A Description of Instructional Practices in Inclusive Classroom Settings

This study was designed to describe the experiences of general education students in elementary settings where the inclusion of students with disabilities was responsibly implemented. The research question investigated was: Do general education students have a meaningful opportunity to learn when sharing classrooms with students with disabilities?

The participants in this study were assigned to two inclusion classrooms in an elementary school in northeastern North Carolina. The classrooms were observed during the months of January and February, 1999. Effective educational practices in inclusion classrooms were researched. Data were also collected and analyzed in four areas: (1) principal and teachers' definitions of inclusion, (2) principal and teachers' perceptions of how inclusion is implemented in the school, (3) effects of inclusion on teachers' instructional practices, and (4) effects of inclusion on the learning opportunities for general education students.

There were no observable effects of inclusion on the learning opportunities for general education students.