The overall aim of this licentiate thesis is to increase our knowledge about the division of labor in the work with children in need of special support in preschools as described by the occupational groups of preschool teachers and special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs). This is explored in two separate studies. In the first study, the tasks, perceptions, and roles of SENCOs in preschools are examined. The study is part of a total population study where all SENCOs in Sweden (n = 4252) who were examined by the examination acts of the years 2001, 2007, and 2008 were sent a questionnaire. In a later phase of the procedure, the responses from SENCOs who work in preschools were extracted from the survey. These responses were analysed in Study I involving 523 participants. The results show that SENCOs’ working hours are primarily spent on consultation. SENCOs further report that they are able to influence their colleagues’ views on children's difficulties to a high degree. Most SENCOs in the study believe that the most important reason why children encounter difficulties in preschools is that preschools are poorly adapted to deal with children's differences. The results of this study are theoretically interpreted on the basis of Abbott's (1988) reasoning about jurisdictional control. Persson's (1998) two perspectives on different ways of understanding children's difficulties, namely a categorical and a relational perspective, are also used to interpret the results. Study II analyses how preschool teachers describe which occupational group claims jurisdiction over the work with children in need of special support. The data consist of interviews with 15 preschool teachers. The analysis of the data is based on Abbott's (1988) division of professional work into three aspects: a) formulating a problem, b) reasoning about the problem, and c) treating the problem. The results show that the area where preschool teachers claim jurisdictional control is related to the formulation of the problem. Preschool teachers do not, on the other hand, seem to claim jurisdictional control over the part of professional work that concerns reasoning about the problem. The results show a contradictory image of the treatment of the problem. Preschool teachers sometimes describe themselves as claiming jurisdictional control over treatment and other times describe how SENCOs have jurisdiction over the treatment of the problem. In the licentiate thesis, Abbott's (1988) reasoning about jurisdiction of occupational groups and Persson's (1998) categorical and relational perspectives for understanding children's difficulties are brought together and put in relation to different perspectives on inclusion.

The diploma thesis aims to present newly proposed methods of dynamic assessment of executive functions and evaluate their benefits through a pilot study. The theoretical section introduces dynamic approach to assessment and its methods and also describes the area of executive functions. The research part presents the proposed tests, focusing on the assessment of planning skills, cognitive flexibility, logical reasoning, working memory and self- monitoring. Their principle is the method of graduated prompts. The research sample used for the study consisted of thirty respondents aged from eight to fifteen years. The respondents were divided into two groups with the same number of participants. The first group included children with special educational needs, the second group involved intact respondents. The results of the study were evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively. Within the quantitative part, the number of necessary prompts and completed items was compared in both groups. The qualitative part focused on a detailed analysis of diagnostically relevant information obtained using the aforementioned methods. The results of the quantitative part of the research showed that the groups differ from each other neither in the number of graduated prompts required, nor in the number of completed...

This Diploma thesis is a follow-up to an earlier published and in English written study (Ptáček et al. 2019) dealing with the issues of burn out syndrome and work stressors among teachers teaching children from 6 to 15 years. Primarily, it focuses on the issue of students with support needs in connection with the origins of burn-out syndrome at primary school teachers (teaching pupils aged 6-11). Theoretical part deals with the burn-out syndrome in teaching profession, it determines its factors, displays and phases, acquaints with various methods and scales of measurement. It gives a definition of students with support needs, depicts possibilities of work with them and emphasizes the demanding character of teaching profession. The practical part explores the influence of heterogeneity of learners (age, gender, support needs) over burn-out syndrome in teaching profession, with respect to gender and age. The research proved that the possibility of teachers burn-out syndrome progresses with the increasing number of students with support need, but it didn't show the close connection between it and the number of learners in the class.

