Title: Locally Integrated Groups – A special education alternativeAuthor: Jennie ArvidssonType of essay: Exam essay, second level (15 credits)Supervisor: Barbro Bruce, Examiner: Lisbeth OhlssonProgram: Special Education Program at Malmö Högskola, SwedenDate: 2012-01-12Present study is an attempt to describe how staff perceive their working operations in seven locally integrated groups, for pupils in special educational needs. By submitting a questionnaire to all professions within the groups I have tried to find similarities and differences in their statements from both structured and unstructured questions. The study is an attempt to contribute knowledge about how these groups can be understood and developed, based on a special education perspective, systems theory and sense of coherence (KASAM). The results shows that there is a consensus among the majority of staff opinions of the systems’ opportunities as well as dilemmas. On the other hand, it is possible to discern some differences in how the different professions describe their working operations according to how satisfied they are with didactic activities, interaction with others and the resources the groups has at its disposal. The basis for these differences lies in a variety of factors that have an effect on the staff opinions.Retrospectively, the study shows that the staff of the local integrated groups are looking for a central control of operations, and a clearer formulation of goals and visions. The staff also expressed a desire to establish a network between the groups, which may contribute to an exchange of experiences and increase the feeling of togetherness. More time for planning, developing further skills and continuous supervision are other resources that are sought after.

Schools closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with the expectation that learning continue from home. This presented a unique challenge for parents of children with special educational needs as during this time levels of stress were high and access to supports were low. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore and describe parents of children with SEN's experiences with at-home learning as it relates to their learning-specific parental self-efficacy, perceived stress and perceived support from their child’s school. Quantitative analysis revealed that learning-specific PSE was significantly and negatively related to perceived stress. Parents did not differ in their perception of school supports. While qualitative analysis revealed many similarities between groups, it also revealed nuanced differences that show that parents of high and low PSE experienced the school closures differently. Overall, the findings of this study provide evidence that parents with high and low parental self-efficacy differ in their experiences of supporting the learning of their children with SEN. This study serves to add to the limited body of literature on learning-specific PSE, as well as inform the efforts of schools and other professionals in supporting the parents of children with SEN and their families.

For refugee children with disabilities, international agencies largely provide humanitarian assistance, including education. However, the obstacles associated with refugee existence can impede progress in the movement towards educating children with disabilities in inclusive settings. Perceptions of inclusive education in schools operated by the Jordan field of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East were explored through multiple embedded case studies. Each of the three schools examined included a student with a special educational need. The researcher also investigated strategies and supports provided by education stakeholders to students with special educational needs in inclusive classrooms. The study was framed by four research questions aligned to a theoretical model of inclusive education and guided by propositions. Findings from interviews, classroom observations, and document reviews, suggest that all stakeholders believe education for students with special educational needs is a human right. However, perceptions of inclusion differed based on several factors including the student’s level of need and the disability, the teacher’s self-efficacy and feeling of preparedness towards meeting the needs of students, and the impact of overcrowded classrooms and limited instructional time. In comparing results between stakeholders, differences existed in perceptions of benefits and challenges associated with inclusive education.

This study presents a new framework for designing pedagogy in an informed and controlled way. It considers the importance of progression of pedagogy during a learning episode, so that an instructor can modify the pedagogical approach as well as the content in a lesson. The significance and novelty of this research lie in the proposals to provide support for ADHD learners and assist them to overcome their academic weaknesses/challenges through appropriate pedagogically sound interventions. Therefore, in order to contribute to the development of a suitable pedagogical approach for children who diagnosed with ADHD, issues of having ADHD are discussed within the scope of the research. In this respect, an aetiological model of ADHD has been developed to identify different levels of impairments as well as to clarify areas in which educational pedagogies must address the limitations of ADHD learners. Early stage results described here consider evidence to determine the viability of two literature-based models, named the ‘6Ms pedagogy model’ and the ‘aetiological model of ADHD’. In identifying the need to explore an accurate pedagogical model for ADHD children, two models have been evaluated. The analysis is based on a combination of secondary analysis, qualitative, and quantitative data analysis, which covered data, collected from expert advice, including that from professionals, coaches, and teachers and from those involved in the education of learners with ADHD and parents. Evidence from findings on ADHD is married to a new model of pedagogy named the ‘7Ms pedagogy model’. The ADHD pedagogical model is then evaluated by SEN teachers serves to facilitate well-informed and targeted design decisions about pedagogy, which could provide children with support and help them overcome academic limitations. Keywords: Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder; 6Ms Pedagogy Model; 7Ms Pedagogy Model; learning theories; aetiological model; typically developing learners (TDLs); and special educational needs (SEN).

