Some of the major difficulties encountered in embracing an inclusive education system are, lack of commitment, lack of resources as well as a poor understanding of how to support successful inclusion. The Education White Paper 6 (here after referred to as EWP6) states that, all children can learn, should be supported to learn and assured of equal and equitable education. The implementation of inclusion has been initiated by the EWP 6 (Department of Education, 2001) and is still in the process of developing the necessary education support services. At the school level, an institution level support team (ILST) should serve as a means of supporting learners experiencing learning difficulties. This study examined the perceptions of foundation phase teachers regarding the support they are getting from the ILST as well as finding out whether collaboration between the above mentioned bodies can help in addressing the issue of learner diversity in an inclusive classroom. The investigation was conducted at a school in the Northern suburb of Johannesburg. The foundation phase teachers and some members of the ILST were purposively included as participants. A case study design was chosen since this would allow for in-depth examination of the perceptions of foundation phase teachers regarding the support they are getting from their (ILST). The data collection process included questionnaires, oral follow up interviews, document analysis and observation. The data collected from the above sources has been analyzed according to themes and subthemes that emerged. The findings of the study show that, there is little or no collaboration between the foundation phase teachers and the ILST. It was also evident that the foundation phase teachers collaborate immensely amongst themselves in sharing ideas on how to support learners in their classrooms. Lastly, it was apparent that the support given to the foundation phase teachers was done solely by the learning support educator and not as a team with the other members of the ILST. The ILST on their part did not take time to actually define their roles in terms of how they would be functioning in rendering support to the foundation phase teachers. Based on the findings in this study, recommendations are made as to how to effectively support teachers as well as improve collaboration among all stake holders involved in inclusive practices.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka specialpedagogiska perspektiv som framträder när några grundskollärare, lärare i grundsärskolan och rektorer beskriver undervisning av integrerade grundsärskoleelever i grundskolan. Syftet utmynnar i frågeställningar som handlar om hur de tre yrkeskategorierna beskriver förberedelse, genomförande samt utvärdering av sådan undervisning. För att besvara dessa frågeställningar har kvalitativa, halvstrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med två rektorer, två grundskollärare och två lärare i grundsärskolan, med erfarenheter av integrerade grundsärskoleelever. Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i den didaktiska triangeln och resultaten har sedan analyserats utifrån tre specialpedagogiska perspektiv; det kompensatoriska perspektivet, det kritiska perspektivet och dilemmaperspektivet. Resultatet visar att informanternas beskrivningar av undervisningens planering, genomförande och utvärdering har inslag av samtliga tre specialpedagogiska perspektiv, men att det kompensatoriska perspektivet dominerar. Lärarna uppger att de i mycket liten utsträckning samarbetar med lärare i den andra skolformen kring planering och genomförande av den integrerade undervisningen. I den utvärderande fasen sker ingen samverkan alls. Grundskoleelevernas roll vid integreringen nämns inte av någon av studiens informanter. En slutsats utifrån resultatet är att rektor kan, genom en större tydlighet, bidra till en bättre samverkan kring undervisning av grundsärskoleelever i grundskolan. En annan slutsats är att specialpedagogisk personal bör se alla elever i klassen som viktiga aktörer i inkluderingsarbetet och därför rikta socialt stöd till både grundskoleelever och grundsärskoleelever.Studien synliggör hur följder av kompensatoriska arbetsformer kan påverka den integrerade undervisningens olika faser, samt vikten av rektors roll för samverkan. / The aim of this study is to examine which special educational perspectives appear, when teachers in compulsory regular school, teachers in compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disability and principals, describe mainstreaming in regular school. This aim leads to questions about how representatives of the three professions describe planning, implementation and evaluation of such teaching. In order to answer these questions qualitative, semi structured interviews have been carried through with two teachers in compulsory regular school, two teachers in compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disability and two principals, with experience of mainstreaming of pupils with intellectual disability in compulsory regular school. The theoretical framework of this study is linked to the didactic triangle and the result was analyzed on the basis of three special educational perspectives; the compensatory perspective, the critical perspective and the dilemma perspective. The result indicates that the participants’ descriptions of the instructional phases, planning, implementation and evaluation, shows elements of all three perspectives, though with a predominance of the compensatory perspective. The teachers state that they cooperate on planning and implementing instruction, to a very small extent, with teachers from the other type of school. When it comes to the evaluation phase, there is no cooperation at all. The role of the pupils in the compulsory regular school when mainstreaming is not mentioned by any of the studies participants. One conclusion from the result is that principles can, with a greater clarity, contribute to a better instructional cooperation in mainstreaming education. Another conclusion is that special education staff should regard all pupils of/in the class as important actors in inclusive education and therefore offer social support to pupils with and without intellectual disabilities.This study makes visible how consequences of compensatory practices can affect the instructional phases of mainstreaming education, and the importance of principals’ role for cooperative work.

