieren zu können

Editorial: Peer- and Friendship Relations in Adolescence

Dieses Schwerpunktheft widmet sich den Peer- und Freundschaftsbeziehungen als wichtige Sozialisationskontexte im Jugendalter. In vier empirischen Beiträgen werden die (Aus-)Gestaltung, die Bearbeitung und das Erleben von Peer- und Freundschaftsbeziehungen im Jugendalter sowie die subjektive Bedeutung dieser Beziehungen für Jugendliche in den Blick genommen. Ebenfalls beleuchtet werden unterschiedliche Bedingungen, die die Art und Weise prägen, wie Jugendlichen in Beziehung zueinander treten. Das Themenheft wird ergänzt durch einen freien Beitrag über die Handlungs(un)fähigkeit Geflüchteter durch informelle Lernerfahrungen und abgerundet durch eine Rezension einer aktuellen Publikation zu politischer Sozialisation.This special issue focuses on peer and friendship relationships as important socialization contexts in adolescence. Four empirical contributions examine the shaping, processing and experience of peer and friendship relationships in adolescence as well as the subjective significance of these relationships for young people. Also examined are different conditions that shape the way adolescents relate to one another. The issue is supplemented by a free article on the (in)ability of refugees to act through informal learning experiences and rounded off by a review of a current publication on political socialization

Ego-net analysis in educational contexts

This dataset illustrates an approach to conducting ego-net analysis in education. The data are provided by Dr. Christoforos Mamas, Ms. Giovanna Shaelli, and Dr. Alan J. Daly, from the Department of Education, University of California San Diego and the Institute of Education, University of Zurich. The data are taken from the 3-year Inclusive Education Project, funded by the European Commission, which started in 2015 and aimed to explore the social networks of students in mainstream schools, with an emphasis on those with identified special educational needs and disabilities. The example will be most useful for qualitative researchers interested in understanding the ego networks of students. This dataset file is accompanied by a Teaching Guide and a Student Guide

Socially responsive classrooms for students with special educational needs and disabilities

This mixed-methods study examined the social networks of students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to understand how the degree of a socially responsive classroom may have an impact on the inclusion and participation of these students and their peers. A critical case study design grounded in social capital theory drove the study. Data were collected from two Grade 4 classrooms, where 41 students participated in the social network questionnaire and 31 students took part in semi-structured interviews. One of the two classrooms appeared to be more socially responsive and its results have indicated that SEND students were well connected to their classmates, were as popular and had as many friends as their non-SEND peers

Employing social network analysis to examine the social participation of students identified as having special educational needs and disabilities

The number of students with identified Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in mainstream schools has been rising in the last three decades, primarily due to policy changes promoting inclusive education. However, many of these students remain socially isolated despite expectations that inclusion may lead to enhanced outcomes, particularly social outcomes. This paper draws on a study conducted in three countries; Cyprus, Spain, and Switzerland. A critical case study design, grounded in social capital theory, was adopted to examine the concept of social participation from a social network perspective in six Grade 4 classrooms, two in each country. Data were collected through 109 network surveys. Network maps for each classroom were developed, and social network measures were calculated. The findings from each case/classroom were encouraging in terms of the social participation of students with SEND and have provided a layer for understanding social responsiveness and inclusion of each classroom. The social participation for many students with SEND was found to be comparable to peers without SEND