Research Design in Inclusive Learning Environments 'for' and 'with' Children on the Autism Spectrum--Towards Multimodal Data Collection

Inclusive learning environments, in which children on the autism spectrum (AS) are educated alongside with neurotypical children, are being implemented by governments across Europe and world-wide. The rapid change towards implementing inclusive learning environments has resulted, however, in scarce research reports using multimodal data collected on social interactions in such environments. To this, our study presents a novel experimental multi-method research design to holistically capture natural interactions between children on the AS and neurotypical children in inclusive learning settings through multimodal data collection tools involving well-established as well as emerging educational technologies and methods: mobile eye tracking, wide-angle video cameras and video stimulated accounts (VSA). The children's perspectives regarding the practical research design implementation, as reflected in feedback forms collected, indicate that a relatively unobtrusive and non-distracting collection of multimodal data is achievable through sufficient planning and participatory strategies. This work contributes with a new multi-method research design to gather multimodal data in inclusive learning environments, looking at better understanding and strengthening children's social interactions. The multi-method research design described here can also be applied to other contexts, such as after-school activities or group therapy sessions.