In today's Swedish preschool and elementary school all children are entitled to an inclusive education, where they receive the support and are presented with the educational challenges they are perceived to be in need of. To meet the needs and preconditions of all children, the educational mission of teachers today involves the apply of special educational tools, such as for example the use of visual support. The aim of this study is to analyse teachers experiences of visual support and the results they have experienced from using visual support in the learning environment. The study involves a preschool and an elementary school in a municipality in Sweden, and is based on interviews with three preschool teachers, three elementary school teachers, the headmaster of the preschool, and the headmaster of the elementary school. The results have been analyzed using sociocultural theory and a relational perspective on special education. The overall results show that teachers have used visual support for the children as a group, combined if necessary with visual support for individual children. Furthermore the results show that the use of visual support originates from a necessity to address pedagogical dilemmas and problems that have arisen within the learning environment. Both the headmasters and the teachers describe that the use of visual support has been beneficial for improving the learning environment for all of the children as well as the working environment for the teachers. In accordance with sociocultural theory and a relational perspective on special education, visual support has been used by the teachers participating in this study, as a tool to promote inclusion of all children, and as means of adapting the learning environment according to difficulties children experience within that context. The results of this study confirms that the use of visual support for children as a group can be considered a good example of what Jensen (2017) describes as reversed inclusion, meaning that the learning environment is adapted on a group level to meet the needs and preconditions of children in need of special support.

In Sweden, an increasing number of pupils are defined as having some form of difficulties in school. In order to receive special support measures in school, these difficulties must have been subject to a pedagogical examination that state that the pupil is in need of special support measures. This work of identifying and defining difficulties implies that questions about normality and deviance inevitably come into play in school. There has been an increasing demand in school politics to identify these difficulties as early as possible, and this demand has placed further pressure on school personnel in this issue. Furthermore, the personnel’s perspective on the difficulties is also important, i.e., in terms of their origin, because this has importance for the design and content of the special support measures. The overall aim of this thesis is to analyse the tension between normality and deviance that is manifested in the school’s work procedures for pupils with special educational needs. Related to the overall aim, four overarching research questions are addressed. How have pupils with special educational needs and special education been articulated in national policy documents during recent decades? What perspective on school difficulties are being portrayed in schools’ individual educational plans for pupils with special educational needs? How do school personnel identify and differentiate pupils with special educational needs from “normal” pupils? How do pupils with special educational needs and their parents experience the special support measures that they receive in school and what seems to be the main concern of such support measures? The thesis consists of four studies that are based on different empirical materials such as policy documents, individual educational plans (IEPs) and qualitative interviews with school personnel, pupils and parents. The methods that are used for analysing the material are policy analysis, content analysis and grounded theory. The results show that the target group for special support measures has been ascribed with different meanings (over time) in policy documents, something that has affected the recommendations of the support measures and the choice of actors who are assigned to provide such support. Furthermore, the IEPs, as well as the interviews, reveal that an individual perspective on school difficulties seems to be deeply rooted in school.  The identification process of special educational needs followed three models: a pedagogical model, a social model, and a medical/health model.  However, the process of sorting out and defining these pupils invoked ambivalent feelings in the school personnel and the school class usually became the frame of reference for normal or deviant behaviour. Finally, the pupils’ and parent’ main concern of special support measures in school were described as a struggle for recognition and inclusion. The results are discussed with theoretical perspectives on school difficulties and special education. In the concluding discussion, it is argued that pupils with special educational needs have to balance between normality and deviance in school, but also between a pedagogical and a medical discourse by means of having a medical diagnosis in school.

