This study aims at the development of School for Children with Physical Disability in Hong Kong. From the first hospital school established by Hong Kong Red Cross those children studied in a ward, to seven well-equipped Special Schools for Children with Physical Disability that many of children with Physical Disability have been benefited. However, there are no structured literatures that could illustrate the history. This study try to find out the major stakeholders, Sponsoring Bodies and Hong Kong Government, their roles and interaction between them in the sixty years history of the development of School for Children with Physical Disability in Hong Kong. The history has divided into five periods, which presented in Chapter Four. In Chapter Five, based on the history presented in Chapter Four, these historical, social and economical factors affecting the decision making of Sponsoring Bodies and Hong Kong Government would be examined. It is found that the influence of Sponsoring Bodies has being weakened during those sixty years, while the influence of Hong Kong Government has been strengthening. However, the changing damage the relationship between them, it might not lead a better future for the development of School for Children with Physical Disability in Hong Kong. / published_or_final_version / Chinese Historical Studies / Master / Master of Arts

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The purpose of this study was to identify correlates of successful social adaptation in secondary schools, as perceived by students, teachers and parents. A description of behaviors important for mainstreaming mildly exceptional students into grade levels six through twelve was sought.The long term significance of the study was to begin development of an adaptive behavior scale for adolescents which would discriminate normal from mildly handicapped students. The literature contains substantial agreement that no reliable method or measure exists for the evaluation of adaptive behavior in the mildly handicapped secondary student, although the Education for Handicapped Children Act CPL 94-142) requires such an evaluation.Subjects of this study were middle and senior high school classes selected at random from three middle and three senior high schools in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Teachers and parents were also participants, as were secondary special education teachers throughout the system.An eighty item checklist was composed from the literature. It described personal or behavioral characteristics and was distributed to all subjects, who were asked to select ten items from the list which, in their opinions, described the most important requirements for successful adaptation in their respective middle and senior high schools.Responses from participating groups were tabulated and compared on the bases of grade placement, sex, and adult status (regular teacher, parent, special educator). One question asked about previous special placement and located a number of mainstreamed survey participants. Data revealed notable similarity in checklist selections by age group. Selections of mainstreamed students at all grade levels resembled those of middle school students. Adult participants concurred in many of their selections; in terms of the total survey, there was some overlap in the item choices but sufficient difference to demonstrate varying priorities between students and adults. Some aspects of the returns suggest possibly new considerations regarding expectations for mainstreamed students, and contain data for future factor analytic studies toward eventual development of a measurement instrument.

Thesis--University of Pennsylvania. / S.

In view of the lack of an appropriate instrument to measure primary school music teachers' concerns about teaching music to students with special educational needs in inclusive classrooms in Hong Kong, this research intends to fill the research gap by developing and validating the Music Teachers' Concerns of Inclusive Music Teaching Scale (CIMTS) for addressing these concerns. Specifically, this study aims at: (1) Developing and validating the CIMTS, (2) Assessing its psychometric properties, (3) Exploring primary school music teachers' levels of concern about inclusive music teaching, and (4) Predicting their CIMTS scores with a number of psychological, personality, and environmental variables which are hypothesized to correlate with the CIMTS. Different methods with two samples of primary school music teachers were involved in the development, validation, and prediction of the CIMTS. Regarding development, sequential mixed method involving qualitative analysis was employed to generate, pilot-test, and refine the initial pool of question items. Concerning validation (N = 309), quantitative analysis using item analysis was conducted to evaluate and refine the CIMTS, assessing its internal consistency and construct validity. Specifically, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, SEM estimation, and Multi-trait and Multi-method analysis were performed to establish evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. Referring to prediction (N = 224), hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine if the chosen psychological, personality, and environmental variables in the hypothesized model were significant predictors of the scores on the CIMTS. Results indicated that the 25-item CIMTS possessed adequate evidence of validity as well as satisfactory reliability regarding the overall scale and its five factors (Learning Support, Learning Obstacle, Resource, Training, as well as Curricular Design and Assessment). While the level of primary school music teachers' concerns for the Resource factor was found to be the highest among the five factors, Openness-to-Experience and School Climate were shown to be the strongest predictors of their scores on the CIMTS in the hypothesized model. With the development and validation of the CIMTS, this research not only filled the research gap in inclusive music education, but also aroused policy-makers' and music educators' awareness of teachers' needs for formal training in special education and for resource allocated to inclusive music teaching. For future research, with addition of new items, the CIMTS could be expanded in its domain coverage, refined, and revalidated with different samples. Further exploration of possible correlates of the CIMTS should be pursued.