Studiens syfte är att beskriva hur samarbetet upplevs mellan lärare, speciallärare och specialpedagoger i deras arbete med att anpassa och inkludera undervisningen till varje enskild elev. Mina frågeställningar som har legat till grund till min studie är: Hur beskriver läraren samarbetet med varandra? Hur beskriver lärare, speciallärare och specialpedagoger att de samarbetar kring den anpassade undervisningen? Hur upplever lärarna samarbetet med professionerna i skolan och vilken hjälp beskriver de att de får? Studien är relevant eftersom det finns behov av mer kunskap och svensk forskning som uppmärksammar samarbetet mellan lärare, speciallärare och specialpedagoger och hur de arbetar med anpassningar och inkludering så att alla elever ska kunna nå läroplanens mål. Studien är kvalitativ och empirin har samlats in genom semistrukturerande intervjuer med lärare, speciallärare och en specialpedagog. Jag använde mig av tematisk analys för att analysera intervjuerna. Resultatet visar att samarbetet mellan lärarna och professionerna bygger på tät kommunikation, gemensamma problemlösningar, att fördela resurserna rätt och att ge eleverna den trygghet de behöver både kunskapsmässigt och socialt. Det hinder som framkom var att tiden inte alltid fanns för att kunna samtala om enskilda elever. / The purpose of the study is to describe how the collaboration is perceived between teachers, special education teachers and special educational needs coordinators in their work to adapt and include teaching to each individual student. My questions that have formed the basis of my study are: How do teachers describe their collaboration with each other? How do teachers, special needs teachers and special educational needs coordinators describe that they collaborate around the adapted teaching? How do teachers perceive the cooperation with professionals in the school and what help do they describe that they receive? The study is relevant as there is a need for more knowledge and Swedish research that pays attention to the collaboration between teachers, special education teachers and special educational needs coordinators and how they work with adaptations and inclusion so that all students can achieve the curriculum goals. The study is qualitative and the empirical data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with teachers, special education teachers and one special educational needs coordinators. I used thematic analysis to analyze the interviews. The results show that the cooperation between the teachers and the professions is based on close communication, commonproblem solving, allocating resources correctly and giving the pupils the security they need both academically and socially. The obstacle that emerged was that there was not always time to discuss individual students.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Die wereldwye neiging in die onderwys wat bekend staan as lnsluiting is teweeggebring deur die reg van elke individu op onderrig, soos vasgele in die Universele Verklaring van Menseregte van 1948, tesame met die hernieude onderneming van die wereldgemeenskap' op die Wereldkonferensie oor Opvoeding vir Almal van 1990 om daardie reg, ten spyte van individuele • verskille, te verskans. Aile aanduidings is dat Suid-Afrika ook die beleid van lnsluiting sal aanvaar in die regering se pogings om die onderwys te hervorm. Hierdie beleid van lnsluiting hou groot implikasies in vir die onderwyser in, die gewone skole, aangesien hulle beida die voorwerp en die . agent is van sodanige hervorming. Daar word aanvaar dat die onderwyser se houding teenoor leerders in die algemeen 'n belangrike rol speel met betrekking tot die sukses van die onderrig- en leergebeure in die klaskamer. Hierdie houding word dikwels bepaal deur die · onderwyser se kennis van leerders in die klaskamer en sy vaardighede met betrekking tot hul onderrig. In die lig van die literatuurstudie, wat daarop dui dat onderwysers nie voldoende opleiding ontvang om aan die behoeftes van leerders met spesiale onderwysbehoeftes te voldoen nie, word in hierdie navorsing die houding van die onderwyser in die gewone skool teenoor die leerders met spesiale onderwysbehoeftes soos dit in die praktyk openbaar word bepaal. / The right of every individual to education, as enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the renewing of the pledge made by the world community at the 1990 World Conference on Education for All to ensure that right, regardless of individual differences, gave rise to the worldwide trend in education known as Inclusion. All indications are that South Africa will also adopt the policy of Inclusion as part of the government's efforts to reform education. The policy of Inclusion has major implications for the teachers in the ordinary school, as they are both the subjects and the agents of reform. It is generally believed that teachers' attitudes towards learners plays a major role ·in the success of the teaching-learning events in the classroom. These attitudes are often influenced by .. the teachers' knowledge of the learners in their classrooms and their skill in teaching them. In view of literature that suggests that teachers are not adequately trained to meet the needs of learners, with special Educational needs, this study undertakes to investigate the attitude of teachers in the ordinary school towards learners with special educational needs, as it manifests in practice. