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Exploring Children’s Perceptions of Two School-Based Social Inclusion Programs: A Pilot Study

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Abstract

Background

Although social exclusion among typically developing school-aged children has been well explored, it is under-researched for children with disabilities even though they are at a higher risk for being excluded. While there are a number of different programs available to improve social inclusion at school, the appeal of these programs to children remains unknown.

Objective

The objective of this pilot study was to elicit children’s perceptions of the desirable components of two commonly used social inclusion programs in Ontario, Canada.

Methods

An exploratory mixed methods design (group discussion, observation notes, and a brief questionnaire) was used to provide an in-depth understanding of children’s perceptions of two social inclusion programs: A group-based game (n = 87) and a puppet show (n = 78).

Results

Children in each program reported that several aspects of the content appealed to them including learning about (1) bullying; (2) disability; (3) building friendships and encouraging social inclusion; (4) preventing social exclusion. The desirable aspects related to the format of the game and puppet show included (1) the interactive components; (2) the relevant topics and characters; (3) the length of the programs.

Conclusions

Children’s insights about social inclusion programs should be considered in development and improvements of future programs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Bloorview Research Institute, University of Toronto, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, ON, M4G 1R8, Canada

    Sally Lindsay, Amy C. McPherson, Henna Aslam, Patricia McKeever & Virginia Wright

  2. Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Toronto, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, ON, M4G 1R8, Canada

    Sally Lindsay

  3. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Amy C. McPherson

  4. Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Patricia McKeever

  5. Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Virginia Wright

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  1. Sally Lindsay
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  2. Amy C. McPherson
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  3. Henna Aslam
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  4. Patricia McKeever
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  5. Virginia Wright
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Correspondence to Sally Lindsay.

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Lindsay, S., McPherson, A.C., Aslam, H. et al. Exploring Children’s Perceptions of Two School-Based Social Inclusion Programs: A Pilot Study. Child Youth Care Forum 42, 1–18 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-012-9183-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-012-9183-9

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