Sociometric status of students with developmental disabilities and students with health difficulties in mainstream school

Abstract

Sociometric status of students is an indicator of individual's acceptance and can be a predictor of various forms of behaviour. Multiple studies show that students with developmental disabilities and health difficulties have a considerably lower sociometric status compared to children from general population. They are often unaccepted by their typically developing peers and characterized as students who disrupt teaching and poorly cooperate in academic and group activities. The objectives of this paper are: to determine whether there are statistically significant differences between sociometric status of students with developmental disabilities and sociometric status typically developing students, and to determine whether there are statistically significant differences between sociometric status of students with health difficulties and sociometric status of students with typical development. The research included 209 students from 5th to 8th grade. In the experimental group there were 65 students: 52 students with developmental disabilities and 13 students with health difficulties. Control group consisted of 144 typically developing students. For collecting the data about respondents available school documentation was used. For determining sociometric status, the Sociometric test was used. The results of the study have shown that the aspects of the negative optional status are higher for students with disabilities and that all the aspects of the positive optional status are higher for students without disabilities. When it comes to assessment of sociometric status of students with health difficulties, it has been noted that they have a similar status as students without health difficulties and that they are popular and socially acceptable.

Sociometrijski status učenika je pokazatelj prihvaćenosti pojedinca u određenoj grupi i može biti prediktor različitih oblika ponašanja. Istraživanja ukazuju da učenici sa razvojnim smetnjama i zdravstvenim teškoćama ostvaruju znatno niži sociometrijski status u odnosu na vršnjake tipičnog razvoja. Često su neprihvaćeni od strane vršnjaka tipičnog razvoja i okarakterisani kao učenici koji ometaju nastavu i slabo sarađuju u akademskim i grupnim aktivnostima. Ciljevi rada su utvrditi da li postoje statistički značajne razlike između sociometrijskog statusa učenika sa razvojnim smetnjama i učenika tipičnog razvoja, i da li postoje statistički značajne razlike između sociometrijskog statusa učenika sa zdravstvenim teškoćama i učenika tipičnog razvoja. Istraživanjem je obuhvaćeno 209 učenika od V do VIII razreda (eksperimentalnu grupu činilo je 65 učenika: 52 sa razvojnim smetnjama i 13 učenika sa zdravstvenim teškoćama, a kontrolnu 144 učenika tipičnog razvoja). Za prikupljanje podataka o ispitanicima korišćena je dostupna školska dokumentacija. Za utvrđivanje sociometrijskog statusa korišćen je Sociometrijski test. Dobijeni rezultati ukazuju da su aspekti negativnog izbornog statusa viši kod učenika sa smetnjama u razvoju, dok su svi aspekti pozitivnog izbornog statusa viši kod učenika tipičnog razvoja. Utvrđeno je da je sociometrijski status učenika sa zdravstvenim smetnjama sličan statusu učenika tipičnog razvoja, da su popularni i prihvaćeni u grupi.