Peer-seating groups and social participation by students with learning disabilities in full-inclusion in Malaysian secondary schools

Abstract

ABSTRACT In Malaysian secondary education, typically only academically able students with learning disabilities and acceptable behaviour join mainstream classrooms for full inclusion. Social participation at school is one key indicator of inclusive education outcomes. Most Malaysian mainstream classrooms group students into small fixed peer-seating groups. This group could represent one support for social participation available to students with learning disabilities (LD) in inclusion classrooms. However, nothing is currently known about the views and experiences of social participation from the perspective of Malaysian students with LD or about the support provided by their peer-seating group in mainstream classrooms. We investigated the social participation of four focal students with LD in two Malaysian inclusive secondary schools, using a qualitative multiple case study design. The peer-seating group played a prominent role in focal students’ social participation. Several themes identified in the analysis revealed the peer-seating group’s facilitation of social participation (i.e. close contact with peer-seating group; working together on tasks; free time together), but other themes identified obstacles (i.e. limited or absent friendship network). This study contributes to a better understanding of the school social participation experiences of Malaysian adolescents with LD.