Learning disabilities are a life-long problem for many individuals. Besides the adjustments all adolescents experience in life, learning disabled adolescents must contend with academic problems at school which have a drastic effect on their selfesteem. This becomes particularly evident when these pupils face the demands of the secondary school syllabus where they have to be able to concentrate, read for information, memorise facts, answer questions and solve problems, and write assignments. By the time learning disabled adolescents reach secondary school they have already experienced so much failure that they become passive towards their studies. Teaching these pupils metacognitive learning strategies covering these skills helps them to become more independent learners. Through executive training procedures they are assisted to become more involved in their studies, the promotion of better self-regulation and self-monitoring is fostered, and as their scores improve, so does their motivation and selfconcept / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Orthopedagogics)

Les réformes et la nécessité de réduction des coûts dans le secteur médico-social amènent à repenser la logique des qualifications en fonctions des tâches à exercer. depuis une dizaine d'années, certains établissements ont introduit dans leur organisation des « coordinateurs », éducateurs spécialisés ayant des tâches supplémentaires, visant à faire le lien entre les chefs de service et des équipes de professionnels moins « coûteux » sur le terrain. cette fonction, très floue, n'est pas la résultante d'une formation, n'a pas d'existence dans les diverses conventions, et pose souvent question à la fois aux personnes exerçant ce rôle, et aux collègues ne l'exerçant pas. ces questionnements, fréquents dans les sites d'éducation spécialisés, ne bénéficient pourtant d'aucun écho dans la presse spécialisée depuis 10 ans. ma thèse visera à étudier de façon plus approfondie, et questionner ces fonctions dans les établissements, en me rapprochant de tous les acteurs en présence. / This thesis concerns the role of coordinators as created and developed within residential care homes in specialised education during the 21st Century. We will be investigating a role that is invisible in the professional sector, existing neither in legislation or in Collective Agreements, and to which very few industry journals are devoted. This research was carried out against a historical perspective of professions in the specialised education industry, but also from a multiscalar perspective, articulating macro-, meso- and microsocial perspectives to gain a better view of the changes associated with the division of labour within organisations. By mobilising the sociology of professions and the sociology of organisations, and via an ethnographical survey, this thesis shows that the role of coordinators reveals a shift in the references of professionals in the closed sector of specialised education towards the commercial world. This analysis is centred on two major themes, which depict a role founded in the logic of competence. The former theme considers the plurality of formal attributes, activities and profiles amongst coordinators. The latter theme reveals a genuine activity governed by institutional contexts, changes in the division of labour, interplay among actors and interactions with professionals, coaching and field work. We will thus show that, by modelling themselves on the organisation, coordinators fulfil a role of translation and crystallisation that facilitates relations between professionals. We view the silence on the subject of this role as a strategic choice, facilitated by an individualisation of the role, an isolation of coordinators, and by determinist statements addressed to professionals in the field.

Learning disabilities are a life-long problem for many individuals. Besides the adjustments all adolescents experience in life, learning disabled adolescents must contend with academic problems at school which have a drastic effect on their selfesteem. This becomes particularly evident when these pupils face the demands of the secondary school syllabus where they have to be able to concentrate, read for information, memorise facts, answer questions and solve problems, and write assignments. By the time learning disabled adolescents reach secondary school they have already experienced so much failure that they become passive towards their studies. Teaching these pupils metacognitive learning strategies covering these skills helps them to become more independent learners. Through executive training procedures they are assisted to become more involved in their studies, the promotion of better self-regulation and self-monitoring is fostered, and as their scores improve, so does their motivation and selfconcept / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Orthopedagogics)

Parents of cerebral palsied children have the duty of educating and leading their children towards adulthood. Parents, as educators, must know about cerebral palsy and its effects on the child and the whole family. The success of the parents in assisting the child is influenced by numerous factors. One factor is the manner in which parents understand ·themselves as parents of a cerebral palsied child. Such an understanding directs their behaviour positively or negatively. Another factor is the involvement of parents in the child' life. Involvement demands perseverence, dedication, and understanding of cerebral palsy. Parents may also experience feelings of frustration or acceptance. Experience influences the quality of relationships as well as the parents' view of life and the quality of their educational role. If parents lack understanding, have an apathetic involvement and unpleasant experiences, the progress of a cerebral palsied child towards adulthood will be hampered. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Orthopedagogics)

In the secondary school situation, a pupil needs to read to learn, therefore it is imperative to comprehend what is read. Reading comprehension is one of the two functions of reading and it is dependent on the abilities of the reader, the reader's interpretation of the text and the context in which the text is read. In examining reader characteristics, it is evident that it is very difficult for learning disabled pupils with a reading comprehension deficit to comprehend successfully. Their · unique problems can be exacerbated by such external factors as text components and the context in which the reading takes place. Reading comprehension has been instructed to learning disabled secondary school pupils using reading methods and strategies, to facilitate reading comprehension. From this practical experience and the literature studied, guidelines have been formulated for teachers to use to improve the reading comprehension skills of learning disabled secondary school pupils. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Orthopedagogics)

Parents of cerebral palsied children have the duty of educating and leading their children towards adulthood. Parents, as educators, must know about cerebral palsy and its effects on the child and the whole family. The success of the parents in assisting the child is influenced by numerous factors. One factor is the manner in which parents understand ·themselves as parents of a cerebral palsied child. Such an understanding directs their behaviour positively or negatively. Another factor is the involvement of parents in the child' life. Involvement demands perseverence, dedication, and understanding of cerebral palsy. Parents may also experience feelings of frustration or acceptance. Experience influences the quality of relationships as well as the parents' view of life and the quality of their educational role. If parents lack understanding, have an apathetic involvement and unpleasant experiences, the progress of a cerebral palsied child towards adulthood will be hampered. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Orthopedagogics)

In the secondary school situation, a pupil needs to read to learn, therefore it is imperative to comprehend what is read. Reading comprehension is one of the two functions of reading and it is dependent on the abilities of the reader, the reader's interpretation of the text and the context in which the text is read. In examining reader characteristics, it is evident that it is very difficult for learning disabled pupils with a reading comprehension deficit to comprehend successfully. Their · unique problems can be exacerbated by such external factors as text components and the context in which the reading takes place. Reading comprehension has been instructed to learning disabled secondary school pupils using reading methods and strategies, to facilitate reading comprehension. From this practical experience and the literature studied, guidelines have been formulated for teachers to use to improve the reading comprehension skills of learning disabled secondary school pupils. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Orthopedagogics)