From Enrollment to Membership: “Belonging” in Middle and High School Classes

Author(s):  
Roberta F. Schnorr

This study examined the meaning of “belonging” or membership in four secondary level general education classes. One or two students with moderate or severe disabilities were enrolled in each of these classes. Participant observations and interviews were used to gain an understanding of participation and membership from the perspectives of students without disabilities who attended these classes. Findings indicated that student membership depends on affiliation with a subgroup of peers within the class. General class participation and interactions influenced an individual's status within the group, but were not enough to create member status. General education students also reported taking active steps when they joined a class to get connected with a subgroup. In these classes, only two students with disabilities connected with subgroups and were, therefore, viewed as members. Considerations are offered for promoting classroom membership for students with moderate or severe disabilities.

1998 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent R. Logan ◽  
D. Michael Malone

This study compared the instructional contexts of 15 students with severe disabilities who were educated in general education elementary classrooms, and 15 general education students in those same classrooms. Results suggest that (a) different instructional contexts existed for students with severe disabilities; (b) more individualized instructional supports were provided for the students with severe disabilities, including one-to-one instruction, small group instruction provided by special education staff, physical and gestural prompting, and teacher focus on the student with severe disabilities; (c) most of the more individualized supports were provided by special education staff. Implications for supporting students with severe disabilities in general education elementary classrooms are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 259-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Houchins ◽  
Wendy Peia Oakes ◽  
Zachary G. Johnson

Bullying is a serious issue affecting the psychological, social, and physical well-being of students. Although a substantial amount of bullying research has been conducted with general education students, there is a paucity of experimental prevention or intervention studies specifically focused on students with disabilities. The aim of this article is twofold. First, we introduce a special issue on bullying and students with disabilities. Summaries of recent studies conducted on the bullying and students with disabilities are described. Next, we report the findings from a systematic literature review on bully intervention studies focused on students with disabilities. We identified six experimental studies meeting the search criteria. One study met all of the quality research indicators. Findings, future directions, and conclusions are discussed taking into consideration quality research indicators for evidence-based bullying prevention or intervention studies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun M. Dougherty ◽  
Todd Grindal ◽  
Thomas Hehir

Evidence suggests that participating in career and technical education (CTE) in high school, on average, positively affects general education students when transitioning from education to the workforce. Yet, almost no large-scale causal research has explored whether academic benefits also accrue to students with disabilities in CTE. This omission is glaring given that students with disabilities participate in high school CTE programs at high rates. We use multiple years of administrative data from Massachusetts to estimate the effect of participating in CTE on the academic outcomes of students with disabilities. Compared with peers with similar disabilities who do not participate in CTE, students with disabilities in CTE programs perform comparably on standardized measures of student achievement but have higher probabilities of graduating from high school on time or earning industry-recognized certificates. Implications for policy and practice, particularly with regard to scaling access to similar programs, are discussed.


2000 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 142-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keli Mu ◽  
Ellin B. Siegel ◽  
Rose M. Allinder

We examined the social status of six high school students with moderate or severe disabilities in general education cooking classes and compared their social interaction behaviors with those of peers without disabilities. The peers without disabilities who participated were selected from an “average” group based on peer nomination sociometric assessments. Results showed that the social status of the students with disabilities varied. Although no participating students with disabilities were classified as “popular” among their peers, the majority of the participating students with disabilities obtained “average” social status ratings. Results also indicated that students with disabilities were involved in fewer social interactions, interacted with peers without disabilities slightly more often than with adults, and were more often passive participants in interactions. Future studies should examine peer interactions and peer acceptance of students with moderate or severe disabilities in more academic classes, as well as factors that impact their social status and social relationships in inclusive environments.


1996 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo M. Hendrickson ◽  
Mohsen Shokoohi-Yekta ◽  
Susan Hamre-Nietupski ◽  
Robert A. Gable

A survey on friendships with peers with severe disabilities of 1,137 middle and high school students was conducted across three states. Students indicated that they should try to make friends with peers with severe disabilities and that friendships are most likely to develop when students with disabilities are educated in general education classes, for all or part of the school day. Students perceived themselves, special education teachers, and youth organizations as primarily responsible for facilitating these friendships, and that effective strategies involve learning situations in which students work together, teachers present information on disabilities, and teachers and parents arrange social events for all students.


2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry J. Kortering ◽  
Laurie U. de Bettencourt ◽  
Patricia M. Braziel

Success in high school algebra is gaining increased importance for all students, including those identified as having learning disabilities (LD). Despite its importance, we know little about what students with and without LD say about their algebra classes. This study examined findings from a survey of 410 general education students and 46 peers with LD. The survey established data relative to the participants' favorite and least favorite classes, most difficult (and best) parts of algebra class, and ideas for helping more students to succeed. In addition, student participants reported whether selected interventions and accommodations were helpful.


1996 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 194-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Staub ◽  
Megan Spaulding ◽  
Charles A. Peck ◽  
Chrysan Gallucci ◽  
Ilene S. Schwartz

Qualitative research methods were used to conduct a study of an inclusion program at a junior high school in which typically developing students assisted and supported students with moderate and severe disabilities as they attended general education classrooms. There were two purposes for conducting this case study: first, to provide a description of how one school, with limited resources available, successfully included students with disabilities in general education classrooms; and second, to describe outcomes perceived to be associated with the student aide program for the students with disabilities and the student aides. Data were gathered over 2 years and included ethnographic field notes and interviews. The perceived outcomes that emerged from an analysis of these data are discussed in terms of their implications for future practice and research.


2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Hollenbeck ◽  
Marick A. Rozek-Tedesco ◽  
Gerald Tindal ◽  
Aaron Glasgow

In this study, we examined whether a teacher-paced video (TPV) accommodation or a student-paced computer (SPC) accommodation provided differential access for students with disabilities versus their general education peers on a large-scale math test. Our results showed a statistically significant main effect for students' status. General education students outperformed students with disabilities on both the SPC and TPV math tests. When TPV versus SPC scores were analyzed by status, it was found that pacing significantly influenced the mean scores. In other words, the mean scores for students with disabilities and the lowest general education students provided differential access when the accommodation was student-paced on a computer versus when the teacher paced the accommodation via the video.


1997 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Pomplun

This study examined the overall performance as well as the amount and nature of participation by students with disabilities in cooperative groups. Regression and discriminant analyses were used to investigate the amount and nature of participation by students with disabilities in cooperative groups used in a state science assessment. The results indicated that most students with disabilities were in groups that functioned like groups with all general education students. However, groups with students with behavioral disorders or students with mental impairments did not interact like the other groups; there was less participation and listening by group members. The discussion stresses the nature of the group task in the generalization of these results.


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