The study investigated how primary schools in Chiredzi District in Zimbabwe, cater for ECD “A” and “B” children with special education needs. A mixed method design located in the pragmatism paradigm was used to carry out the study. Post-positivist is an interactive process which produced in-depth, detailed, rich data from personal perspectives and experiences that resulted in realistic understanding of phenomenon, interpreted through the social and cultural context of respondents’ lives. By adopting quantitative and qualitative approaches, the researcher was able to ensure a high level of reliability in the collected data, at the same time obtaining comprehensive information on how primary schools attaching preschool classes in Chiredzi district cater for ECD “A” and “B” children with special education needs. Purposive sampling and cluster sampling procedures were used to solicit information from ECD teachers, school heads, parents, the District Education Team, NGOs and critical government ministries through semi-structured questionnaires, face-t-face interviews, focus group discussions, observations and document analysis. The study established that, while the government carries out its mandate of providing social services to learners with special education needs, they are incapacitated due to lack of resources. The majority of schools are not providing adequate health facilities for learners with special education needs. Furthermore, most schools are not providing nutritional supplementation to vulnerable learners, situations which deprive the learners with the much needed opportunity to grow and develop to the anticipated potential. In addition, the study noted that, ECD “A” and “B” children with special education needs enrolled in classes attached to primary schools do not access Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) or Cash Transfers to alleviate the children that are in need. It came out that such a situation impacts on learners’ attendance and subsequently their learning outcomes. Regardless of the stipulations by international treaties on the nature of inclusive education, the study established that, the education system has not yet modified curriculum to accommodate learners with diversified forms of special education needs. The situation is made worse by the fact that, heads of schools, and teachers are not adequately trained to handle learners with special education needs in early childhood development programmes. In addition, schools face the challenge of scarcity of learning resources that support ECD learners with special education needs which seriously impact on the growth and development of young learners at this critical stage of their development. Regardless of the essence of continuous professional development programs, in schools whose purpose is to redress the professional gap in schools, the study found that the CPD are doing very little to transform the mind-set of teachers. The study concluded that learners with special education needs are not benefiting from the current inclusive education programme. The study recommends that following; Stakeholders work together to promote the health and nutritional needs including other social services of ECD learners in classes attached to primary schools. There be a national teacher in-service programme for those teachers deployed in schools, to equip them with the desired skills, and knowledge to handle learners with special education needs, especially at this critical stage of their development. Teachers’ Colleges redesign their curriculum to address inclusive education in schools. Teachers’ Colleges need to empower new graduates with skills and knowledge to handle children with special education needs in schools. Policy makers to advocate for redesigning the curriculum to include children with special education needs to ensure availability of resources in inclusive schools to alleviate the challenges faced by these children. Those policy makers should advocate for a way to ensure that all children with special education be enrolled in mainstream schools. Thus, the study proposed an alternative, holistic, and inclusive education model for schools attaching ECD “A” and “B”

M.Ed. (Computer-Based Education) / This research was undertaken at a school for Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSEN) by a MEd student. The situation with LSEN learners is extremely complex as they have diverse needs as a result of the medical, situational and educational barriers to learning that they experience. It involves the design, development and implementation of a computerised LSEN Learner Information system that will give the educators in-depth knowledge about the LSEN learner to give them the wisdom to design an individualised LSEN curriculum which is in line with the vision of Educational White Paper 6 (EWP6). EWP6 acknowledges that the problems lie within the educational system and not within the learner and that these barriers must be removed so that all learners have access to education regardless of what barriers to learning they have. This research highlights and addresses these systemic barriers in the design of the LSEN Learner Information System. The Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support document (SIAS) forms the basis of this system as it is used to implement EWP6 and has been used in the design of the individual documents. The current South African legislation provided the vision for LSEN education. The current educational situation provided the reality; these two situations are far apart. There is no adapted curriculum to suit the diverse needs of the LSEN learner. No policies, guidelines or documents exist to assist the LSEN educators. They are confused and discouraged as they are expected to implement mainstream systems that cannot be used with LSEN learners. There is limited support for these educators. The research has been undertaken using Grounded Theory methods, an inductive research methodology, which starts with little else than the research question. It commences with the collection of data from the empirical situation and uses this data to create operational documents and systems that could result in theories being developed. Data was collected from the current LSEN educational system, from the diverse needs of the LSEN learner and from the situation at the research school. This data was used to design LSEN documents that resulted in a number of valuable computerised LSEN documents and systems being developed in this research. These include an LSEN Learner Database, an LSEN Learner Profile and supporting documents. The research shows that the LSEN situation is extremely complex and that each LSEN learner requires an individualised curriculum plan. This is not possible to do using a manual system; therefore an ICT (Information and Communications Technology) solution was implemented. This system gives the educator a full knowledge of the learner's needs that can be used to develop the curriculum needed for the individual learner. The research concludes with an LSEN dream of an individualised curriculum that will be designed in the -next stage- of the research using data that has been collected -in this stage of the research. This research does not provide a theory but rather highlights the need for an LSEN specific teaching methodology to be developed.

