INCLUSION VS' RESOURCE ROOMS:

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INCLUSION VS. RESOURCE ROOMS

• Does an Inclusive Setting Affect Reading
  Comprehension in Students with Learning
  Disabilities?

Donna Power Rogers, Ed.D Iris Thiery, B.S.
Susan Kim, Mansur Wadalawala, Emi Yamaguchi EDUC
205 September 21, 2004
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PURPOSE

• To determine if an inclusive environment or a
  resource room setting yields higher reading
  comprehension in students with learning
  disabilities
• To determine if placing special education
  students in a homogeneous classroom setting is
  beneficial

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Basic Info

• 4th grade class in rural low- to middle-class
  mid-South community
• 17 total students 82 Caucasian, 18 African
  American
• 5 students with learning disabilities (3 male, 2
  female), all Caucasian

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METHODOLOGY
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Findings

• Initial survey results
• Test results
• STAR, TORC and IRI
• Improvement in classroom activities
• Teacher-made tests vs. book test
• Discrepancies
• Less than two grades, more than two grades

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Classroom Assignment Results

• Each students scores on classroom assignments
  improved between the resource room and the
  inclusive room
• The normal students scores did not change
  throughout the experiment

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Conclusions

• Students with learning disabilities benefit from
  an inclusive classroom atmosphere
• Inclusion does not have an effect on students
  without learning disabilities
• For teachers
• Integrate students with learning disabilities
  into regular classrooms
• Keep track of reading levels throughout the
  school year

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Implications

• Schools should determine whether a resource room
  or inclusive setting is more beneficial
• Test in other subjects, not just reading
• Incorporate more varied students
• Study how inclusion affects all students socially
  (i.e. self concept, self esteem)

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Reflections

• This experiment did not contain a control group!
• Studies were unclear at times
• Testing was inconclusive
• Correlation study but no mention of it
• No mention of initial surveys in results
• To improve
• More analysis necessary
• Longer study, more students, random sample
• More ethnically diverse schools
• Students with different levels of disabilities

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THE END!