This research proposal aims to investigate if Students with a Disability (SWD), want to be inclusively educated within a mainstream classroom setting, and if student outcomes from a socio-emotional perspective are positively affected by receiving a mainstream education.
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EDR8802 – Quiz 1 PPT Task
By Kate Sherwood
Student Number: u1082316
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This proposal aims to review current literature on whether Students with a Disability
(SWD), want to be inclusively educated within a mainstream classroom setting. There is
a vast amount of research pertaining to the benefits of mainstreaming SWD, however
there is limited evidence on whether student outcomes, from a socio-emotional
perspective, are positively affected by receiving a mainstream education.
The purpose of this study is to determine if students prefer and benefit from
mainstream education, or whether special education programs that specifically cater for
the physical, mental, emotional and educational needs of students are more favourable.
Qualitative evidence will be collected from stakeholders such as teachers,
parents/guardians, students (SWD and mainstream participants), to gain a holistic
picture, as well as reduce any potential bias.
Evidence will be collected from a sample group in the form of semi-structured
interviews, surveys and observations. This will help to evaluate the type of learning
environment that will benefit SWD in their overall health and wellbeing. The opinions,
thoughts and feelings of these stakeholders will effectively guide the paradigm of any
future studies undertaken.
SWD encompasses a number of conditions which can require very specific interventions
and tools to improve educational opportunities for students. Therefore a possible
limitation for this study could be that the spectrum of all represented disabilities may
not be included in the study due to access to students with particular disorders.
Abstract
3. • Do Students with a disability (SWD) want to be inclusively
educated in mainstream settings?
• Are the overall mental health outcomes for SWD affected when they
are educated in a mainstream setting?
The two questions are designed to inform stakeholders of any potential
limitations when it comes to educating students with special needs in
mainstream settings. There seems to be an array of decisions made on
behalf of these students, however there is limited on the overall mental
health affects SWD and if they are even involved in the decision-making
processes affecting them. This gave rise to the qualitative questions above
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Research questions
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• The majority of the literature discusses the academic
benefits of providing inclusive learning opportunities to
SWD in mainstream settings.
• There is limited literature on the socio-emotional impact
of mainstreaming SWD.
• There is limited literature on the overall mental health
outcomes of SWD integrated into mainstream learning.
Literature Gaps
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Research Purpose
Identifying the Personal, Practical and Intellectual Goals
6. 6(Maxwell, 2013; Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1998
Research Design Model
Theoretical/Methodological
Considerations
Research Questions
Do Students with a disability
(SWD) want to be inclusively
educated in mainstream
settings?
Are the overall mental health
outcomes for SWD affected
when they are educated in a
mainstream setting?
Goals
To answer the
research questions
To gain insight into
the contributing
factors that affect the
mental health
outcomes of students
with special needs.
Research Methods
• Semi-structured
interviews
• Observations
• Surveys
The findings will be
presented in a report
format
Validity
Identifiable bias
Teacher
Parent/guardian
Student (both special
needs and
mainstream)
Conceptual
Framework
To determine if SWD
are socially and
emotionally affected
by learning in a
mainstream classroom
setting. This will be
achieved by
conducting qualitative
assessments and
reviewing the
literature to help to
identify any patterns
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Bias in
Research
Potential qualitative research bias
includes:
- Sampling
- Questions
- Answers
- Interviewing
- Reporting
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Ethics in
Research• Honesty and respect for participants and those who may
be affected by the final report
• Voluntary participation
• Identification of potential risks to participants and the
researcher
• Informed consent
• PAC (Privacy, Anonymity, Confidentiality)
• Maintain a high ethical standard throughout the entire
research process
9. Do Students with a disability (SWD) want to be
inclusively educated in mainstream settings?
Created by Kate Sherwood 9
Summar
y
Are the overall mental health outcomes for SWD affected
when they are educated in a mainstream setting?
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References
ACARA. (2016). Students with Disability. Sydney NSW: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and
Reporting Authority.
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery grounded theory: strategies for qualitative inquiry.
Aldin, Chicago.
Kurz, A., Elliott, S. N., Lemons, C. J., Zigmond, N., Kloo, A., & Kettler, R. J. (2014). Assessing
Opportunity-to-Learn for Students With Disabilities in General and Special Education Classes.
SAGE, 40:1 24-39.
Maxwell, J. (2013). Qualitative Research Design. California: SAGE.
