Date Approved

5-6-1998

Embargo Period

8-11-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. in School Psychology

Department

Educational Services and Leadership

College

College of Education

Advisor

Dihoff, Roberta

Subject(s)

Learning disabled children; Self-esteem in children

Disciplines

Educational Psychology

Abstract

This study set out to offer support for inclusion by analyzing learning disabled students in an inclusive environment and their pull-out program counterparts. The analysis focused on an examination of student self-esteem, a variable central to student success. A hypothesis stating that learning disabled students who were served in an inclusive environment will achieve higher scores of self-esteem than learning disabled students who were served in a traditional pull-out program was proposed. This hypothesis was based on previous research on the practice of inclusion, which showed positive effects for learning disabled students. The practice of inclusion has been supported throughout the literature as a viable option for learning disabled students, due to the positive effects it brought students socially, motivationally and academically. This study used the total self-esteem score and the Intellectual and School Status subtest score from the Piers-Harris Children's Self Concept Scale to examine student self-esteem. Twenty-seven learning disabled students who were served in either an inclusive classroom or a pull-out program were sampled. In contrast to the current literature, this study did not find significant differences in the self-esteem of students in an inclusive classroom and those in a pull-out program.

Share

COinS