Peer supports as an alternative to individually assigned paraprofessionals in inclusive high school classrooms

Carter E. W., Sisco L. G., Melekoglu M. A., Kurkowski C.

RESEARCH AND PRACTICE FOR PERSONS WITH SEVERE DISABILITIES, cilt.32, sa.4, ss.213-227, 2007 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 32 Sayı: 4
  • Basım Tarihi: 2007
  • Doi Numarası: 10.2511/rpsd.32.4.213
  • Dergi Adı: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE FOR PERSONS WITH SEVERE DISABILITIES
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.213-227
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: inclusion, general curriculum, social interaction, academic engagement, transition, peer supports, SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITIES, GENERAL-EDUCATION CLASSROOMS, INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, MENTAL-RETARDATION, PROMOTING ACCESS, STUDENTS, CURRICULUM, INTERVENTION, STRATEGIES
  • Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

Promoting access to the general curriculum has emerged as a central theme of the standards-based reform movement, challenging educators to identify-effective strategies for supporting students with disabilities to access the numerous social and learning opportunities within general education. We examined peer support interventions as an alternative to one-to-one, adult-delivered support in high school science and art classrooms. All four participants with severe disabilities engaged in substantially more peer interactions when working with a peer support relative to when receiving direct support from a paraprofessional or special educator Students' levels of academic engagement were not diminished because of participation in peer support arrangements. We discuss the contributions of these strategies to promoting peer interaction within inclusive classrooms, as well as offer recommendations for further refinement of this intervention approach.