A Comparison of Social Interactions Using A Friendship Awareness Activity

Abstract

The effects of a friendship awareness activity were analyzed to determine its effectiveness as an unstructured intervention strategy on the frequency and type of social interactions between students with mental retardation and their nonhandicapped peers. School contexts presenting interaction opportunities for four students with disabilities were investigated using a modified multiple baseline research design. Observational data were collected using a time sampling technique during recess and lunch periods. The results of this investigation revealed the one-time friendship awareness activity alone was inadequate to produce changes in social interactions between students with and without disabilities. The implications for practice and further research suggest that both structured and unstructured opportunities for interaction be implemented and investigated with students without disabilities as a means of enhancing social interaction patterns.

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