Psychosocial Adjustment of Students with Special Educational Needs in an Inclusive Institution of Higher Education

Abstract

Advocators of inclusive education (IE) proclaim that all students, regardless of disabilities or special educational needs (SEN), have the right to study in the normal school setting. Supporters assert that students with SEN benefit in academic performance and psychosocial adjustment via participation in common learning activities within the ordinary education settings. However, outcome research reported mixed results. In the meantime, there has been an increase of students with SEN pursuing their study at tertiary level. Studies suggested that they encountered academic stress and great challenges in higher education. This study aimed to investigate the college well-being, social relationship, and academic self-concept of students with SEN in higher education. A questionnaire was designed for data collection from a self-financing institution via online survey. Results showed no significant differences in college well-being and social relationship between students with and without SEN, but students with SEN, particularly those without religious affiliation were of lower academic self-concept. Students with learning and developmental disabilities and those with mental illness and emotional problems were significantly lower than students with physical and sensory impairments in academic self-concept. Implications of the findings were discussed and limitations of the study were considered.