Despite the current widespread implementation of inclusive education into the South African educational system, it appears that little, if any, studies have been undertaken as to whether South African educators are adequately equipped to manage the changes that will be required with the implementation of this new approach to education. More specifically, whether our educators would be more aptly prepared for the many adaptations should they be in possession of a remedial qualification. This study is aimed at providing a detailed account of the implications of introducing inclusive education into the South African school system, with particular focus being placed on learners who present with barriers to learning as well as the essential curriculum, classroom and teaching adjustments required in order for these learners to reach their full potential within a mainstream classroom environment. The sample for this study firstly comprised of educators’ perceptions regarding their capabilities in coping with the demands of inclusive education. The viewpoints of 122 educators, within the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area of the Eastern Cape, were recorded through the completion of individual questionnaires and interviews. Secondly, the files of 111 learners, from a remedial practice, who presented with barriers to learning were analysed to determine the effectiveness of appropriate remedial intervention in overcoming the respective barriers. The major findings of the present study were as follows: Many classroom modifications, changes in teaching styles and curriculum adaptations would have to be implemented to adjust to the demands of inclusive education; Educators would have to be trained regarding the different categories of learners with barriers to learning and their special educational needs; The majority of Eastern Cape educators do not feel suitably qualified to cope with the demands of inclusive education; Educators in positions of authority (principals, deputy principals and heads of department) indicated their inadequacies regarding coping and assisting parents and fellow educators with the demands of inclusive education; A large percentage of the responding educators indicated that they would be better suited to cope with the demands of inclusive education with a remedial qualification and were prepared to register at a tertiary institution to obtain such a qualification depending on certain incentives offered by the Education Department. In view of the findings of this study, recommendations have been made to enhance the current qualification levels of educators, to specifically include a remedial qualification, of which guidelines have been provided. This approach should vastly assist educators in coping with the demands of inclusive education and will ensure that they are suitably empowered to meet the needs of learners with barriers, who have been thrust into this system. Guidelines are also offered for a proposed remedial course that could be offered to education students as well as to those educators who are presently in the employ of the Education Department.

In the last five years federal attention has addressed the provision of services to handicapped learners through interagency collaboration. This has been one result of The Education for All Handicapped Children Act and guidelines delineated by the Education Division General Administrative Regulations. The literature is replete with information regarding interorganizational relationships, programmatic models and evaluation studies relative to other service areas. Few studies have examined special education 1 s involvement in the interagency arena. The purposes of this study were to identify: (1) decision points utilized in developing collaborative efforts; (2) problems encountered during the developmental and operational phases; and, (3) solutions and resources utilized to overcome these difficulties. Other information as it related to the developmental process also was obtained. Three data collection strategies were used: (1) state agency interviews; (2) local agency interviews; and (3) state-wide mailed survey. Interviews were conducted by the researcher with state and local representatives from Special Education, Corrections/Juvenile Courts, Rehabilitation, Mental Health/Mental Retardation, Health and Social Services. Survey instruments were sent to area, regional and local agency offices throughout the state. The data revealed that certain steps were used in planning a collaborative effort. The steps were: (1) determining need; (2) defining the population; (3) identifying and contacting agencies serving the target population(s); (4) defining program policies and service responsibilities; and, (5) comparing programs to identify gaps and overlaps. The data indicated that problems of communication, territorial ownership, funding and lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities were present during both the developmental and operational phases of collaborative programming. Resolution strategies which were identified as being used most often by respondents were negotiation and persistent communication; resources included the individuals involved in the difficulties or other staff members as was necessary to resolve tHe problem(s). Other related findings confirmed information obtained through testimony and found in the literature relative to the ties which keep agencies working together and the driving and restraining forces to interagency collaborative programming. The data also indicated that respondents consider multiple agency delivery of services as being efficient, effective and generally successful in providing services for handicapped learners. Finally, recommendations for interagency collaborative programming were offered by state and local interviewees. It was concluded that interagency collaboration was not a well defined process. The lack of evaluation procedures contributed not only to the lack of definition but to the continual resurfacing· of develop- mental and operational problems. Finally, the solutions and resources utilized to solve the problems were not always appropriate or sufficient to resolve the difficulties. Thus, it was recommended that state and local personnel be inserviced on: (1) the service requirements and responsibilities governing their respective agencies; (2) the summative and formative aspects of interagency collaborative programming; and, (3) conflict management, problem resolution and use of a third party as problem solving techniques. Finally, it was recommended that state agencies jointly develop, disseminate and inservice local personnel on the procedures and steps necessary to developing and operating an interagency collaborative effort. / Ed. D.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration