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Syftet med studien är att beskriva specialpedagogers och rektorers upplevelser av specialpedagogers roll i skolutveckling samt samarbetet dem emellan. Målsättningen är att utveckla kunskap om hur rektorer inom skolan kan använda specialpedagogens kunskap och kompetens i syfte att bidra med skolutveckling. Det är en kvalitativ undersökning och det empiriska materialet består av intervjuer. Studien utgår från teorier inom fenomenologin då jag som skriver är intresserad av specialpedagogers och rektorers synsätt på specialpedagogers roll i skolutveckling. Resultatet i studien visar att specialpedagogers roll i samband med skolutveckling uttalas positivt av rektorerna men utgör ingen stor del av det vardagliga arbetet i skolan utan består till stor del av undervisning med elever enskilt och/eller i mindre grupp. I analysen av specialpedagogernas utsagor framträder betydelsen av rektors ansvar att prioritera och medverka till att skapa tid och forum för specialpedagogerna att arbeta med skolutveckling. Det uttrycks ett behov av specialpedagogerna att få arbeta med skolutvecklingsfrågor ur ett processinriktat och mer långsiktigt arbete där syftet är att deras kunskap och kompetens ska nyttjas så som examensförordnings mål och intentioner, för specialpedagogens uppdrag och roll, beskriver. / The purpose of this study is to describe special education teachers' and principals' experiences of special education teachers' role in school improvement and cooperation between them. The goal is to develop knowledge of how principals in schools can use special education teachers' competence in order to contribute to school improvement. It is a qualitative study and the empirical material consists of interviews. The study is based on theories of phenomenology as I am interested in special education teachers' and principals' views on special education teachers' role in school improvement. The results of the study show that special education teachers' role in school improvement is appreciated by the principals, but do not constitute a large part of the everyday work at school, but mainly consists of teaching students individually and/or in small groups. In the analysis of special education teachers' statements, the importance of the principal's responsibility to prioritize and take part in creating time and forums for special education teachers' work with school development appears. The need for special education teachers to work with school improvement issues from a process-oriented and more long-term project is expressed, aiming at the use of their knowledge and competence as stated in the Graduation Regulations goals and intentions for the special education teacher's mission and role.

Thesis advisor: Marilyn Cochran-Smith / The number of autistic students receiving special education services increased 478% between the years 2000 and 2013 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016). U.S. schools and teachers are educating more autistic students with complex educational needs resulting from differences in communication, social interaction and behavior. As a result, schools need increasing numbers of teachers who are equipped to educate them. Quality special education teacher preparation is critical for teachers of autistic students, because it can affect the quality of education and outcomes for this highly unique student population. Very little research has been conducted to determine the extent to which special education teacher preparation programs provide teachers with preparation to teach autistic students, or about the extent to which special educators feel prepared to teach this population at the point of conclusion of their preparation programs. This study used a mixed methods sequential explanatory design to examine the perceptions of special educators about their preparedness to teach autistic students based on preparation program/licensure, specialized autism coursework, and on-the-job experiences after licensure programs. A researcher-created survey was followed by interviews to explore participants’ survey responses more deeply. Survey data (n =121) were used to inform both question construction and participant selection for a purposive sample of follow-up interviews (n= 10). Regression analyses, means, summary scores, and thematic coding were employed to analyze the survey data. Results indicated that the majority (77%) of special education teachers felt unprepared to teach autistic students at the end of their licensure programs. However, specialized autism coursework was a significant predictor of teachers’ sense of preparedness. Limitations of the study and implications for special education teacher preparation and education are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

The aim of this study was to shed light on the current situation regarding teachers' conditions and attitudes considering the new updated version of curriculum. This study was carried out amongst teachers teaching special education pupils in primary and secondary school through semistructured interviews. The result showed some successful exampels of intentional quality management both on principal level and beyond but on the other hand the study also made clear there are some shortcomings to be considered before we seriously can speak of equivalence in digital competence education for all Swedish pupils. The authors suggest structured developement, SKA (Systematiskt kvalitetsarbete) together with the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) framework to successfully implement the revised curricula to achieve digital competent teachers who can educate digital competent pupils to match future digital challanges.

