EXAMINING SOCIAL INCLUSION FOR STUDENTS WITH AND WITHOUT DISABILITIES IN THE INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM: A MIXED METHODS STUDY
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Most children with disabilities receive instruction in inclusive classrooms where children with and without disabilities are educated side by side; however, students with disabilities often experience lower levels of social inclusion, such as lower quality friendships and classroom connectivity, than their nondisabled peers. Little is known about the classroom dynamics that facilitate or impede social inclusion. Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods (QUANT+QUAL) multi-case study design, this study examines three fourth grade inclusion classrooms to explore children’s social experiences. Quantitative data on belonging, mattering, social support, and social networks are used to understand the inclusivity of each classroom. Qualitative data, including publicly available school documents, observations, and interviews with classroom educators and students, examine the classroom processes (i.e., classroom dynamics, environmental supports) that influence relationships between children with and without disabilities in inclusive classrooms. T-tests and a MANOVA indicate that, across classrooms, children with disabilities report different classroom experiences than their nondisabled peers, including lower levels of belonging, mattering, teacher support, and classmate support. Through thematic analysis of qualitative data, this study identified five themes that explain classroom processes that impact children’s social inclusion, including (a) multidimensionality of inclusion; (b) strategies and challenges of constructing socially inclusive spaces; (c) management of student behavior through social opportunity; (d) responsiveness toward students’ social needs, and (e) attitudes toward disability. Integration of quantitative and qualitative data identified areas of confirmation, expansion, and discordance. Findings from this study suggest schools should implement social-emotional learning programs that promote celebration of human difference and disability awareness.