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RESEARCHERS SAY GENERAL ED STUDENTS DO NOT OPPOSE INCLUSION

December 18, 1999

However controversial inclusion of students with disabilities in general ed. classrooms may be in some circles, it is hard to argue there is not enough research about it. One recent article by Janette Klingner, of the University of Miami, and Sharon Vaughn, of the University of Texas-Austin, sums up the findings of 20 different surveys of K-12 students about inclusion conducted from 1981 to 1998, concluding that both special ed. and general ed. students support the practice. The researchers argue these student views may provide valuable perspective for teachers when gauging how to approach inclusive classrooms.

Klingner and Vaughn published their paper in the fall 1999 issue of Exceptional Children, the Council for Exceptional Children's quarterly journal. The analysis of comments from 4,659 students, including 760 with "high-incidence disabilities" showed that few students in either classification consider instructional adaptations and accommodations problematic. On the contrary, most general ed. students believe the adjustments could make learning easier for them too.

"With few exceptions, classroom teachers do not need to be concerned that such instructional adaptations will be perceived negatively by their students with our without disabilities," Klingner and Vaughn wrote. "Students' views on which instructional adaptations and accommodations are most useful could assist teachers in identifying appropriate practices to implement, potentially increasing students' involvement, understanding and motivation to learn."

Judging the fairness or unfairness of certain adaptations produced varied results from students with and without learning disabilities across several different studies. But students did agree that teachers should not go so far as to give students passing grades regardless of the actual test score or effort level. Students without disabilities were more likely to argue that modifying grading procedures for some students is unfair, but they also said giving two grades, one for performance and one for effort, would be a fair alternative.

"When it comes to grading, teachers need to consider the value of modified grades (low) and use them judiciously," the researchers concluded.

Though they said they did not mind if teaching approaches in the classroom vary, students in both groups and most grade levels agreed that everyone should be given the same homework. They also produced a laundry list of suggestions teachers could follow when giving assignments, to make understanding and completing the tasks easier for both general ed. and special ed. students. "The two most helpful assignment characteristics are when the teacher provides 'clear, well-organized directions' and allows 'student choices,'" the researchers found.

In the classroom, students from both groups prefer working in pairs or small groups over working alone or as a whole class. In addition, the students said they prefer mixed-ability pairs and groups, except when one or more of the students cannot read at all.

"Students with learning disabilities want to be involved in the same activities, read the same books, have the same homework, be judged with the same grading criteria, and be part of the same groups as their classmates," Klingner and Vaughn said. Recognizing that not all students learn the same way or at the same rate, students with and without disabilities said they prefer teachers who "slow instruction down when needed, explain concepts and assignments clearly and teach the same material in different ways so that everyone can learn," the researchers added.8