The impact of full inclusion on the academic achievement of students with disabilities in grades 3 to 6
Abstract
This research study investigated the effectiveness of full inclusion on the academic achievement of students with disabilities in grades 3–6 in the DeKalb County Schools in Tennessee over a three-year period. The dependent variables in the study were students' reading/language and math achievement test scores. Independent variables in the study were gender, socioeconomic level, and school attendance. The research involved three schools and a total of 107 students. Eighty-seven students were involved in the inclusion program and 20 students continued to receive support services in a pullout resource program. Fifteen students in the inclusion group continued to receive pullout reading instruction for 50 minutes per day. Only students identified as having a primary disability of learning disabled, mentally retarded, language impaired, seriously emotionally disturbed, or health impaired were included in the study. A causal-comparative research design using quantitative data was implemented in this study. The study consisted of nine null hypotheses. Students' Norm Curve Equivalent scores were used and statistical significance was determined by utilizing the unpaired t-test, the two-way ANOVA, and the Mann-Whitney U-test at the .05 level of significance. Statistical significance was found for socioeconomic status on the math and reading/language achievement of students who received extra reading instruction. There were no statistically significant differences found for math and reading/language scores for students in the inclusion program and students in the pullout resource program based on students' gender, socioeconomic status, and school attendance. Recommendations for the education profession included professional development for teachers, implementation of additional programs for remediation and support, programs to involve parents in their child's education, and more course offerings in special education at the university level. Recommendations for further research included ways to close academic achievement gaps, the effects of inclusion on the social aspect and perception of teachers and students, and research in other geographical areas.
Subject Area
Elementary education|Special education
Recommended Citation
Barbara Gayle Redmon,
"The impact of full inclusion on the academic achievement of students with disabilities in grades 3 to 6"
(2007).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI3267063.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI3267063