ERIC Number: EJ746509
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Nov
Pages: 17
Abstractor: Author
Reference Count: 0
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0663
Social Acceptance and Rejection of Preschool Children with Disabilities: A Mixed-Method Analysis
Odom, Samuel L.; Zercher, Craig; Li, Shouming; Marquart, Jules M.; Sandall, Susan; Brown, William H.
Journal of Educational Psychology, v98 n4 p807-823 Nov 2006
Eighty children with disabilities enrolled in a nationally distributed set of inclusive preschool programs participated in this study. The average age of the participants was 3.9 years, and 60% were male. The children exhibited a range of disabilities and developmental levels. Using a mixed-method approach, the authors established quantitative criteria for identifying children with disabilities who were socially accepted and socially rejected by their peer group, and qualitative methods revealed themes associated with social participation of each group. Cluster analyses of themes identified 3 clusters associated with social acceptance (e.g., awareness-interest, communication-play, friendship-social skills) and 2 clusters associated with social rejection (e.g., social withdrawal, conflict-aggression). Subsequent cluster analyses of children and matrix analyses illustrated how child social participation was related to superordinate theme clusters and constructs of acceptance and rejection. Socially accepted children tended to have disabilities that were less likely to affect social problem solving and emotional regulation, whereas children who were socially rejected had disabilities that were more likely to affect such skills and developmental capacities. Implications of this research for theory and practice are proposed.
Descriptors: Disabilities, Age, Rejection (Psychology), Preschool Children, Peer Acceptance, Interpersonal Competence, Peer Groups, Inclusive Schools, Preschool Education, Multivariate Analysis, Problem Solving, Mainstreaming, Child Development
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: N/A

Peer reviewed
Direct link
