Problems of Adolescents in Inclusive Secondary Schools: A Comparative Analysis.

Abstract

This study examined the problems of students with and without disabilities in inclusive secondary schools in Lagos state. The instrument used to collect data was the Student Problem Inventory (SPI), which measured the respondents’ problems from their known judgements. Results revealed that majority of the respondents with disabilities had problems on all the subscales of SPI while the non-disabled respondents had few problems. However, relative to the scores of the respondents without disabilities on the other problem areas they scored higher on Family, Financial, and Academic subscale, of SPI. This was explained as the probable effect of poverty. Nonetheless a statistically significant difference was found between the problem of respondents’ with disabilities and those without disabilities. This finding was attributed to the effect of disability, poverty and inappropriate practice of inclusive education. Based on the findings, recommendations were made.