The Impact of an Invitational Environment on Preschoolers with Special Needs

• In Event: Invitational Learning in Multiple Contexts

Abstract

Providing service delivery to special education students has been fraught with controversy about where instruction should be provided. This study views the impact of inclusion vs. self-contained classrooms from an invitational perspective.
This quantitative quasi-experimental study examined whether inviting classrooms with non-disabled peers or classrooms with exclusively disabled peers impacted the skill achievement of special needs preschoolers. Pretest and posttest scores over a two year span were collected from the Brigance Inventory of Early Development (IED-II) in three domains: (a) academic/cognitive, (b) daily living, and (c) social-emotional. The data revealed that the academic/cognitive and daily living domains were not significantly different in their gains, however a significant impact was gained in the social-emotional domain for inclusive classrooms.

Authors

• April GardnerTaylor, Argosy University - Hawaii

• Bobbie-Jo Moniz-Tadeo, Argosy University-Hawaii