Inclusive Education: Will They Know we are Christians?

Abstract

This article explores the efficacy of full inclusion from the perspective of students with exceptionalities, that is, those for whom special learning needs to have been identified, and compares perceptions of students in public schools with those of students in parochial schools. The study is part of a broader program of research, the purpose of which is to examine full inclusion, the prevailing model of special education service delivery, from the perspective of students and teachers, who are, in the final analysis, the primary stakeholders. The goals of full inclusion include the building of community in which all members are fully participating and accepted. These goals are certainly in keeping with Biblical teaching and so ought to be embraced by Christian schools. As a measure of the efficacy of inclusion in achieving the desired outcomes (including acceptance of and by peers) the study reported here obtained measures of overall self-concept and specific peer self-concept scores from students in four different schools: two public and two Christian. There were no significant between-school differences, but there were significant differences in peer self-concept between students with special needs and those with no identified special needs. Implications for educational practice and for teacher-education are discussed.