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Ortopedagogiek)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Die wereldwye neiging in die onderwys wat bekend staan as lnsluiting is teweeggebring deur die reg van elke individu op onderrig, soos vasgele in die Universele Verklaring van Menseregte van 1948, tesame met die hernieude onderneming van die wereldgemeenskap' op die Wereldkonferensie oor Opvoeding vir Almal van 1990 om daardie reg, ten spyte van individuele • verskille, te verskans. Aile aanduidings is dat Suid-Afrika ook die beleid van lnsluiting sal aanvaar in die regering se pogings om die onderwys te hervorm. Hierdie beleid van lnsluiting hou groot implikasies in vir die onderwyser in, die gewone skole, aangesien hulle beida die voorwerp en die . agent is van sodanige hervorming. Daar word aanvaar dat die onderwyser se houding teenoor leerders in die algemeen 'n belangrike rol speel met betrekking tot die sukses van die onderrig- en leergebeure in die klaskamer. Hierdie houding word dikwels bepaal deur die · onderwyser se kennis van leerders in die klaskamer en sy vaardighede met betrekking tot hul onderrig. In die lig van die literatuurstudie, wat daarop dui dat onderwysers nie voldoende opleiding ontvang om aan die behoeftes van leerders met spesiale onderwysbehoeftes te voldoen nie, word in hierdie navorsing die houding van die onderwyser in die gewone skool teenoor die leerders met spesiale onderwysbehoeftes soos dit in die praktyk openbaar word bepaal. / The right of every individual to education, as enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the renewing of the pledge made by the world community at the 1990 World Conference on Education for All to ensure that right, regardless of individual differences, gave rise to the worldwide trend in education known as Inclusion. All indications are that South Africa will also adopt the policy of Inclusion as part of the government's efforts to reform education. The policy of Inclusion has major implications for the teachers in the ordinary school, as they are both the subjects and the agents of reform. It is generally believed that teachers' attitudes towards learners plays a major role ·in the success of the teaching-learning events in the classroom. These attitudes are often influenced by .. the teachers' knowledge of the learners in their classrooms and their skill in teaching them. In view of literature that suggests that teachers are not adequately trained to meet the needs of learners, with special Educational needs, this study undertakes to investigate the attitude of teachers in the ordinary school towards learners with special educational needs, as it manifests in practice. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Ortopedagogiek)

Syftet med denna studie är att synliggöra det interprofessionella samarbetet mellan specialllärare i matematikutveckling, specialpedagog och matematiklärare i relation till särskilda utbildningsbehov i matematik, SUM. Studien belyser samarbbetet genom begreppen interprofessionellt lärande, inkludering och tillgänglig lärmiljö. Som teoretiskt ramverk för studien har Engeströms (2001) aktivitetsteori använts. Tre verksamheter i två olika kommuner användes som studieobjekt. En kvalitativ forskningsansats valdes som metod för studien och datainsamlingen genomfördes med hjälp av fokusgruppsintervjuer samt observationer av samtal mellan matematiklärare, speciallärare i matematikutveckling och specialpedagog. Sammantaget framkommer att samarbete mellan professionerna förekommer i stor utsträckning. Dock sker samarbetet ofta mer genom information och enskilda lösningar där professionerna arbetar skilt från varandra än genom gemensam undervisning. Det upplevs mer effektivt att ta ut elever ensklit än att båda professionerna samarbetar i klassrummet samtidigt för att på så sätt lära av varandra och arbeta med en tillgänglig, inkluderande lärmiljö i relation till SUM. Samarabetet stannar på individnivå för såväl professionerna som eleven och utvecklar således varken professionerna eller den inkluderande lärmiljön i stort. / This study aims to identify interprofessional collaboration between special educational needs teachers in mathematics, special educational needs coordinators and mathematics teachers in relation to special educational needs in mathematsics. The stdy has focused on collaboration from the perspective of interprofessional learning, inclusion and an accessible learning enviroment. The research apporoach is qualitative and interviews in focus goups have been conducted as well as observations. The activity theory has functioned as the theoretical framwork through this study. Three public schools from two different municipalities were chosen for this study. The results show that collaboration between the different professions occurs frequently. However, the collaboration tends to relate more to presenting information or producing individual solutions where professins work side by side rather than together in the classroom. It is considered more efficient to extract students frpm ordinary education to provide extra support, than to collaborate within the classroom to develop the learning environment towards inclusion and learn from other professions in relation to special educational needs in mathematics. Thus, the collaboration remains on an individual level both professionally and for the students as opposed to generating new knowledge within the professions as well as an inclusive, learning environment.

