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Introduction
Young people with functional disabilities should not be seen as abnormal but as a special group of people. To ensure the aforementioned, it is necessary to provide the integration of people with disabilities into society by creating conditions for their maximum possible self-realization, rather than by adapting them to the norms and rules of life of able-bodied people. Society needs to adapt the existing standards to the needs of people with disabilities so that they do not feel like hostages of their circumstances and disability (Broderick, 2018; Aleksandrova, et al., 2021).
For instance, in Russia, government agencies began to actively focus on the need to address the education of young people with special needs (SN) only in the past 20 years (Kiseleva et al., 2021; Shulekina, et al., 2021). This is largely due to the fact that full existence and development of a person, including people with disabilities, is impossible without obtaining the education of proper quality, and the professionalization and facilitation of the career development of young people with disabilities call for the development of a system of higher education that would incorporate students with different levels of health on a parity basis (Titova et al., 2021; Klimentyeva et al., 2021).
Scientific research discloses various aspects of work with youth with SN. In particular, conceptions and models of teaching students with functional disabilities are substantiated. The issues of theory and technologies of students’ socialization in the conditions of inclusive education (Riddell & Weedon, 2013) and the integration of youth with functional disabilities (Stepaniuk, 2019) are studied. The pedagogical conditions for the rehabilitation of students with SN are researched (Morgado et al., 2016). Theoretical and applied aspects of socio-pedagogical support, integration, and socio-psychological adaptation of students with disabilities at universities are analyzed (Van Mieghem et al., 2020). Analysis of the specific features of designing and modeling the systems of socio-pedagogical work in educational institutions with students with SN is conducted (Imaniah & Fitria, 2018; Rodríguez Herrero et al., 2020). The phenomenon of educational space is investigated (Robinson, 2015).
Research provides analysis of the life experience of young people with various forms of disability and the creation of support systems and accessible learning environments at universities (Sánchez, et al., 2019). There has been a discussion of the aspects of the social identity of students with SN, their difficult path to learning, changing attitudes to themselves and their profession, and the establishment of relationships with friends, mentors, and colleagues through barriers of a predominantly social nature (Shaw, 2021).
Messiou (2017), argues that the market of university education services for persons with SN is determined by such circumstances as the quality of secondary education for people with disabilities, awareness of the rights and supportive guarantees in the field of higher education, the availability of special projects supporting university education, the availability of technical equipment for persons with hearing and vision impairments. A negative impact is produced by the need to reconcile education and medical rehabilitation, the lack of appropriate facilities in universities, and insufficient provision of educational and methodological literature and special information technologies.
Nind (2005), stresses the measures that need to be taken for the integration of people with disabilities in higher education, dividing them into institutional changes (architectural, spatial, the introduction of a coordinator or the organization of a unit to work with the disabled, the organization of departments and services for people with disabilities) and individual support (scholarships, grants, state educational loans).
Meanwhile, no research concerning the influence of socio-psychological factors on the organization of an inclusive space for heterogeneous groups of students with SN has been found, which supports the relevance of the chosen research topic.
The present study aims to substantiate the theoretical foundations and experimentally study the influence of socio-psychological factors on the organization of inclusive spaces (IS) for heterogeneous groups of students with SN and the opportunities for its creation.
The hypothesis of the study suggests that insufficient indicators of the influence of socio-psychological factors of the organization of IS for students with SN determine the need to define specific provisions, strategies, and methods for improving the organization of IS for heterogeneous groups of students with SN.
Materials and methods
The experimental study is conducted in the Khabarovsk State University of Economics and Law (KSUEL) and the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN).
In accordance with the study objectives, the total sample of 168 people is selected and divided into the groups of KSUEL - 62 students of KSUEL, and the group of RUDN - 75 students of RUDN. In addition, the sample includes a group of experts composed of 31 scientific and pedagogical workers (in particular, curators of academic student groups, deputy deans for social and humanitarian work).
The distribution of students with SN in terms of the nosologies is characterized by the ratio: diseases of the musculoskeletal system (MS) - 26.4%; diseases of the nervous system (NS) - 23.6%; hearing impairments (HI) - 24.5%; visual impairments (VI) - 25.5%.