Darbe atlikta bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų mokinių specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių tenkinimo analizė. Iškeltos hipotezės:  tikėtina, jog SUP turintys mokiniai gyvena šeimose, turinčiose mažiau galimybių padėti vaikui ugdytis. Tėvai ir patys SUP turintys vaikai menkai dalyvauja sprendžiant ugdymosi procese kylančias problemas;  tikėtina, kad SUP turintys mokiniai mokykloje jaučia psichologinį diskomfortą ir dalinę atskirtį;  tikėtina, kad mokytojams trūksta teorinių žinių apie specialųjį ugdymą, mokėjimų, įgūdžių, gebėjimų individualizuoti SUP turintiems mokiniams ugdymo procesą ir turinį ir tai didele dalimi lemia nepakankamą mokinių specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių tenkinimą. Anketinės apklausos bei struktūruoto interviu metodais buvo atliktas tyrimas, kurio tikslas – ištirti kaip tenkinami mokinių, besimokančių bendrojo lavinimo mokykloje, specialieji ugdymosi poreikiai. Atlikta kokybinė ir kiekybinė gautų duomenų analizė. Tyrimo dalyvavo 164 Raseinių rajono bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų mokytojai, 50 SUP turinčių mokinių, besimokančių bendrojo lavinimo mokyklose ir 66 tėvai, auginantys SUP turinčius vaikus, besimokančius bendrojo lavinimo mokyklose. Empirinėje tyrimo dalyje atskleidžiama mokinių, turinčių SUP, psichosocialinė charakteristika. Nagrinėjama ugdymo(si) kokybė ir pagalbos teikimas. Analizuojamas ugdymo(si) turinio ir proceso individualizavimas. Vertinamas pedagogų profesinės kompetencijos tobulinimas darbe su SUP turinčiais mokiniais, pedagogų skatinimas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / This study analysed the satisfaction of pupils’ special educational needs at school. Following hypotheses were raised: - Pupils with special educational needs live in families, which have fewer possibilities to help their children to study. Parents and pupils with special educational needs poorly take part in problem solving in educational process; - Pupils with special educational needs experience psychological discomfort and partial isolation at school; - Teachers lack theoretical knowledge about special education, abilities and skills to individualise educational process and content to pupils with special educational needs. The research was conducted using survey and structural interview. The goal of research was to analyse how there are satisfied special educational needs of pupils studying in schools. There was conducted qualitative and quantitative analysis of data. 111 teachers, 53 class teachers, 50 pupils with special educational need and 66 parents were involved in this study. Psychological characteristics of pupils with special educational needs were examined in empirical part of research. There was analysed quality of education and support. There was analysed the individualisation of educational process and content. The improving teachers’ competence in working with pupils with special educational needs and teachers’ stimulating were evaluated in this study. The main conclusions of empirical research: 1. Psychosocial characteristic of pupils with special... [to full text]

Syftet med min undersökning är att studera sydafrikanska pedagogers perspektiv på barn i behov av särskilt stöd i förskolan och förskoleklassen. I syftet ingår också att undersöka pedagogers syn på vilka resurser som finns för dessa barn. Jag har använt mig av metoden kvalitativa intervjuer för att få öppna och detaljerade beskrivningar från pedagogerna. Pedagogerna menade att barn i behov av särskilt stöd är barn som avviker från kamraterna i kunskaps- och mognadsnivå samt barn med funktionsnedsättningar, sjukdomar eller sociala problem. De sydafrikanska pedagogerna hade två perspektiv på barn i behov av särskilt stöd. Det första är det kategoriska perspektivet och innebär att dela upp barn i kategorier, t.ex. barn med inlärningssvårigheter. Det andra perspektivet är det relationella perspektivet som innebär att miljön och verksamheten runtomkring avgör om ett barn är i behov av särskilt stöd eller inte. Pedagogerna menar att de inte har speciella hjälpmedel för barn i behov av särskilt stöd. För att motivera barnen använder pedagogerna kreativa metoder, till exempel låter de dem skriva i sand, på griffeltavlan och vara delaktiga. De gör vad de kan med de begränsade resurserna. / The purpose of the study is to explore the views from South African educators on children in need of special support in preschool. The purpose also includes to study the educator’s view on what resources there are for these children. I have used the method qualitative interviews to capture open and detailed descriptions from the educators. The South African educators mean that children in need of special support are children who differ from their peers in knowledge and maturity level, and children with disabilities, sicknesses or social problems. The South African educators had two perspectives on children in need of special support. The first is the categorical perspective, which means that they divide learners in categories, for example learners having learning disabilities. The second one is relational perspective which means that the surrounding environment determines if a child is in need of special support or not. The educators mean they don’t have enough resources for children in need of special support. To motivate the children the educators use creative methods, for example write in sand, on the chalkboard and let them be active. They do what they can with limited resources.

