‘I Feel Well, Accepted and Competent in School’—Determinants of Self-Perceived Inclusion and Academic Self-Concept in Students with Diagnosed Behavioral, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD)

The present paper reports on the perceptions of inclusion in students with formally diagnosed behavioral, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) by taking into account social and didactic characteristics of the class teachers’ behavior as possible predicting variables. N = 119 students with BESD attending either special or inclusive secondary schools in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany were questioned about their self-perceived emotional inclusion, social inclusion and academic self-concept, as well as about their perception of the class teacher’s behavior in the dimensions ‘care’ and ‘pressure for achievement’. In this context, the present study pursued two key objectives: Firstly, to identify possible differences in perceptions of inclusion and perceived class teacher behavior between students with BESD in inclusive and special schools. Secondly, to examine whether perceived aspects of the class teacher behavior function as significant predictors for perceptions of inclusion. To examine these research issues, one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) were applied. The findings suggest that academic self-concept and perception of class teacher behavior are significantly more positive in special schools than in inclusive schools. Furthermore, a substantial link between perceived class teacher behavior and self-perceived inclusion was identified with ‘care’ predicting emotional and social inclusion as well as ‘pressure for achievement’ predicting academic self-concept. Concerning this structural pattern, a significant moderating effect through ‘school setting’ was detected. Further comparative and longitudinal studies should evaluate the subjective perceptions of students with diagnosed BESD in school with special regard to a broader range of potentially influencing (subjective and objective) class teacher variables.