Based on the results of scientific research (Mitchell, 2011; Denisova et al., 2021), criteria for the influence of socio-psychological factors on the organization of IS for heterogeneous groups of students with SN are identified: the motivational and value criterion, the socio-psychological inclusive competence criterion, and the special inclusive competence criterion.
The motivational and value criterion is viewed as the totality of motives of a student with SN and a critical characteristic of their inclusive learning abilities. Of primary importance for such activity are the indicators of interest in learning based on personal needs, understanding of the importance of inclusive education, independence in the choice of educational tasks, persistence in overcoming difficulties in the learning process, providing assistance to other students with SN, active self-assertion and self-development, the presence of personal meaning of inclusive education, satisfaction with one’s learning activities, and striving to achieve considerable results in it.
To the next criterion of socio-psychological inclusive competence we attribute the following components: the psychological component (indicators: emotional stability, stability of behavior, being demanding of oneself and one’s behavior), the communicative component (indicators: initiative in contacts, tolerance in relationships, ability to exert communicative influence on participants in the educational process, ability to resolve conflicts, establish connections between the values of communication and professional growth), and the social component (indicators: assessment of the social status of youth with SN, determination of appropriate methods of social assistance to other students with SN, the establishment of partnership relations).
The last criterion of special inclusive competence is formed by the following components:
the cognitive component (indicators: the totality of the obtained knowledge required for inclusion in the IS of a university, the norms and requirements of inclusive education, the knowledge of auxiliary teaching tools, readiness to advance one’s knowledge about the essential characteristics of inclusive education, the basic laws of interaction between a person with SN and society);
the operational component (indicators: experience in performing specific learning activities and mastery of the practical skills necessary for facilitating the process of inclusion, good academic contacts with teachers and students, involvement in teamwork, mastery of the techniques of using technical aids, and adaptability to work and rest schedules);
the reflexive component (indicators: the ability to analyze one’s work in the conditions of inclusion, to solve various problem situations in inclusive learning, to allocate and eliminate pitfalls in relationships with students and the faculty).
In the light of the positive experience of using three-point scales to assess the levels of the criteria indicators, we identify the low, average, and high levels.
The primary research method deployed in the study is the method of conversations with students with SN and teachers (experts). Conversations with students are aimed at determining the degree of manifestation of the criteria of the influence of socio-psychological factors on the organization of IS. The purpose of conversations with teachers is to identify the specific provisions, strategies, and methods for improving the organization of IS for students with SN.
Results and discussion
The results of the assessment of the influence of socio-psychological factors on the organization of IS for heterogeneous groups of students with Sn are presented in Table 1.
Table 1 - Assessment of the influence of socio-psychological factors on the organization of IS for heterogeneous groups of students with SN.
| No. | Criterion | Group | Level of development, in % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| low | average | high | |||
| 1 | Motivational and value | KSUEL | 43.8 | 46.7 | 9.5 |
| RUDN | 41.2 | 51.1 | 7.7 | ||
| 2 | Socio-psychological inclusive competence | KSUEL | 38.3 | 51.2 | 10.5 |
| RUDN | 37.2 | 51.4 | 11.4 | ||
| 3 | Special inclusive competence | KSUEL | 37.4 | 54.4 | 8.2 |
| RUDN | 35.5 | 57.2 | 7.1 | ||
The results of the assessment of the motivational and value criterion indicate that the majority of the students demonstrate the average (KSUEL - 46.7%, RUDN - 51.1%) and the low level of the indicators (KSUEL - 43.8%, RUDN - 41.2%).
The assessment of socio-psychological inclusive competence reveals the same trend. Most students are at the average level of the indicators (KSUEL - 51.2%, RUDN - 51.4%) or the low level (KSUEL - 38.3%, RUDN - 37.2%).
Poor inclusion of the students in the social sphere is characterized by the following difficulties: low adaptation to new conditions due to isolation, anxiety, and low level of communicative competence (64.2%); not being prepared to live independently, lack of family support in daily life and professional training, entering the educational space of the university and assimilating the rules of the new way of life (42.7%).
The next criterion to address is the special inclusive competence criterion. The majority of the students show the average level of indicators in this criterion (KSUEL - 54.4%, RUDN - 57.2%) along with the low level (KSUEL - 37.4%, RUDN - 35.5%).
