The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of students who
were educated in inclusive education environments. Five students with learning
disabilities and their five peers without disabilities who studied in the same
general education classroom participated in the in-depth semi-structured
interviews. Each interview took about 40 to 50 minutes to complete. The findings
from this study that followed the best practices conducting qualitative studies
(e.g., ensuring the credibility, member checking, peer debriefing, etc.) were
categorized into 4 groups: (a)the friendship that determines students’ happy
school lives, (b)experiences in the general education classroom, (c)the meanings
of resource rooms, and (d)ways of students with disabilities to enjoy their school
lives. Based on these study findings, the following implications were provided to
improve inclusive education practices and relevant education outcomes:
(a)implementing school-wide inclusive practices and efforts to re-conceptualize
the current education system, (b)providing emotional supports for students with
disabilities, (c)assisting students with disabilities to build and/or expand the
social network and providing appropriate supports, (d)increasing access to
general education curriculum by providing instructional supports, and
(e)improving perceptions and attitudes of students without disabilities on their
peers with disabilities. Detailed results and implications were discussed.