The aim of the research is, having evaluated attitude peculiarities of the participants of the research, revealed real collaboration practices and applied action research, to construct methodology and a model of collaboration, meeting special educational needs. The research has been carried out in accordance with the principle of triangulation, combining quality and quantity methods (questionnaire method, individual semi-structured interview, action research using the focus group method). The results of the research revealed that children, having special educational needs and their parents often appear in the situation of isolation in comprehensive schools. teachers’ communication among themselves is more often oriented to individual conversations, consultations, individual perfection, but not to team work and collegial solution of problems. Students often feel teachers’ negative attitudes towards them, ignorance, rejection. Structure and expressiveness of parents’ and teachers’ attitudes towards special education and collaboration has been identified. Considering the collaborative situation (on a country scale) and concrete institutional context (on a school scale), collaboration methodology has been suggested, the basis of which is action research with focus group method applied. The results of the research confirm effectiveness of the methodology. Analysis of individual cases when there is common problem solution and participation of all the members of educational process... [to full text]

The aim of the research is, having evaluated attitude peculiarities of the participants of the research, revealed real collaboration practices and applied action research, to construct methodology and a model of collaboration, meeting special educational needs. The research has been carried out in accordance with the principle of triangulation, combining quality and quantity methods (questionnaire method, individual semi-structured interview, action research using the focus group method). 1445 participants were involved. The results of the research revealed that children, having special educational needs and their parents often appear in the situation of isolation in comprehensive schools of Lithuania – SEN students lack communication, often there are no possibilities to involve and solve children’s educational problems together, their possibilities and needs are not evaluated enough. Parents’ and specialists’ interactions are especially limited. It was stated that teachers’ communication among themselves is more often oriented to individual conversations, consultations, individual perfection, but not to team work and collegial solution of problems. One way information provision dominates in communication with parents. Underefficient system of communication and information spread limits possible interactions, does not encourage complex interaction of all the participants of the process of education and common problem solution. Leaders underestimate the results of common work... [to full text]

Darbe aptariamos bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų bendruomenių nuomonių įvairovė į specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių vaikų integruotą ugdymą ir jų kaita nuo integracijos proceso pradžios. Iškelta hipotezė, kad tarp teorinio integracijos modelio ir praktinio jo pritaikymo yra tam tikrų nesutapimų, kurie trukdo kokybiškam integracijos proceso vystymuisi. Gali išryškėti kontroversiškos bendrojo lavinimo mokyklos bendruomenės nuostatos, nepalankiai veikiančios integruotai ugdomų mokinių socializaciją. Turinio analizės metodu apžvelgti panašūs atlikti tyrimai, siekiant įžvelgti integracijos proceso dalyvių nuostatų kaitą. Anketinės apklausos metodu buvo atliktas tyrimas, kurio tikslas - ištirti bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų mokytojų, mokinių bei jų tėvų požiūrius į specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių turinčius vaikus bei įvertinti integruotai ugdomų specialiųjų poreikių vaikų savijautą mokyklos aplinkoje. Tyrime dalyvavo 130 bendrojo lavinimo mokyklose besimokančių normalios raidos ir specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių mokinių, 75 šių mokinių tėvai ir 115 pedagogų, dirbančių tose pačiose mokyklose iš įvairių Lietuvos regionų. Empirinėje dalyje nagrinėjamos bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų bendruomenių nuostatos į specialiųjų poreikių vaikų socializacijos sėkmę, į integruotą ugdymą bei jo efektyvumą. Svarbiausios empirinio tyrimo išvados: 1. Bendrojo lavinimo mokyklos bendruomenės nariai pakankamai geranoriškai ir tolerantiškai nusiteikę specialiųjų poreikių vaikų atžvilgiu. Tėvų nuostatos netgi teigiamesnės... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The paper deals with the variety of opinions of mainstream school community members’ about the integrated education of children with special educational needs (SEN children) also how these opinions have been turnover from the beginning of the integration’s process. Hypothesis: there are some discrepancies between the theoretical pattern of integration and it’s practical adaptation with discourages the qualitative progress of the integration’s process. The controversial attitudes of the mainstream school community can be found which could adversely operate the integrated training pupils socialization. The review of similar navigated investigations was done using content analysis method on purpose to penetrate the alternation of the integration process members. Questionnaire survey method was used to accomplish the research which purpose is to investigate the attitude of mainstream school teachers, pupils and their patents about the SEN children and to appreciate how SEN children feel themselves in the school environment. The presence of 130 mainstream school pupils with SEN and non-disabled children, 75 their parents also 115 general teachers from various Lithuanian regions caused a successful research. The most important empirical conclusions that were drawn are: ● Community members of mainstream school are benevolently and tolerantly minded in point of SEN children enough. The attitudes of parents are even more positive than their children’s are. SEN children feel fairly... [to full text]

Darbe atlikta teorinė nežymiai sutrikusio intelekto mokinių skaičių ir skaičiavimo mokymo taikant aktyvaus mokymosi metodus analizė. Iškelta hipotezė, kad aktyvaus mokymosi metodų taikymas ugdant nežymiai sutrikusio intelekto mokinius gali padėti jiems pasiekti aukštesnių matematikos mokymosi pasiekimų. Anketavimo ir testavimo metodais buvo atliktas tyrimas, kurio tikslas – nustatyti aktyvaus mokymosi metodų poveikį III klasės nežymiai sutrikusio intelekto mokinių skaičių ir skaičiavimo gebėjimams. Atlikta aprašomosios statistikos duomenų analizė. Tyrime dalyvavo 10 nežymiai sutrikusio intelekto III klasės mokinių. Empirinėje dalyje nagrinėjamas specialiųjų poreikių mokinių supratimas apie matematikos reikalingumą kasdieniame jų gyvenime; įtvirtinami numeracijos ir aritmetinių veiksmų atlikimo įgūdžiai. Svarbiausios empirinio tyrimo išvados: 1. Remiantis atliktų diagnostinių pjūvių (testavimo ir anketavimo metodais) prieš pradedant eksperimentinį darbą su eksperimentinės grupės mokiniais ir jį pabaigus rezultatais nustatyta, kad: visų eksperimentinės grupės mokinių matematikos testų rezultatai ženkliai pagerėjo. Sėkmingiausiai eksperimentinės grupės mokiniams sekėsi atlikti skaičių numeracijos tematiką atitinkančias užduotis. Tuo tarpu kontrolinės grupės mokinių testavimo rezultatai taip ženkliai nesikeitė ir aukštesnių rezultatų pasiekė ne visi grupės mokiniai. Vienas kontrolinės grupės mokinys baigiamojo testo metu surinko mažiau balų, nei pradinio testavimo metu... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In the Master’s thesis there was performed a theoretical analysis of teaching numbers and counting to the slightly mentally retarded students by applying the techniques of active learning. There was raised a hypothesis, that an application of the techniques of active learning in the education of the slightly mentally retarded students can help them achieve higher outcomes in learning mathematics. There was performed a research aimed at ascertaining the influence of the techniques of active learning on the ability of numbers and counting of the III(rd) grade’s slightly mentally retarded students by using the methods of questionnaire and testing. There was performed an analysis of the descriptive statistical data. 10 slightly mentally retarded students of the III(rd) grade participated in the research. In the empirical part there was analysed the students’ with special needs understanding about the necessity of mathematics in their daily life, there was consolidated the skills in performing numbering and arithmetical operations. The main findings of the research: 1. Following the results of the performed diagnostic sections (the methods of questionnaire and testing) before the beginning of experimental work with the experimental group’s students and at the end of it there was ascertained that: mathematics tests’ results had significantly improved of all students in the experimental group; the students had performed the tasks corresponding numbering’s theme the most successfully... [to full text]