This study sought to find out ways in which teachers can be supported to implement inclusive education at a primary school in the Kwaluseni district of Swaziland. The government of Swaziland introduced Free Primary Education ( F.P.E) also called mainstreaming. As per governments order, parents brought their learners for grade 1 and that was in 2010 January. That marked the beginning of the problem as teachers were not used to teaching disadvantaged learners in their classes but believed that such learners have to be transferred to specials schools of which the country only has four. The study is a case study using a qualitative approach. Purposive sampling was used in choosing the sample. The key informant were teachers from Kwaluseni primary school. For data collection a designed interview with semi structured and open ended items was used. Data was analysed using codes and there was a search for patterns of thinking or behaviour, words or phrases that appeared with regularity was the coding categories. A report was then written based on the findings. Then recommendations were stated. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Education White Paper 6, implemented in 2001, completed a significant period of policy development and change after the end of Apartheid in South Africa. The change in South African educational policy and the schooling system has given rise to many changes in the governance of special schools; this has further influenced this study. Education White Paper 6 (2001) introduced a comprehensive range of educational support services; schools now include mainstream schools, full-service schools and special schools. These schools offer varying levels of support with the view to minimise barriers to learning. While this research was conducted in a private special school, the parents who participated had all transitioned their child from a mainstream school. This research study attempted to understand parents’ perspectives of transitioning their child from a mainstream school to a special school, focusing in particular on parents whose children were in the Senior Phase of their school career. Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model was used as the theoretical framework for this study because of the overlapping systems that are interconnected and influence the participants’ lives and the lives of their children. For the research study, the parents were placed in the centre of the model; the other microsystems include the school, family and the child. This study made use of a qualitative case study design and a qualitative methodology which is rooted within an interpretive paradigm. Purposeful sampling was used to select the parents from the selected special school in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, as participants for the study. The study made use of three measures to collect data; a semi-structured interview, a life-line activity, as well as an open-ended questionnaire the parents were asked to complete at home. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data generated by means of the three data collection methods. The findings of this research paper suggest that the transient process at a later stage in the child’s academic career was a difficult experience for the parents who participated in the study. However, as the children gradually adjusted to the change, the parents felt the move had been worth it and had experienced a positive change in their children’s academic achievements. It should also be noted that the parents’ perspectives on special education were not based on the policy documents governing the South African school system and more parental education is needed regarding this area. While the findings of the study cannot be generalised to all schools in South Africa, from this research study recommendations could be made to the special school to assist in ensuring a smoother transition for both the parents and the learner. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Onderwyswitskrif 6 wat in 2001 geïmplementeer is het die periode van die beleidsverandering ná die beëindiging van apartheid in Suid-Afrika voltooi. Die verandering in die Suid-Afrikaanse opvoedkundige beleid en die skoolstelsel het aanleiding gegee tot baie veranderinge in die bestuur van spesiale skole, en dit het hierdie studie beïnvloed. Onderwyswitskrif 6 (2001) het 'n omvattende reeks van opvoedkundige ondersteuningsdienste voorgestel wat die volgende strukture insluit; hoofstroom-, voldiens- en spesiale skole. Hierdie skole bied verskillende vlakke van ondersteuning aan met die oog om die hindernisse tot leer te oorbrug. Die navorsing is vanuit 'n privaat spesiale skool gedoen. Die ouers wat deelnemers aan die navorsing was, het hulle kinders uit 'n hoofstroomskool gehaal en oorgeplaas na ‘n spesiale skool. Hierdie navorsingstudie het gepoog om ouers se perspektiewe te verstaan rakende die oorplasing van hulle kind vanuit ‘n hoofstroomskool na 'n spesiale skool, met spesifieke fokus op die ouers wie se kinders in die Senior Fase van hul skoolloopbaan was. Bronfenbrenner se bio-ekologiese model is as die teoretiese raamwerk vir hierdie studie gebruik in die lig van die klem op die oorvleuelende sisteme wat met mekaar verbind is en die invloed daarvan op die deelnemers se lewens en die lewens van hul kinders. Vir hierdie navorsingstudie is die ouers in die middel van die model geplaas, met die skool, gesin en die kind as verdere mikrosisteme. Hierdie studie het van 'n kwalitatiewe gevallestudie en 'n kwalitatiewe metodologie gebruik gemaak wat in 'n interpretatiewe paradigma gegrond is. Doelgerigte steekproefneming is gebruik om die ouers te kies uit die aangewese spesiale skool in die suidelike voorstede van Kaapstad, as deelnemers vir die studie. Die studie het gebruik gemaak van drie maatreëls om data in te samel: 'n semi-gestruktureerde onderhoud, 'n lewens-lyn aktiwiteit, en 'n oop vraelys wat die ouers tuis voltooi het. Kwalitatiewe inhoudsanalise is gebruik om die data wat gegenereer is deur middel van die drie data–insamelingsmetodes, te ontleed. Die bevindinge van hierdie navorsing suggereer dat die oorgangsperiode op 'n later stadium in die kind se akademiese loopbaan 'n moeilike ervaring vir die ouers, wat aan die studie deelgeneem het, was. Namate die kinders egter by hulle veranderde omstandighede aangepas het, het die ouers gevoel dat die skuif die moeite werd was en hulle het 'n positiewe verandering in hul kinders se akademiese prestasies opgemerk. Kennis moet ook daarvan geneem word dat die perspektief van die ouers op spesiale onderwys nie gebaseer was op die beleidsdokumente van die Suid-Afrikaanse skoolstelsel nie. Dit beklemtoon dat ouerontwikkeling ten opsigte van hierdie aspek noodsaaklik is. Die bevindinge van die studie kan wel nie na alle skole in Suid-Afrika veralgemeen word nie, maar daar kan vanuit hierdie navorsing aanbevelings gemaak word om spesiale skole by te staan ten einde die oorgang vir beide ouers en leerders makliker te maak.

