Inclusion at the elementary school level : the effects on nondisabled students

This thesis set out to determine if nondisabled children, who participate in inclusive educational settings, are affected by the presence of special needs children in the classroom. This study examined this issue by administering a Likert-type questionnaire to 33 elementary school teachers and 61 Grade 6 students. The participants were also asked for comments in order to expand on their opinions. It was found that, overall, inclusive settings have a positive effect on nondisabled students. However, negative effects were reported in terms of academic progress, and teacher time and attention. The findings suggest that the current policies regulating inclusive classrooms are not sufficient. Better regulations in terms of class size, number of children with disabilities, type of disabilities present, and amount of resource support are needed. Limitations of this study and questions for further research are also discussed