Civic Competencies and Students with Disabilities

Journal of Social Studies Research, Fall 2005 by Hamot, Gregory E, Shokoohi-Yekta, Mohsen, Sasso, Gary M

Abstract

Increasing numbers of students with disabilities receive a majority of their formal education in general education settings where they must be taught the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to lead fully equitable and participatory lives in a democratic society. Given the need for all students to acquire civic understanding, the purpose of this study was to explore and describe knowledge of selected civic competencies as found in students of inclusive social studies classes and how they acquired this knowledge. Quantitative methods were used to explore whether or not the level of understanding these competencies was significantly similar between students with disabilities and general education students in inclusive classrooms, thus supporting or questioning the philosophical underpinnings of inclusion in a democratic society. Additionally, qualitative methods were used to describe the sources responsible for student understanding of selected civic competencies with the goal of determining similarities and differences in these students' knowledge bases.

Introduction

Schooling in all societies purports to teach students the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to function as responsible citizens. In a democratic society, schools translate these curricular goals into knowledge of the community, nation, and world; skills required to participate competently within the larger society and to promote and to protect one's interests; and the democratic attitudes that form the bases for decision making on one's behalf while keeping in mind the larger context of the common good.

In a pluralistic democracy such as the United States, fulfilling these goals through public schooling is an onerous task. The 1975 passage of Public Law 94-142 - originally titled the Education of All Handicapped Children Act and re-titled in 1990 as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - poses an additional challenge to these stated goals. The 1997 re-authorization of IDEA places much more emphasis on its "least restrictive environment" provision and adds impetus for increased efforts at inclusion of students with special needs (Yell and Shriner, 1997).

Thus, regular education classes increasingly include students with disabilities who must be taught the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to lead fully equitable and participatory lives in this society (Coleman and Vaughn, 2000). One measure of success or failure in fulfilling this charge is whether or not these included special needs students have the knowledge and ability to participate actively in society. Enactment of these skills, more commonly known as civic competencies (Martorella, 1996), determines the level to which one can lead a full, productive, and contributory life in our democracy.

Given the need for students with disabilities to acquire citizenship skills similar to those of their peers, the purpose of this study is to explore and describe the understanding of selected civic competencies found in students of inclusive social studies classes and how they acquired this understanding. To fulfill this purpose, two goals drove the study. First, the study explored whether or not the level of understanding is significantly similar between students with disabilities and general education students in inclusive classrooms, thus supporting the philosophical underpinnings of inclusion in a democratic society. second, the study describes the sources responsible for student understanding of these civic competencies with the goal of determining similarities and differences in these students' sources of knowledge.

Context of the Study

More and more, students with disabilities receive a majority of their formal education in general education settings (Kauffman, 1999; Simpson, 1999; Walker, in press). The rationale for inclusion is both legal and practical. Proponents of inclusive education insist that a proper interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment right to an education implies that this education be delivered in the regular education classroom. In addition, these advocates suggest that general education classrooms resemble the real world more closely than do segregated environments (Danforth and Rhodes, 1997; Lipsky and Gartner, 1996). In the social studies, where education for civic competency is a common thread among disparate definitions, the rationale for integrating students with disabilities consists primarily of philosophical arguments on the inclusive nature of a democratic society (Rocha and Sanford, 1979; Shaver and Curtis, 1996).

Little is currently known regarding the acquisition and understanding of these skills for children with disabilities in inclusive social studies classrooms. Shaver and Curtis (1996) cited early studies by Stoakes (1964) and Stroud (1976) that suggested support for including mildly disabled students in general education classes. On the other hand, a series of investigations reported in the mid-1980s indicated that children with mild disabilities did not fare better in special education settings than did students included in general education classes (Michaelis, 1992). In any case, there is little that we know about the functioning of these students given the current emphasis and push toward inclusion. Even the result of the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress civics assessment does not disaggregate data on students with disabilities (NAEP, 1999). As Shaver and Curtis (1996) noted, "there is not sufficient evidence in social studies to argue the pedagogical advantages of mainstreamed over segregated settings" (p. 290).