Social and emotional competencies of students with special educational needs in inclusive education

Abstract

The social and emotional development of students is one of the important goals of inclusive education. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the multidimensional social and emotional competencies of students with special educational needs (SEN), with a focus on identifying the areas in which they achieve the highest and lowest levels of proficiency. Furthermore, it will be investigated whether there are gender differences in the social and emotional competencies of students with SEN, and differences in comparison to students without SEN. This research is based on the CASEL conceptual framework of social and emotional learning. A random sample of teachers (N = 54) assess the social and emotional competencies of both students with SEN (N = 54) and students without SEN (N = 54) with Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA). Participants completed questionnaires online in spring of 2021. The results show that students with SEN exhibit the highest level of competence in relationship skills and optimistic thinking, whereas the lowest level of competence is found in goal-directed behaviour and self-management. There were no discernible gender differences observed in the social and emotional competences of students with SEN. Compared to students without SEN, they exhibit statistically significant lower levels of every social and emotional competency. The findings indicate the necessity of implementing interventions targeting goal-directed behaviours and self-management of students with SEN.