Socio-emotional development and inclusive communication among students with special educational NEEDS in the education program

Abstract

This study presents an analysis of the issues related to deficits in social-emotional development and a lack of inclusive communication among students with special educational needs in the Education program, highlighting the pedagogical, communication, and attitudinal barriers that hinder their participation and learning in higher education. The main objective of the research was to link social-emotional development and inclusive communication, as well as to identify their influence on the participation, well-being, and academic performance of students with SEN. Researchers employed quantitative methodology using a non-experimental cross-sectional design with 150 education students from Southern Manabí State University, by administering a structured survey and utilizing descriptive statistics; Overall, the findings indicate moderate levels for all of the domains measured within social-emotional development, empathy, emotional regulation, and inclusive communications that had some progress but still continue to exhibit weak areas of low level of participation in college and poor pedagogies for inclusive strategies to implement within the classroom. Therefore, researchers concluded that there is evidence supporting the correlation between social-emotional development; as a result, a recommendation to enhance teacher preparation on implementing inclusive pedagogies, developing teacher competencies/knowledge related to social-emotional learning and inclusive communication. Thus, increasing the participation rate and well-being of students who are SEN. Furthermore, the study highlights the need to implement active methodologies, accessible technological resources, and ongoing social-emotional support that foster more equitable, participatory, and student-diversity-centered educational environments in higher education, aimed at strengthening educational inclusion and the quality of university education to benefit students’ holistic learning in inclusive contexts.