Punch, K. F. (1998). Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches (1st
ed.). London, Thousand Oaks California, New Delhi: SAGE Publications.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for
Developing Grounded Theory (2nd ed.). London, New Delhi: Sage Publications.
Hinweis der Redaktion
Hello, my name is Kate Sherwood and this is my research proposal
This research proposal aims to investigate if Students with a Disability (SWD), want to be inclusively educated within a mainstream classroom setting, and if student outcomes from a socio-emotional perspective are positively affected by receiving a mainstream education.
(ACARA) acknowledges the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education and has an obligation to support the rights of students with a disability to participate in educational courses and programs on the same basis as students without disability (ACARA, 2016).
Evidence will be collected from a sample of student participants who will be observed in their learning environment throughout their high school education (if possible), and conclusions will be made regarding the outcomes of these students. Evidence will also be collected from other relevant stakeholders such as parents/guardians teachers and teacher aids.
I have been teaching a special education class for the past year, and I wanted to investigate how students with a disability felt about being inclusively educated with their mainstream peers. My background in special education helped me to develop my overarching research proposal. The first question is very subjective and may be difficult to support with evidence and therefore may not offer any incentive to implement change on a policy level. The second question was developed to be more specific, and will hopefully provide relevant information on the overall mental health outcomes of students with a disability who are educated in mainstream settings.
These questions are designed to fill the gap in the literature, by conducting qualitative research on this topic
This slide pertains to the gaps that were identified in the literature. From my experience working in the special needs sector and from researching this topic, there seems to be decisions made on behalf of students, however, I found limited information on mental health outcomes of mainstreaming these students. I struggled to find information whether the students were even involved in the decision-making processes that affect them. Additionally, literature from (Kurz, et al., 2014) found that students with special needs who were inclusively educated in mainstream classrooms, were actually found to be disadvantaged in their educational progress compared to their mainstream peers. Therefore more information is needed to ensure that policy is working to the advantage of special needs students, especially in relation to their mental health and wellbeing.
My personal goal is to answer the research questions and gain insight into the contributing factors that benefit or limit the mental health outcomes of students with special needs.
The intellectual goal of this proposal is to understand if current policy around SWD classrooms takes into consideration the mental health and wellbeing of students with special education needs.
The practical goal is to determine if there is a problem with current educational practice concerning classroom settings for SWD, and strive to inform policy and (where applicable) implement instructional improvement, based on the findings of this proposal.
The research design model comes from Maxwell (2013) and helps to provide a clear strategy for creating workable relationships between the design components. This model helped to provide an insight into the purpose of the study by creating a theoretical context for the research, and formulating research questions that inform decisions around mental health outcomes vs learning environments for SWD. The key features of the design model are the goals, the research method, conceptual framework and the validity of the proposal. These components will inform and guide the research questions, which will progressively develop as more information is gathered.
The methodological considerations give rise to a grounded theory approach to explore the potential precursors that will inform the research design. This theory incorporates conceptual thinking and theory that will build on my research questions. The approach will hopefully assist in evaluating student health and wellbeing in their educational contexts, rather than empirically testing for this. (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1998)
In qualitative research, bias affects the reliability of the findings and therefore the results as well. In this research proposal, a sampling bias that has already been identified relates to the varying number of conditions that come under the umbrella term of SWD. Therefore a possible limitation for this study could be that the spectrum of all represented disabilities may not be included in the study due to access to students with particular disorders.
Some of the participants will be minors, therefore informed consent by both the student and the parent/s is essential. The privacy, anonymity and confidentiality of all participants is ensured by maintaining a high ethical standard to any and all practices relating to the research proposal.
The research proposal identifies parameters that need to be considered when collecting information from participants. The purpose of the research and relating questions have been recognised by identifying the gaps in the literature that relate to the mental health outcomes of SWD and their education in mainstream settings. The Maxwell design model offers a clear opportunity to outline the research design framework, which may help to reduce any potential bias by considering the ethics around data collection.
A limitation of this study is the access to participants. SWD encompasses a variety of impairments that are recognised under the act, therefore it is essential to consider who is involved, and how, so that all students are represented adequately. Evidence will be collected from a sample group in the form of semi-structured interviews, surveys and observations. This will help to evaluate the type of learning environment that will benefit SWD in their overall health and wellbeing. The findings of this research proposal could effectively guide the paradigm of any future studies undertaken to improve the outcomes of students with special needs.