Students with special needs in their emotional and social development in the inclusive classrooms: Longitudinal analysis of classroom climate, teacher-pupil relationship and social participation

This longitudinal study examines the extent to which inclusive primary school students with special needs regarding their emotional and behavioral difficulties development (SEN) differ from classmates without SEN with respect to the perceived classroom climate, the teacher acceptance and the social participation (from a self and peer perspective). The study was conducted with to a total of 999 children, including N = 66 with SEN, at the end of third and fourth grade using selected scales from the Questionnaire for the Assessment of Emotional and Social School Experiences (FEESS 3-4, Rauer & Schuck, 2003) and sociometric nominations. In addition to the analyses of the effect of the factor SEN, the influences of the levels of internalizing as well as externalizing problems (assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Goodman, 2001) were considered. In summary, the factor SEN has a significant, negative influence on all dependent variables examined, with consistently high effect sizes. Although positive developments for these children in terms of self-perceived social integration and the feeling of being accepted over time could be mapped, the effect sizes are small. The differentiated analysis shows that higher levels of externalizing behavioral problems as well as higher levels of peer problems are associated with a reduced class climate, acceptance by the peers and acceptance by the teacher but with a higher level of rejection by the peers. Internalizing behavioral problems in the sense of emotional problems had no significant influence on the expression of the dependent variables examined here. There were isolated significant interactions of the problem scales with time (positive effect of emotional problems on peer rejections, positive effects of externalizing behavior problems on feelings of acceptance and peer nominations), but the effect sizes were small.