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Jessica Webb
ENG 341
Dr. Spear
Argumentative Research
12 November 2014
Mainstreaming in Schools
There are many aspects of mainstreaming a child or placing a Special Needs
child into a regular classroom, that can be very beneficial to the Special Education
child. The first being that by allowing the child to become mainstreamed into a
regular classroom instead of their previously small protected (Carpenter 360)
class, they will be familiarized with the general curriculum. This can greatly benefit
the child because no longer are they in that protected environment. Studies have
also shown that placing a Special Education child into a regular classroom can lead
to a higher performance as well as a higher self-esteem (Oluremi 183). Which is
likely why the government policy now states, that integration is most realistic
form of special education since the special needs children are eventually expected to
live in the same society with the normal (178). Another very important outcome to
mainstreaming is that the Special Education children are put into a situation where
they are in contact with their peers. This is what mainstreaming is all about because
it is placing a Special Education child into a regular classroom and having them
experience normal day-to-day experiences. This is important because one day they
will no longer be protected in their Special Education classroom and will have to
go out into the real world. All of these reasons could be very beneficial, however,

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when looking at the negative outcomes and the situations that make mainstreaming
so difficult, one can see that mainstreaming becomes much less beneficial than in
theory.
One of the most difficult things to provide when applying mainstreaming to a
school is having the facilities and the materials. In order for mainstreaming to be
successful, there are a lot of things that have to take place, such as educating the
teachers in a regular classroom on how to teach their regular class as well as how to
provide and deal with a Special Education child or children. All of these needs must
be met in the process of mainstreaming in order for mainstreaming to be beneficial,
yet seem to be the most difficult to provide.
Many times there is a lack in funding for mainstreaming children, there may
be funding but not nearly enough to provide what needs to be provided in order for
mainstreaming to be a successful process. Lack of funding can lead to a school not
having the proper facilities and materials in order for mainstreaming to be
beneficial. When there is a lack of funding many needs may not be met such as not
having enough staff causing the Special Education children to suffer because they do
not get the attention they need. Lack of funding can also cause the school to not have
the proper, extra learning materials they need for mainstreaming to benefit the
Special Education child or children. By not having a teacher who knows how to deal
with a Special Education child in their regular classroom the rest of the class begins
to suffer as well as the Special Education child. Studies have also been done to prove
that regular classroom teachers are not educated enough to teach Special Education
children (Kendall & DeMoulin 203). The Special Education children no longer

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receives the attention they need and can be punished in ways that can hurt their
progress of learning when the teacher punishes them like a regular student or treats
them like a regular student. A good example of this is a case in North Carolina where
a teacher that had an autistic child in her class put hot sauce on the childs hand for
not doing like they were supposed to (Wsoctv). This would not be appropriate at
school on any level; however, the fact that she did this to a Special Ed child shows
even more how little she knows how to handle Special Ed children. The teacher not
knowing how to teach with both students in his or her class is also putting the
regular students at a disadvantage because they are not getting the attention they
need either when all the attention is put on the Special Ed children. The regular
students also can suffer if the teacher does not know how to handle the Special
Education child in the classroom they may not be able to move through material as
quickly, this leads to the other students not learning all the information needed for
that year. This situation also causes teachers and regular students to have a
negative attitude towards having Special Ed students being mainstreamed because
they simply blame it on the students who are slower at learning. This is a problem
because the students and teachers can sometimes take this out on those Special Ed
students, which is completely unfair to the students and cause many issues for that
student.
Lastly another aspect to mainstreaming that must occur in order for
mainstreaming to be successful that Hirth and Valesky performed studies on (cited
in Arick & Krug 349) is for the districts to follow the rules, and many of times the
districts will do as they see fit, neglecting to follow the rules, which benefits no one.

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Mainstreaming can negatively affect these Special Ed students in a very
negative way. By placing Special Ed students in a regular classroom, they become
labeled by their peers and their teachers and this can hurt their self-image. What
also can hurt their self-image is sitting in class and realizing how much the other
students can do, whereas they have difficulty. They are human too and a normal
person would automatically default to okay something is wrong with me. A Special
Ed child has this same thought process and may think they are not like everyone
else because they have difficulty where other students do not and this is not fair to
the Special Ed child to feel this way about themselves. According to Kendall and
DeMoulin, their being different leads to curious students asking many questions
(202). When Special Ed children see their peers asking all kinds of questions about
them, this can sometimes hurt a childs self-esteem and self-image, depending on
what the student or students asked. These questions that make them feel bad about
themselves is always a negative thing. Another very negative outcome of
mainstreaming is that a Special Ed student also desires the sense of belonging this
becomes an issue when or if the regular students do not want anything to do with
them or do not want to play with them because as Special Ed students they may be
different. This occurrence can scare the Special Ed student or students for life. This
additional pressure can cause students to become unsure of themselves or insecure
(202).
An aspect to mainstreaming that many do not realize is that the Special Ed
children are being removed from what they know to regular classrooms. This means
they have to get used to multiple teachers and multiple classrooms, which can

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already be difficult for a regular student, but imagine a Special Ed students having to
do such. For a Special Ed student this process is much harder and this will also slow
their learning down because it is difficult for them to learn in an environment they
are unfamiliar with. but also effecting their self-concept and self-efficacy Within this
environment that they are unfamiliar with, is also a teacher whose grading and
evaluations are formed for a regular student where this type of grading may not be
accurate with Special Ed students (203).
For these are simply the large problems with mainstreaming, there are also
very many other issues with the program. However, mainstreaming could be
possible if went about in a precise way. Guralnick writes, Can the
educational/developmental needs of all children continue to be met in the
mainstreamed context and in relation to the intent of mainstreaming without
radically departing from the fundamental assumptions and structure of that
programs model? (qtd. in Guralnick). This is an excellent question many should ask
before mainstreaming children. Mainstreaming is feasible but there are many
factors that must be dealt with in the correct manor. When these factors are not
dealt with correctly, mainstreaming can do much more harm than good.

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Work Cited
Arick, Joel R., and David A. Krug. "Special Education Administrators In The
United States: Perceptions On Policy And Personnel Issues." Journal Of
Special Education 27.3 (1993): 348. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Nov.
2014.
Carpenter, William. "Why Mainstreaming Will Succeed While Some Other
Special Education Will Fail." Education 99.4 (1979): 368. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
Guralnick, Michael J. "Major Accomplishments And Future Directions In Early
Childhood Mainstreaming." Topics In Early Childhood Special Education 10.2
(1990): 1. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
Kendall, Robbie M., and Donald F. DeMoulin. "Mainstreaming Students With
Disabilities Using Self-Efficacy." Education 114.2 (1993): 201. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
Oluremi, Fareo Dorcas. "Special Schools And Mainstreaming Programme In
Nigeria And Lessons For 21St Century." IFE Psychologia 20.1 (2012): 176191. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
"Wsoctv." Online News Report. WSOCTV. N.p., 31 Oct. 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/teacher-accused-using-hotsauce-discipline-autisti/nhxRf/>.