Promoting Peer Interaction and Acceptance Among Students with Special Needs Through an Experiential Learning Program

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Inclusive education emphasizes positive interactions between students with and without special needs to foster mutual understanding and acceptance. This study explored the effect of an experiential learning program (ExL Prog) on interaction and acceptance between students with and without special needs. Based on Kolb’s ExL theory, this study explores how the ExL Prog fosters experiential learning, reflection, and mutual growth through activities that enhance interpersonal skills, promote empathy, and create an inclusive classroom environment where students with and without special needs deepen their understanding and acceptance of one another. Methods: The study used a mixed-methods approach with 2 students with special needs and 16 students without special needs from the same sixth-grade class. Researchers divided participants into two groups: one intervention group that underwent the 8-activity ExL Prog and one comparison group that participated in regular activities. Data collection methods included questionnaires, interviews, and feedback forms, which enabled qualitative and quantitative analysis. Results: The results indicated the implementation of the ExL Prog facilitated increased opportunities for positive interactions between students with and without special needs. Regarding attitudes of acceptance toward students with special needs, students without special needs in the EXL group demonstrated lower scores than those in the control group in the cognitive dimension, higher scores in the affective dimension, and no significant difference in the behavioral dimension. The program fostered mutual listening, respect, and understanding, particularly among the intervention group, which promoted empathy and supportive relationships among participants. Conclusions: The students in the ExL Program developed a greater understanding of others and reflected on improving their relationship-building approaches. This transformation fostered increased openness, goodwill, and mutual reciprocity, promoting growth in interpersonal relationships and communication skills.