Social climate in inclusive classrooms : The importance of social climate as part of the learning environment

Abstract: To be able to make inclusion a reality, research has indicated that the learning environment has to be improved through the social climate. In a classroom with many different needs and abilities, the social climate should be positive and flexible, so the students feel comfortable and willing and able to advocate for themselves. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the importance of social climate as part of the learning environment for students with Special Educational Needs in inclusive classrooms in a U.S. Secondary school. The study was conducted at a private High school in the U.S. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with Regular Education teachers and Learning Support teachers. The data were analyzed with qualitative thematic analysis, to be able to identify patterns and themes in the data. The main themes that was found in the data was Social Climate, Relationships, Differentiation and Implementation. All the respondents agreed that the social climate had an impact on how well the inclusion and the use of accommodations were used which is in line with previous research. The respondents felt that they themselves could influence the social climate to a large extent. This work took place both through discussions but also by differentiating and adapting activities and working groups. An important part of the work was also through building relationships. between teachers and students. All respondents agreed that a good social climate was important for students' ability to advocate for themselves and use the accommodations they received in Learning Support.