Darbe atlikta teorinė inkliuzinio ugdymo sampratos, ugdymo(si) individualizavimo veiksnių bendrojo lavinimo mokykloje analizė. Iškelta hipotezė, kad pedagogai, individualizuodami ugdymo procesą, patiria sunkumų įvairiuose ugdymo individualizavimo srityse, kurie lemia specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių turinčių mokinių ugdymosi kokybę. Turinio (content) analizės ir struktūruoto stebėjimo metodais buvo atliktas tyrimas, kurio tikslas – atskleisti ir įvertinti ugdymo(si) individualizavimo veiksnius kokybės aspektu. Atlikta kokybinė gautų duomenų analizė. Tyrime dalyvavo 4 bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų pedagogai, 4 specialiųjų ugdymosi poreikių turintys mokiniai. Buvo išanalizuotos 4 adaptuotos programos. Empirinėje dalyje analizuojamas adaptuotų programų pritaikymas individualiems mokinių gebėjimams ir poreikiams. ugdymo(si) turinio ir proceso individualizavimas. Vertinami ugdymo(si) individualizavimo veiksniai pedagogo ir mokinio veikloje. Aptariami ugdymo(si) individualizavimo teigiami ir neigiami aspektai. Svarbiausios empirinio tyrimo išvados: 1. Lietuvių kalbos adaptuotų programų turinio analizės rezultatai parodė, kad programose trūksta išsamaus mokinio gebėjimų ir individualiųjų poreikių įvertinimo. Pedagogų keliami tikslai labiau abstraktūs, orientuoti į dalykinių gebėjimų ugdymą ir dalinai susiję su mokinio gebėjimais. Ugdymo(si) turinys nederinamas su bendrojo ugdymo turiniu. Mokymo būdai ir metodai parinkti labiau elementarūs ir dalinai atitinkantys mokinio negalę. Galima... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In this research work there was done theoretical analysis of inclusive education conception, as well as factors of individualization in the process of education at comprehensive school. Hypothesis was set, that pedagogues, in the process of individualized education meet various difficulties which determine the quality of education for students with special educational needs. By the methods of content analysis and structural observation there was done a research, the aim of which was – to disclose and assess the factors of individualization in teaching – learning process in the aspect of quality. The qualitative data analysis was done. In the survey participated 4 comprehensive school pedagogues, 4 pupils having special educational needs. There were analysed programmes prepared at Pakruojis region comprehensive schools. In the empirical part adapted curriculum compilation and application matching with the pupils’ learning abilities and needs, as well as the individualization of educational content and the process for the schoolchildren with special educational needs, are analysed. The factors of individualization in teachers – pupil’s practice are evaluated too. Positive and negative aspects of individualized educational process are discussed. The most important conclusions of empirical research: 1. The results of analysis of adapted Lithuanian programmes content showed that there is lack of full – scale evaluation in defining pupils’ personal abilities and individual needs... [to full text]

People in children’s environment can significantly influence the process of inclusion in regular schools,teachers and their perceptions on students with special abilities are recognized asplaying a key role. As such, this study aims at investigating, comparing and analyzing Greek and Swedish primary school teachers’ attitudes on inclusive education for childrenwith mental disabilities, as well as their experiences concerning the impact students’ environment has on their efficient inclusion and development. To this end, interviews with them have been employed for data collection in this cross-cultural qualitative research.

A great deal is known and has been written about the difficulties that high IQ children can experience in the classroom when their special educational needs are not met. Evidence suggests that these difficulties can result in poor academic performance. This study is different from the research carried out in this field so far in that it expresses an hitherto unheard adult voice. It does so by examining the causes and the long-term effects of academic underachievement, as perceived by high IQ adults, on reflection. A mixed quantitative/qualitative methodological approach was used. 158 members of British Mensa, the High IQ Society, completed one semi-structured open ended questionnaire about their perceptions of the causes and long-term effects of their academic underachievement. A second questionnaire was completed by 50 of the previous sample who had revealed that they had reversed their underachievement in adulthood. This highlighted the differences between their educational experiences as children and as adults. It also revealed the impact that their delayed academic achievement had had on their life trajectory. Out of those 50 participants, ten took part in semi-structured one-to-one interviews which allowed for more in-depth enquiry. The conclusions of the study were that, if not nurtured, an innate ability such as a high IQ can become a disadvantage over time. It suggests that not catering for the special educational needs of high IQ children by not providing the mental stimulation they need is 'intellectual neglect'. Such neglect, like physical and emotional neglect, may affect mental well-being in adulthood. In the study sample, most of the participants' long-term economic and mental health had been negatively affected by their academic underachievement, even when it had been reversed in adulthood. This is an area which seems to have been little researched so far, perhaps because of the difficulty of locating high IQ underachieving adults. Yet, the issues highlighted by the research are of great importance not only to the individuals concerned but also to society. The desired outcomes of this study are that the dissemination of the results will raise awareness amongst educators and policy makers of the potential negative long-term effects of neglecting high IQ children's intellectual needs. It will also provide a platform for further research.