The analysis of the results demonstrates that most of the respondents do not participate in entertainment programs and creative activities (84.9%), are poorly informed about the learning and rehabilitation opportunities for students with various disabilities (84.9%), do not feel part of the academic group (78.3%), and not sufficiently adapted to the work and rest regime in the new environment (55.6%). At the same time, a considerable part of the students, mainly those having previous experience of integrated learning, show the proper level of proficiency in the use of auxiliary technical means of instruction (70.7%).
Considering the motivational and value criterion, we should note that the students with SN typically do not show particular interest and ability in inclusive learning due to low readiness to provide social support to other students with SN, have no special interest in learning based on personal needs. Not all of them enjoy their inclusive education, most strive for results only in some academic disciplines, show insufficient persistence in overcoming difficulties of the educational process, and are inactive in self-affirmation and self-development.
The students are poorly aware of the values of inclusion in education and do not show sufficient individual activity in collective activities and social life. Analyzing the last component, let us summarize the main difficulties, which we present according to the directions:
social (difficulties in adapting to the new environment, particularly in the presence of unfavorable situations in the collective; poor use of the conditions of inclusive education to realize one’s opportunities for higher education; ignoring the activities of student government and public youth organizations);
educational and cultural (underdeveloped motivation for higher education, insufficiently realized value of higher education, inertness to participate in scientific and creative activities).
The conversations reveal that the students’ motivation is predominantly formed under the influence of explanatory lectures during vocational orientation and preparation for entering higher education institutions.
The conversations held also give evidence that the students with SN lack the realization of their life position and experience uncertainty in their personal attitude to the values of the world around them, which gives reasons to characterize the level of their personal maturity as not fully corresponding to the age and social criteria of development (Riddell & Weedon, 2013). The identified characteristics of the students’ value orientations can be considered one of the weighty psychological barriers on the way to full inclusion in productive relations with teachers and other students for youth with SN (Morgado et al., 2016).
Analyzing the criterion of socio-psychological inclusive competence, we point out deficiencies in emotional stability and stability of behavior, demands to themselves and their behavior, initiative and tolerance in contacts with students and teachers, the ability to exert communicative influence on the educational process participants, the establishment of a connection between the values of communication and professional growth, and the ability to resolve conflicts. Weaknesses are found in the students’ ability to assess their social status and determine the methods of social assistance to other students with SN.
In interpersonal relationships, the students face difficulties in establishing contacts, feel uncomfortable in the collective, have insufficient understanding of emotional expressions and actions, and lack mutual understanding with the people around them. The students show better efficiency in individual work compared to collective activities. As a rule, they are in good control of their emotional expressions, yet have difficulties prediction the course of development of their relations with other students. A typical problem observed in the organization of the educational process is that when there are several students with SN in an academic group, they tend to create their separate subgroup and mainly communicate in isolation from others, in the environment of the created microgroup (Robinson, 2015).
The main pattern discovered among young people with SN lies in the limitation of their communicative abilities as a result of sensory, motor, and somatic deprivation. This phenomenon is observed in students with latent sensory disabilities who were spontaneously integrated into mainstream schooling. To a large extent, they are deprived of the influence of the institution of socialization on their social development, which is predominantly replaced by spontaneous random channels of socialization due to the lack of timely application of necessary targeted social services.
Analysis of the criterion of special inclusive competence indicates that the students with SN are insufficiently equipped with the knowledge necessary for inclusion in the environment of an inclusive educational institution, as well as knowledge of the norms and requirements for inclusive education, the methods of using auxiliary technical means of learning, and adaptability to the mode of work and rest. They have little knowledge about the essence of inclusive education and the auxiliary means of learning and show almost no willingness to advance their knowledge about the essential characteristics of inclusive education. The students demonstrate poor educational contacts with teachers and students, insufficient inclusion in the work of the collective. They are not good at analyzing their work in the conditions of inclusion, identifying and eliminating pitfalls in relationships with teachers and students in work, and almost do not take part in analyzing the results of work on the implementation of inclusion in the university.
Low levels of the reflexive and operational components are explained by the students lacking the skills of cooperation and providing assistance to other young people with SN.
