Inclusive social studies content instruction for students with significant intellectual disability using structured inquiry-based instruction

A high-quality education in the social studies is recommended by the National Council for the Social Studies to promote civic competence and democratic participation for school system graduates. Currently, limited empirical information exists to inform social studies instruction for students with significant intellectual disability (SID), especially within inclusive academic settings. Effective content instruction in social studies areas, aligned to the general academic curriculum and presented in the general setting, may help to improve post-school outcomes for students with SID. A multiple probe across participants single case design was used to determine the effectiveness of paraprofessional-implemented inquiry-based social studies instruction, presented within an embedded trial distribution schedule in general education classrooms. Study results suggest that this method of instruction had a positive effect on recall of information presented during history lessons for three junior high school students with intellectual disability. After repeated practice, students showed improvements in recall of information when using the structured inquiry-based instructional framework without direct instruction. Paraprofessionals and general education teachers generally found the intervention to be effective and acceptable. Implications for classroom practice and for future research are discussed.