Social inclusion of children with special educational needs in Singaporean mainstream schools

• Main Author: Yoong, Faith Si En
• Other Authors: Gianluca Esposito
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2022
• Subjects: Social sciences::Psychology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/157174
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Successful inclusion of children with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools should not be limited to academic inclusion. Social inclusion is also a critical aspect, but unfortunately, not much is known about social inclusion in Singaporean mainstream schools. This study aims to explore (a) inclusion through SEN children’s social status, measured in terms of peer-rated acceptance and rejection and (b) factors that may influence SEN children’s social status. Data was obtained from 38 students with SEN studying in mainstream schools. The Social Inclusion Survey (SIS) was used to collect information on the SEN students’ social status, while the information from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to provide information on potential predictors of social status. Methods of analyses included Welch’s t-tests, Pearson product-moment correlations, multiple linear regression, and regression tree models. Results found that children with a diagnosis of ADHD were significantly more likely to receive Acceptance ratings [F(36,1) = 6.06, p = 0.05]. While the overall regression model was not significant, further analyses using the tree models yielded several interesting findings. These findings were then discussed in light of improving local inclusive practices in order to enhance the experience of a SEN child studying in a mainstream school.