Denna studie är kvalitativ med intervjuer och litteraturstudier. Syftet har varit att undersöka läroplanen och uppdraget hos några anställda som har som målgrupp ”elever i behov av särskilt stöd”. Lärarna har inte likadan vidareutbildning. Min uppsats handlar om en del av den utbildning som finns för att kunna arbeta med elever i behov av särskilt stöd. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna är allmänna och gäller även för lärare med grundutbildning. Läroplanen, Lgr 11, griper tag i texten genomgående. Efter vidareutbildning för elever i behov av särskilt stöd kan man få många olika anställningar och uppdrag. Denna undersökning har belyst tre porträtt av två speciallärare och en specialpedagog. De har trots namnet inte samma uppdrag, men i vissa avsnitt har de vissa likheter. I intervjuerna framkommer att alla tre arbetar med elever i behov av särskilt stöd och den mesta undervisningen är organiserad på det viset att den är enskild. Alla tre, fyra med ett bortfall, arbetar på samma skola på landsbygden, dvs inte i storstadsområde. De ser möjligheterna med sitt uppdrag, men det är inte alltid som kunskaperna och kompetensen får chans att komma fram. I resultatredovisningen och analysen blir det tydligt att det finns något karakteristiskt med de lärare som vidareutbildar sig för uppdrag med elever i behov av särskilt stöd. Jag vill dock påpeka att detta är endast tre lärares uppfattning. Teoriavsnittet, med läroplanen som övergripande styrdokument, är valt för att läroplanen är så pass ny att den ännu inte har hunnit implementeras i skolorna, medan man säger att den är en del av uppdraget. Alla tre har de erfarenhet av att ingå i skolans pedagogiska ledningsgrupp. Studien tar även upp förväntningar med utbildning och anställning hos de intervjuade lärarna. En slutsats är: utbildning har betydelse både för att utföra uppdraget och för att få uppdraget. / This study is based on qualitative interviews and literature studies. The aim was to examine the mission statement of teachers who have been targeting “students in need of special support”. The teachers do not have the same training. My essay is about teacher training available to work with pupils with special needs. The theoretical approach is general and also applies to teachers with basic training. The curriculum, LGR 11, grabs the text throughout. After education for pupils with special needs it is possible to have many different jobs and assignments. This study has highlighted three portraits of specially educated teachers. They have, despite the name, not the same mission, but in some sections they have some similarities. The interviews reveal that all three are working with pupils with special needs and most of the teaching is organized in the sense that it is individual. All three, four with a dropout, are working at the same school in a rural area, that is, not in a metropolitan area. They see the potential of their mission, but it is not always that knowledge and expertise have the chance to surface. In the performance reporting and analysis, it becomes clear that there are a characteristic of the teachers in training for the mission with students in need of special support. I would point out that this is only three teachers' perception. Theory section, with the curriculum as an overall policy documents, is chosen as the curriculum is so new that it still had yet to be implemented in schools, while it is part of the mission. All three have experience to be part of the school's educational team. The study also outlines expectations with education and employment with the informants. One conclusion is that education is important both for performing the task and to get the assignment.