Title: Inclusion of pupils with physical disabilities into physical education in schools in Prague and Central Bohemian region. Objectives: The Thesis analyses the current state of inclusion of pupils with physical disabilities into physical education classes and the experience with this process in schools in Prague and the Central Bohemian region. Methods: The procedure of public inquiry, created by adapted physical activity experts from UP in Olomouc, was applied to fullfill the objectives of the Thesis. The structured as well as unstructured questions made it possible to describe the structure of the group of physically handicapped pupils and found out especially the reasons for releasing these pupils from physical education classes, preparedness of schools for including pupils with physical disabilities into these classes and the forms of support, which are from the perspective of schools indispensable for the inclusion into physical education. Results: Inclusion of the pupils with physical disabilities into the physical education classes in schools in Prague and the Central Bohemian region does take place. However, the conditions are not entirely satisfactory and it is applied in particular to pupils with a lighter type of physical disability. The results of the Thesis indicate a shortage of...

The purpose of this study was to research what needs students feel that they have, linked to the physical learning environment in the classroom, and how this affects their conditions for learning. These needs can then hopefully give an indication of how the physical learning environment can be designed and adapted to increase its accessibility and thus reduce the need for exclusionary measures. The theories of the study concern thoughts about inclusion and theories about how the physical learning environment can be changed based on students' needs. The theoretical framework is based on a socio-cultural perspective, the ecological system theory and from the special educational perspective. Both a quantitative and a qualitative approach have been used in the form of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with students in one high school. The interview questions were worked out on the basis of the results of the survey. A comparison of the results from the respective survey method has been made and analyzed on the basis of the theoretical framework. The pupils experienced a need to reduce both auditory and visual distractions. A high proportion of students felt that the order and study area in the classrooms were not so good. The furniture's adaptation to the students physical conditions deteriorated with the students’ ages. Posters and other information on the walls seemed distracting to some students, while the majority were not disturbed by it or even gave a positive effect. The availability of tactile aids facilitated the conditions for concentrating for certain students. The development of the school's learning environments can, on the basis of the study, be beneficial to all school students and not isolated to students in difficulty to increase the scope of inclusion with all its advantages. Hopefully, the study can provide indications of what needs in the physical learning environment that can be found in students.

Esta pesquisa, de natureza qualitativa, teve como foco analisar os procedimentos de avaliação adotados por professoras dos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental de uma escola pública da cidade de São Paulo com alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais em suas turmas. Os procedimentos metodológicos consistiram na realização de entrevistas com as professoras seguida da análise de conteúdo. O tratamento dos dados apontou, de uma maneira geral, que os consensos e conflitos existentes quanto à avaliação dos alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais retomam, em grande parte, os fatores intervenientes que dificultam a implementação de uma avaliação formativa para a sala como um todo. Esses fatores parecem originar-se de concepções de ensino e aprendizagem mais tradicionais, que permanecem na escola, sobre as quais as professoras sentem-se pressionadas a construir práticas pedagógicas supostamente adequadas a um paradigma vigente de atenção à diversidade. As evidências encontradas pelo estudo permitiram alguns direcionamentos para a formação continuada, demandando atenção prioritária da escola na organização de espaços e tempos para o compartilhamento de experiências e planejamento colaborativo dos procedimentos de avaliação. / This qualitative research aims to analyze the evaluation procedures adopted by teachers who have students with special educational needs included in regular classrooms in one elementary public school in São Paulo. The methodological procedures were based on interviews with the teachers, and followed by the content analysis. In a general way, the data treatment showed that the existing consensuses and conflicts about the evaluation of the students with special educational needs actually correspond to the intervening factors that make difficult the implementation of a formative evaluation in the classroom as a whole. These factors seem to originate from traditional conceptions of education and learning, that remain in the school, over which the teachers feel compelled to construct pedagogical practices that supposedly responds to the diversity attention paradigm. The evidences found in this study support the statement of some possibilities for the continuous teacher training. Thus, the most important point should be to allow a better set of time and space in the school in order to share experiences and collaborative planning of evaluation procedures among the teachers.