The "Shared Classroom": A Case Study of Interactions Between Early Childhood and Special Education Staff and Children

The initial intention of this case study was to document the development of social interactions between the six typical and six disabled children in an integrated preschool classroom. This was to be discovered through a qualitative analysis of videotapes taken once a month, for 9 months, during a 1-hour free-play period. What emerged, through the observation and discussion of these videotapes with the classroom team, was that structural changes in the environment of the classroom were essential for the development of positive social interactions between the children. This study, therefore, further validates the conclusions of other investigations of the social development of children in integrated preschool classrooms: the proximity of children does not assure interaction. These issues are explored and illustrations of staff behaviors that facilitated social interaction are presented.