Thus, we identify the following problem field of the influence of socio-psychological factors on the organization of IS for heterogeneous groups of students with SN:
poor learning motivation of the students with SN, the vagueness of personal and professional values for the socialization, self-determination, and self-realization of the students, as well as the indeterminacy of the values of inclusive education, which have motivational value in the students’ pursuit of it;
the lack of systemic knowledge on the essence of inclusive education in students with SN, the vagueness of prospects for the learning activity, insufficient readiness to overcome socio-psychological barriers on the way to higher education and socialization.
Relying on the results of conversations with the students, interviews with teachers (experts) are held regarding the perspectives of and the need to improve the organization of IS of the university as a precondition for the formation of readiness for social interaction with the subjects of inclusion, as well as the adaptation and self-realization in the university conditions in students with SN.
Conversations with teachers reveal that the improvement of the organization of IS for heterogeneous groups of students with SN has to be based on specific provisions, strategies, and methods of implementation (Table 2).
Table 2 - The main provisions, strategies, and methods of improving the IS of a university.
| Main provisions | Strategies and methods of implementation |
|---|---|
| IS is a system of pedagogical factors ensuring the entry of a student with SN into a specially organized pedagogical environment |
systematic work to strengthen the awareness of the role of socialization of all students as the main task of the educational process at the university; holding a series of events to create a positive image of people with SN in the context of inclusive education; engaging the media to popularize the ideas and benefits of inclusive approaches and practices in education; developing and introducing into the process of pedagogical education and advanced training special courses and workshops, the content of which provides for the development of a set of competencies necessary to work in the conditions of educational inclusion. |
| IS is an intersection of activities of all participants in the educational process |
holding career fairs involving representatives of the social community and business structures of the region for vocational guidance and employment of university graduates; using communication and training tools, business and role-playing games; active introduction of forms of counseling and information into the educational process; enriching the educational process of the university with collaborative creative activities; using the potential of collective forms of leisure activities. |
| IS exists in the modalities of the past, present, and future |
presenting success stories of the education of “special” students in the IS; using the forms of learning that involve the positive use of past experiences of students with SN in new learning environments with a focus on future professional activities; giving preference to collective forms of labor organization; encouraging students with SN to participate in socially necessary activities and projects using all available means. |
| IS is is allocated in the social space as a body of spatially accessible objects, educational services, and infrastructure |
positioning the inclusiveness of the educational space of the university as a social phenomenon that reflects the provision of access to education for all; the widespread use of the principle of universal design of the environment in the improvement of the IS of a university; creating structures that provide social expertise of the accessibility of the educational space. |
| The organization of IS is the foundation for the innovative development of an educational institution |
creation and popularization among the teaching community of the IS development program as a component of the strategic management of the university; development of educational and methodological and didactic materials that provide for teachers’ readiness to work in inclusive education conditions, and their testing in the educational process; organization of research on the educational needs of students with SN under the conditions of educational inclusion. |
We believe that the proposed ideas are necessary and sufficient for the development of technological support for the system of introducing complete inclusion in universities and the comprehensive development of students with SN.
Conclusions
Inclusive education is closely intertwined with the process of integrating persons with SN into social and educational environments, which is defined as the normalization of social life conditions and the opportunities to obtain an education. Inclusion requires a more substantial reorganization of the education system since it is founded on a new social model of perceiving a person with a disability, on the philosophy of social justice, which states that all people, including those with SN, have the right to fully participate in all spheres of life of society.
The results of the conducted experimental study demonstrate that the majority of the students have the average and low levels of criteria of the influence of socio-psychological factors on the organization of IS for heterogeneous groups of students with SN. Analysis of the obtained results reveals the problem field of the organization of IS for heterogeneous groups of students with SN, based on which specific provisions, strategies, and methods of organizing IS for heterogeneous groups of students with SN are identified in the course of interviews with experts.
Thus, the results of the study support the hypothesis that the insufficient levels of criteria of the influence of socio-psychological factors on the organization of an IS for students with SN determine the need to define specific provisions, strategies, and methods of improving the organization of IS for heterogeneous groups of students with SN.
This paper was supported by the RUDN University Strategic Leadership Program.
