UC San Diego

In the United States, K-12 education has moved in the direction of inclusive classroom settings, where students of all ability levels are taught together. This has shifted exposure and social interactions for students identified as having special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, these students often remain at the margins of social engagement. Recently, studies have explored this population’s social participation to better understand what helps students feel belongingness at school. As policy and practice have shifted in the United States, it is important to expand this understanding to the diverse settings in which adolescents are learning. Under the theoretical framework of Social Network Theory and principles of adolescent development, this dissertation explores the patterns of social participation in inclusive middle school classrooms. The dissertation employed a mixed-methods case study design to explore the phenomenon of social participation in inclusive classrooms within the context of a diverse middle school. Results indicate that students’ experiences of social participation vary in a number of areas. When compared to peers, students with IEPs are reporting similar friendships and feelings of inclusion in school. Specifically, their number of named friends are similar, but the number of friends who name them differs. The results of this study will potentially inform teachers of features that enhance or inhibit social participation for students who may have historically been socially marginalized.