Because of the focus on inclusion in public schools today, the interest regarding
how to effectively support students with special needs in the general education
environment, both academically and socially has been ignited. While we have witnessed
an increase in the academic success of students included in general education classrooms,
we have not yet successfully identified specific strategies a teacher can use to meet the
social needs of students with special needs included in their classroom. Because of this,
the research question used to guide this study asked how general education teachers
promote the social inclusion of students with special needs in their classroom so that
effective strategies may be established for other teachers to implement.
Through a combination of teacher interviews, interviews with students with
special needs, and classroom observations, the findings of this study offers insight into
the strategies general education teachers identify as important to promote the social
acceptance of students with special needs included in their classrooms. Collectively, the
general education teachers that participated in this study reported that the following
strategies were essential to increasing the social acceptance of students with special needs
in their classrooms (1) Arranging the Environment, (2) Establishing a Tone of Respect in
the Classroom, (3) Providing Instructional Support, (4) Providing Peer Support, and (5)
Providing Direct Instruction for Social Support. However, classroom observations and
results from student interviews revealed significant discrepancies between the teacher's
knowledge of the strategies and their practice.
