Donald Beasley Institute for research and education on intellectual disability.

Research on Children

Self Identity for disabled children

Photo of a tree seen through a window.

This recently completed Marsden funded project explored the school experiences of disabled children and their nondisabled matched peers, and the impact of these experiences on children's developing sense of self- and group-identity as they transitioned from primary to secondary school.

The study aimed to explore the construction of personal identities in 11-13 year old disabled and non-disabled children in regular schools, tracking the trajectories of students' identity as they made the transitions from primary to secondary school. Method and methodological issues associated with the role of the researcher in the classroom and their relationship with children and teachers were also explored.

Research Team: Dr Jude MacArthur, Ms Sarah Sharp (Donald Beasley Institute), Dr Berni Kelly (formerly Donald Beasley Institute - now Queens University, Belfast), Mr Michael Gaffney (Children's Issues Centre).