Social dimensions of inclusion in education of 4th and 7th grade pupils in inclusive and regular classes: Outcomes from Austria.
Inclusive Austrian classes lifted friendships for non-SEN students yet left SEN students feeling less connected.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Schwab (2015) compared fourth and seventh graders in two kinds of Austrian classes. One group learned in inclusive rooms with both special-education-needs (SEN) and non-SEN peers. The other group learned in regular rooms with almost no SEN peers.
The team used surveys to ask all kids about friendships, peer acceptance, and feeling part of the class. No lessons were changed; the study simply watched what was already happening.
What they found
Non-SEN students in inclusive rooms said they had more friends and felt more accepted than non-SEN students in regular rooms. SEN students in the same inclusive rooms scored lower on every social measure than their non-SEN classmates.
In short, inclusion helped the typical kids socialize more, yet the students with extra needs still felt left out.
How this fits with other research
Bossaert et al. (2012) and Kasari et al. (2011) saw the same lonely pattern for SEN pupils earlier. Their Austrian and U.K. studies showed that just sharing a room does not build real friendships for students with ASD or other needs.
Grütter et al. (2017) help explain the upside for non-SEN kids. Swiss students who befriended SEN peers and felt strong empathy held more inclusive views. Alnahdi (2019) and Gasser et al. (2013) found the same attitude boost in Saudi and German schools.
Naraian (2010) sounds contradictory: high-school peers said inclusion felt fake because fun, meaningful moments were missing. The clash fades when you see Susanne measured "acceptance" while Srikala asked about "real fun and engagement." Different questions, different answers.
Why it matters
If you coach in inclusive classrooms, do not assume placement equals social success. Use structured buddy systems, cooperative games, or peer-tutoring rotations to give SEN students real roles and shared laughs. Track friendships with simple exit tickets: "Who did you play with today?" Adjust groups until every child names a peer. Inclusion works only when relationships are built, not just hoped for.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Positive peer relationships play a significant role in the development of students. They are beneficial for learning and psychological outcomes. This article draws upon an important distinction between the four main themes of social participation (friendships, interactions, peer acceptance and self-perception of social participation) and examines these aspects in inclusive and regular classes. Especially, differences in social participation of students with and without special educational needs (SEN) in inclusive classes and between students without SEN in inclusive and regular classes are examined. In this study, data from 1115 pupils in primary and secondary schools in Austria were analysed, of which 129 were diagnosed as having SEN. The results showed that in inclusive classes, students with SEN had lower scores on all four subthemes of social participation (friendships, interactions, peer acceptance and self-perception of social integration) than students without SEN. Regarding students without SEN, friendships and peer acceptance were significantly higher in inclusive classes than in regular classes. Differences were neither found for gender, nor between primary and secondary school students.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2015.06.005