[Data analysis]

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Acknowledgement

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Table of Contents

CHAPTER: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS5

Findings7

School participation of pupils with Down syndrome11

Development and performance of children with Down syndrome11

Performance of Self care tasks12

Speech and communication14

REFERENCES16

Chapter: Discussion and Analysis

The data from questionnaire I and II were derived from ordinal scales, descriptive and nonparametric methodology were applied in the analysis. For Study I and II, the items of the questionnaire and the PEDI were summed up, controlled and transferred to the Statistical Package for Social Science for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics were calculated for mean, medians, standard deviations and range of normative and scaled scores. For between-group analyses (questionnaire II) non-parametric statistics; Mann-Whitney test was used. A p-value less than .05 was considered statistically significant. Between group analyses were used to examine the effects of possible influencing factors such as gender, health impairments, family conditions, and therapy or interventions, etc (Law, 2003, 1). The questionnaire II and III was to describe and explore peer interaction, and the support provided by class staff in order to facilitate peer interaction between pupils with and without Down syndrome.

Based on these aims, data were analyzed using a constant comparative method followed by a second step of interpretation inspired by hermeneutics. In questionnaire III, analysis of a pilot study was undertaken as a first step in order to identify the main scope in the analysis. Thus, analysis of one case was conducted after the first fourteen days of observations, involving two of the more experienced researchers. This analysis helped to identify what should be the main emphasis of the study; interaction involving activities in regular school situations. The data for questionnaire III comprised of field notes and interviews with the six children with Down syndrome. As the field notes of questionnaire II and III were collected at the same time the analysis started with a process of reading the field notes several times in order to achieve a better overall understanding of the data. The data was separated in two. One set was focusing on peer interaction between the pupil with Down syndrome and their peers. The other data set comprised the support observed offered by class staff, in order to facilitate interaction among the pupils. After separating the data, the field notes for questionnaire III were read several more times in order to get an overview of the content in close connection to the study's aim. Each case was individually examined. Coding of the appropriate units of analysis was performed through coding each case individually, and then coding the six cases together. In a back and forth process, ...