Inclusion: a view from students and teachers

The purpose of this study is to examine students\u27 and teachers\u27 opinions on the inclusion model and its implementation in classrooms today. This study was conducted in an elementary school (grades one through five) in a K-12 public school district in Roosevelt Township, New Jersey. The participants were 27 second and third grade multiage students as well as 7 second and third grade teachers with varied teaching experiences and certifications. Teacher participants completed open-ended questionnaires while student participants completed surveys in which they used a rating scale to assign their comfort level with varied example situations. Data from the surveys was recorded in percentages. Students\u27 written narratives and oral commentary were also analyzed to obtain more information about students\u27 points of view. A significant finding of the study was that both teachers and students find value and success in the implementation of inclusion, although teachers indicated that some improvements could be made. Implications for future research include examining inclusion in other multiage classroom settings to determine the success of inclusion in multiage classrooms