Project description

In inclusive school classes, pupils' learning and behavioural problems represent an important dimension of heterogeneity. Pupils with significant learning and behavioural problems pose a massive threat to school success, impair relationships with their classmates and teachers and place an enormous burden on teachers (de Boer, Pijl & Minnaert, 2011; Krull et al., 2018; Reinke et al., 2009). These problems interfere with individual and collective learning success, especially in inclusive education, and at the same time challenge the ability of inclusive teachers to design a suitable teaching programme for this target group (Gräsel, König & Decristan, 2017).

There are numerous studies and meta-analyses that describe the target group in a differentiated manner (e.g. Hennemann et al., 2020; Visser et al., 2019) and demonstrate the effectiveness of training programmes and support strategies for children and young people with learning and behavioural problems (e.g. Casale et al., 2014; Grünke, 2006). There are also concepts on the professionalism of teachers that model the skills that teachers should acquire in inclusion in order to deal adaptively with heterogeneity (Gräsel et al., 2017).

So far, however, there has been a lack of conceptual clarification of what the actors involved (especially teachers and pupils) understand by inclusive teaching with pupils with learning and behavioural problems, as well as an analysis of the specific effectiveness of training elements, support strategies and didactic methods in inclusive teaching with pupils with learning and behavioural problems. However, both are important in order to align inclusive teaching with pupils with learning and behavioural problems in an evidence-based manner (Grosche, 2017).

In the project, we address the two desiderata by (1.) developing a concept of inclusive or special needs education through a participatory and qualitative-empirical approach and (2.) systematically synthesising the existing external scientific evidence on the effectiveness of special needs education and systematically processing the current state of research. Once these goals have been achieved, the first evidence-based concept for the inclusive teaching of pupils with learning and behavioural problems will be available that a) is geared to the needs of the pupils, b) takes into account the professionalism of the teachers and c) has been tested for its external scientific evidence.


Literature
De Boer, A., Pijl, S. J. & Minnaert, A. (2011). Regular primary schoolteachers' attitudes towards inclusive education: A review of the literature. International journal of inclusive education, 15(3), 331-353.

Casale, G., Hennemann, T., & Hövel, D. (2014). Systematic overview of German-language school-based measures for the prevention of behavioural disorders in lower secondary school. empirische Sonderpädagogik, 6(1), 33-58.

Gräsel, C., Decristan, J. & König, J. (2017). Adaptive handling of heterogeneity in the classroom. Unterrichtswissenschaft, 45(4), 195-206.

Gräsel, C., Decristan, J. & König, J. (2017). Adaptive handling of heterogeneity in the classroom - an introduction to the thematic issue. Unterrichtswissenschaft, 45, 195-206.

Grosche, M. (2017). Building bridges instead of tearing them down! Introspection of quantitative-empirical special education to enable inter- and transdiscursive collaboration. Special education between effectiveness research and social criticism. Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt.

Grünke, M. (2006). The effectiveness of support methods for children and adolescents with learning disorders: A synopsis of available meta-analyses. Kindheit und Entwicklung, 15(4), 239-254.

Hennemann, T., Casale, G., Leidig, T., Fleskes, T., Döpfner, M. & Hanisch, C. (2020). Mental health of pupils at special schools with a focus on emotional and social development (PEARL) - An interdisciplinary cooperation project to develop recommendations for action. Zeitschrift für Heilpädagogik, 71, 44-57.

Krull, J., Wilbert, J. & Hennemann, T. (2018). Does social exclusion by classmates lead to behaviour problems and learning difficulties or vice versa? A cross-lagged panel analysis. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 33(2), 235-253.

Reinke, W., Splett, J., Robeson, E. & Offutt, C. (2009). Combining school and family interventions for the prevention and early intervention of disruptive behaviour problems in children: A public health perspective. Psychology in the Schools, 46(1), 33-43.

Visser, L., Büttner, G. & Hasselhorn, M. (2019). Comorbidity of specific learning disorders and mental disorders. A literature review. Learning and Learning Disorders, 8(1), 7-20.