This mixed-methods action research study explored the congruence between mentor and mentee perceptions of the importance and effectiveness of 12 district-specific focus areas of mentor support. While reviewing current data pertaining to teacher attrition, the researcher observed a limited availability of investigations relating to the perceived role of the mentor teacher based on the experiences and observations of both the novice and mentor teacher.The target population for this study was 70 novice and mentor special education teachers during the 2005--2006 school year employed at 13 middle schools in a school district located in Florida. Of the 70 beginning and mentor teachers, 4 mentor teachers and 2 novice teachers from 4 of the 13 middle schools within the district volunteered to participate. The mentor and mentee teachers who chose to take part were not mentoring pairs during the 2005--2006 school year.Obtaining Institutional Review Board approval, the researcher contacted middle school principals to attain administrative support for the study. Novice and mentor middle school teachers alike were then contacted via postal mail requesting their participation. Concerted efforts were made to secure mentor--mentee participation.The researcher relied on multiple data collection methods---a demographic and multi-item survey for the novice and mentor teacher (Appendixes D & E) and standardized open-ended interview questions for the novice and mentor teacher (Appendixes F & G). Lastly, the researcher conducted an analysis of pertinent district documents, more specifically thoroughly examining the information presented in the ESE Mentor Program Resource Manual for mentor and mentee teachers.The major findings of this study include the following: (1) formal and informal mentoring of beginning special education teachers by experienced mentors and colleagues is a useful and productive endeavor; (2) ESE paperwork demands are rigorous for novice teacher; (3) the needs and concerns of ESE teachers vary based on classroom assignment and student population, and (4) the ESE Mentor Program Resource Manual provided useful information referencing the 12 areas of mentor support for beginning special educators, but did little to guide mentor and novice teachers in facilitating the mentoring process.

Research over the last three decades has documented that teacher efficacy has an effect on student achievement (Armor et al., 1976; Bandura, 1997). The literature on culturally responsive teaching (CRT) recognizes teacher efficacy as one of the attributes of successful teachers of students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds (Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1994). Researchers (e.g., Goddard & Goddard, 2001) have also found that collective teacher efficacy (CTE) beliefs can affect teachers’ goal setting, motivation, and persistence with challenging tasks or situations; specifically, the CTE construct not only explains school-level effects on achievement, but also explains effects on individual teachers’ self-efficacy. When CLD students require special education services, their instruction must be equally responsive to their cultural and linguistic characteristics in addition to their educational needs based on the disability (García & Ortiz, 2004; McCray & García, 2002). Consequently, CRT practices are central to improve these students’ learning outcomes (Gay, 2000). The purpose of this descriptive, correlational survey research study was to investigate (a) the relationship between special education teachers’ collective teacher efficacy beliefs and CRT efficacy for teaching CLD students in special education; and (b) the influences of personal and professional background variables on participating teachers’ CRT efficacy beliefs. The survey was sent to 855 special education teachers of CLD students with disabilities in three urban school districts in Texas; 344 complete responses were received, yielding a 44% response rate. The survey consisted of four sections: Background Information, Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE), Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (CRTSE), and Culturally Responsive Teaching Outcome-Expectancy Scale (CRTOE). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, analysis of variance, and multiple regression. The results revealed statistically significant relationships (a) between CRTSE and CRTOE beliefs, with a positive and moderate association; and (b) between CTE and CRT efficacy beliefs (CRTSE as well as CRTOE), but the associations were positive and weak. Teachers’ language characteristics, instructional setting, certification in bilingual education/English as a second language, and their perceptions of the quality of their professional preparation emerged as significant influences on their CRTSE and CRTOE beliefs. Implications for teacher education and future research are presented. / text

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 24, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-11, Section: A, page: 4297. Adviser: Ellen Brantlinger.

The purpose of this study has been to gain knowledge of the different perspectives on the special educational assignment, which form the basis of the mission, by examining perceptions, expectations and frameworks for the special education assignment of principals, educators and student health professionals. The study is done with a phenomenographic research effort with interview as a method, where the perceptions of the interviewees are central. Two classical pedagogical perspectives visualize the field of special education in the study, the relational and the compensatory perspective. The result of the study presents perceptions of the special pedagogical assignment from a relational perspective, the special education assignment from a compensatory perspective and another category of perceptions of the special pedagogue in an expert role. In Sweden there are two different special educational professional roles, the special educator and special teacher, and a confusion is at hand. Different pedagogical perspectives, approaches can also confuse, such as the responsibility for a student's needs, as well as different expectations of the special education assignment, and everyone involved different interpretations in, on and outside the school around a student. The result of the study shows that some in school activities see the special educator as a person who will patch and fix when the regular teaching is insufficient and some have expectations of the special educator as both adviser, qualified dialogue partner and expert. / Syftet med studien har varit att vinna kunskap om de olika perspektiv som finns på det specialpedagogiska uppdraget, vilka utgör uppdragets förutsättningar, detta genom att undersöka uppfattningar, förväntningar och ramar för det specialpedagogiska uppdraget hos rektorer, pedagoger och elevhälsopersonal. Studien är gjord med en fenomenografisk forskningsansats med intervju som metod, där uppfattningar hos de intervjuade är det centrala. Två klassiska pedagogiska perspektiv synliggör kunskapsområdet specialpedagogik i studien, det relationella- och det kompensatoriska perspektivet. Studiens resultat redovisar uppfattningar på det specialpedagogiska uppdraget ur ett relationellt perspektiv, det specialpedagogiska uppdraget ur ett kompensatoriskt perspektiv samt ytterligare en kategori med uppfattningar om specialpedagogen i en expertroll. I Sverige finns två olika specialpedagogiska yrkesroller, specialpedagogens och speciallärarens och en sammanblandning ligger nära till hands. Olika pedagogiska perspektiv, synsätt kan också förvirra, som till exempel var ansvaret kring en elevs behov ska ligga, samt olika förväntningar på det specialpedagogiska uppdraget och alla inblandades olika tolkningar i, på och utanför skolan kring en elev. Resultatet i studien visar att vissa i skolverksamheten ser specialpedagogen som den som ska lappa och laga när den ordinarie undervisningen inte räcker till och vissa har förväntningar på specialpedagogen som både rådgivare, kvalificerad samtalspartner och expert.

A well-prepared and qualified special education teacher is crucial to the performance of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). The prominent educators and federal government encourage the use of extended field experiences in preparing qualified special education teachers. The study examined the strengths and weaknesses of extended field experience in terms of the perceptions of the prospective teachers and teachers of students with EBD. Both individual interviews and a focus group were used to collect data. The results revealed that extended field experience benefits prospective teachers in showing the reality of the teachers' world, self-motivation assessment, and professional development. However, there were some improvements that could be made, including more placement selections and more practical knowledge.

Skolverkets statistik visar att matematik är det kärnämne där svenska elever presterar lägst. Denna studie undersöker om intensivundervisning av fem elever i matematiksvårigheter i årskurs 7 kan stärka deras känsla av sammanhang (KASAM) inom matematiken enligt Antonovskys teori. Enligt Antonovsky skapas KASAM om begreppen begriplighet, hanterbarhet och meningsfullhet uppfylls. Begriplighet innebär att elevens kunskaper inom ämnet är höga, hanterbarhet betyder att elevens tilltro till sina förmågor är höga och meningsfullhet innebär att eleven ser nyttan med matematiken. Intensivundervisningen bedrevs under sex veckor med tre halvtimmeslektioner per vecka och eleverna deltog i par. Inför intensivundervisningen undersöktes elevernas kunskapsnivåer och uppfattningar om matematikämnet genom en kartläggning baserad på Magnes diagnoser och en intervju, dessa följdes upp efter insatsen med en ny diagnos och intervju. De inledande och avslutande resultaten jämfördes och analyserades utifrån begriplighet, vilket syntes i resultaten på kartläggningen och diagnosen, hanterbarhet och meningsfullhet som analyserades utifrån elevernas svar på intervjuerna. Genom den nya lärmiljön, den konstanta kommunikationen med positiv feedback och det praktiska material som med fördel används stärks två av begreppen inom KASAM tydligt. Detta visade studiens resultat vad gäller hanterbarhet och meningsfullhet som förbättrades för samtliga elever, den data som samlades in gällande begriplighet blev för svårtolkat för att ge ett tydligt resultat. En längre insats förespråkas då det hade gett en större möjlighet för eleverna att befästa kunskaperna och det framförallt gällande elever med stora kunskapsluckor. / According to the Swedish National Agency for Education’s statistics, mathematics is the core subject in which the Swedish students perform the lowest. This study examines if interventions in mathematics can help five students in year seven, which experience mathematic difficulties, feel a sense of coherence (SOC) within the subject as per Antonovsky’s theory. According to Antonovsky SOC is created if the concepts of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness are fulfilled. Comprehensibility means that the student’s knowledge of the subject is good, if the manageability is high the student is confident in their abilities, and meaningful means that the student sees the benefit of mathematics. The intervention was conducted over six weeks, with three half-hour long lessons per week where the students participated in pairs. Prior to the intervention the students’ levels of knowledge and their perception of mathematics were examined through a survey based on Magne’s diagnosis and an interview, after the intervention they were followed up with a new diagnosis and interview. The initial and the final results were compared and analysed based on comprehensibility, which was shown in the result of the survey and the diagnosis, manageability and meaningfulness, which were analysed based on the interviews. With the help of the new learning environment, the continuous communication with positive feedback and the concrete material, which is beneficial to the teaching, two of the concepts of SOC are clearly strengthened. The result of the study shows this when it comes to manageability and meaningfulness for all the participating students, the data collected concerning the concept of comprehensibility was too difficult to interpret to give a distinct result. A lengthier effort is advocated to give the students a better opportunity to consolidate the new knowledge, this in particularly when it comes to students with large gaps in knowledge.