Am I Really One of Them? Assessing Social Inclusion From the Perspective of Students

• In Event: 31.082 - Escúchame! Listen to Me! Exploring Underserved Students' Voice Through Innovative and Participatory Research Designs

Abstract

Recent international studies on inclusive education are currently particularly focusing on students’ academic achievement. In the previous decades, however, not only achievement variables, but also socio-affective aspects have often been analyzed. Following Haeberlin, Moser, Bless, and Klaghofer (1989), three variables are especially in the focus of socio-affective outcome variables of inclusive education: academic self-concept, social inclusion and emotional inclusion (i.e. school well-being). The aim of this study is to investigate the perspectives of students with respect to one of these three variables, namely, social inclusion. Inclusion in schools is not only about the spatial inclusion of students but also about social inclusion (Schwab, 2016). Consequently, inclusion should be seen as a social issue (i.e. social inclusion), where equal participation in all spheres of life is emphasized. The emphasis is thus not only on a disability of the child, but also about acknowledging diversity, i.e. that every person has personal identities linked with factors such as background, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, as well as learning opportunities (Nel, 2018; Ainscow, 2014). South Africa has a national education system and has affirmed the inclusive education approach with the introduction of Education White Paper 6 (EWP6), Special Needs Education: Building an inclusive education and training system (DoE, 2001). A key principle of this policy is social integration by building a single, inclusive system of education and training. Yet, there are still three types of schools, namely, mainstream, Special Schools as Resource Centres (SSRC) and Full Service Schools (FSS). However, for this study Full Service Schools will be used. These are mainstream primary schools which must provide for the full range of learning needs among all learners, including learners with disabilities (DBE, 2010). Since these schools accommodate learners with different barriers to leaning, including disabilities, it is the ideal environment for this study. The primary goal of this research will be to investigate the perceptions of students regarding social inclusion. Five Full-Service Schools (FSS) in the Sedibeng East and West Districts were selected. These schools are mainly situated in township areas. The entire sample consists of 480 pupils, 80 of whom have a special education needs (SEN). To assess social inclusion, the English version of the Perceptions of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ; Venetz, Zurbriggen, Eckhart, Schwab, & Hessels, 2015) was administered to students. Data entry will be completed in September 2018. Statistical analysis is performed using multilevel regression analysis to control for the hierarchical data structure. Finally, implications for assessing the effectiveness of inclusive education, further research and practice will be discussed.

Authors

• Lisa Hoffmann, 1University of Wuppertal

• Mirna Nel, North-West University