This qualitative case study drew on Positioning Theory (e.g., Davies & Harré, 1990) to explore the ways in which the negotiation of power and positioning affected language learning. Participants were nine students and their female teacher in a university-level English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Oral Skills (Listening and Speaking) class. Methods of data collection included the video- and audio-taping of classroom activities for 3.5 months, interviews with students and their teacher, field notes of classroom observations, diaries, and relevant teacher and learning artifacts. As a participant observer, I explored positioning, which refers to locating oneself and others with certain rights and obligations to allow or limit certain actions, in classroom talk and investigated its interaction with second language learning and use. After spending a certain amount of time in the field, I chose two male students as my focal participants, as their positioning and participation differed in terms of quantity and quality of their talk. Through a recursive micro-analysis of classroom interaction and qualitative analysis of other data sources, the findings indicated that the two focal participants constantly dominated classroom conversations and positioned themselves in ways beneficial to them, while other students in the same classroom experienced difficulties in negotiating symbolic power and gaining access to learning opportunities. Additionally the findings showed how interactive and reflexive positioning of learners, which were impacted by a large number of factors, including age, socio-cultural backgrounds, and beliefs, assigned students certain identities and social status over the course of the semester. If second language acquisition is fostered in the classroom by communicative interactions, teachers should attempt to minimize students’ differential access to second language learning opportunities as much as possible. / text

Föreliggande uppsats är en kvalitativ studie med syftet att undersöka några pedagogers uppfattningar av pedagogisk utredning vid upprättandet av åtgärdsprogram för elever i socioemotionella svårigheter. Uppslaget till studien var den aktuella debatt som förs kring skolans arbete kring elever i behov av särskilt stöd samt den nya skollagen som trädde i kraft juni 2011. Metoden som har använts är en halvstrukturerad intervjustudie där sex pedagoger i grundskolan fick samtala utifrån följande frågeområden; Pedagogisk utredning, åtgärdsprogram och delaktighet. Pedagogerna arbetar på fem skilda grundskolor varav två är friskolor. Resultatet visar att det förekommer någon form av pedagogisk utredning på samtliga skolor innan ett åtgärdsprogram skrivs fram. Flertalet av skolorna har dessutom ett skrivet dokument som ska ge struktur och skapa ett samförstånd när pedagogerna ska arbeta med den pedagogiska utredningen. Resultatet visar att elever och föräldrar är delaktiga i processen att diskutera fram konkreta åtgärder till åtgärdsprogrammet och i utvärderingen av dessa. I utredningsfasen i den pedagogiska utredningen och i andra processer såsom resursfördelning och undervisning framkom deras delaktighet inte lika tydligt. Underlaget i den pedagogiska utredningen kom huvudsakligen fram genom samtal där det var den utredningansvariga pedagogen som höll i samtalen samt summerade dem. Vidare kan det i resultatet utläsas en fokusering på eleven som individ och där exempelvis åtgärder som är knutna till eleven är centrala. Pedagogerna lyfte även fram betydelsen av att arbeta med hela gruppen kring exempelvis klassrumsklimat och att ett sådant arbete gynnar elever i socioemotionella svårigheter.

The focus of this study was on the factors that play a role in preparing novice teachers for their first Admission Review and Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting. A mixed methods approach was used to answer the research question: Which resource plays a stronger role in the preparation of novice teachers for their first ARD meeting, previous college preparation courses, involvement in a mentoring program, or a Mock ARD Training Video specific to the district’s current expectations of an ARD meeting? This study incorporated pre- and post-surveys and interviews with novice teachers in various departments and grade levels after participating in their first ARD committee meeting. Due to the small sample size available of novice special education teachers in the district in one school year (three in 2012-2013), this study involved both general education and special education novice teachers during the 2012-2013 school year. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations were made to the district to address the identified areas of continued need as they apply to the ARD meeting process.

The purpose of the study was to investigate how parents of students with autism perceived individualized education program (IEP) meetings. I determined factors that contributed to the belief held by parents that their children were or were not being properly served by IEP meetings. Parental relationships with educators, IEP meeting experiences, IEP outcomes, and treatment by educators were revealed through participant input. Parents were asked to share their experiences of previous IEP meetings. Additionally, parents provided input regarding practices that school districts could take to improve IEP meetings, and actions that parents could take to serve as better advocates for their children. Research findings indicated that parents did not perceive themselves as being treated as equals during IEP meetings. Parents believed that their input was not valued or welcomed by educators. Not having an equal voice toward their child's education prevented parents from positively influencing outcomes in their child's IEP meetings in terms of obtaining quality services and building positive relations with educators. Parents further revealed that educators failed to implement proper IEP protocol. According to parents, student objectives agreed upon in IEP meetings were often not always fully implemented for students receiving special education services. Research findings concluded that parents new to the IEP process often experienced difficulty understanding special education law, and were unaware of services that school districts should provide for their children.Suggestions for improving IEP meetings include: educators valuing parents as equal partners during IEP meetings, educators properly adhering to IEP objectives set forth in IEP meetings, and both educators and parents taking measures to becoming more knowledgeable of special education law and the IEP process.

This study examined the effects of the Self-Advocacy Strategy delivered via the CD (i.e., SACD) on self-advocacy skills of fifteen middle school students with mild and moderate disabilities. A pre-/and posttest experimental design with random assignment to treatment or wait-list control groups was employed to investigate changes in student participation and level of self-determination post-intervention. The SACD instruction addressed essential self-advocacy skills, including knowledge of self and communication. Results showed significant differences in favor of the treatment group when compared with the wait-list control group concerning student participation, as measured by student responses to a set of 10 IEP related questions. In addition, generalization data indicated positive results for student participation, as measured by student use of SHARE behaviors, for the majority of students in the treatment group in informal educational meetings with their special educators. The results provide additional support for the use of SACD to teach self-advocacy and active student participation in the IEP process to middle school students with disabilities.

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Millions of students with disabilities in the United States have access to educational programming to assist and provide special education support services. In existence for mere decades, special education as it currently stands was founded on groundbreaking legislation and refining law in the form of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The most recent revision of this law in 2004 significantly extended parents' rights to be decision-makers in the educational planning process for children with disabilities. A litany of research into parent experiences of the IEP and special education process reveals that parents consistently report feelings of being marginalized in the decision-making process. A systematic literature review conducted by the author revealed that parents and family members of children with ASD report broadly similar themes of dissatisfaction with the special education process and communicating with staff. The current research proposal seeks to investigate the interaction experiences with Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) personnel of parents and family members of elementary-aged children with ASD. LSSPs, recognized as possessing expertise on autism spectrum disorder amongst special education evaluation personnel, often conduct evaluations for students with ASD.

Enligt Skollagen ska åtgärdsprogram (Åp) upprättas för alla elever i behov av särskilt stöd för att uppnå kunskapskraven i alla skolformer. Avvikelser mellan riktlinjerna och implementeringen av Åp förekommer ofta på grundsärskolan och gymnasiesärskolan. Det finns också många utmaningar som påverkar utarbetande respektive genomförande av åtgärdsprogram på särskolan. Denna utforskande samt beskrivande studie syftar att undersöka utvecklingsmöjligheter för processen kring åtgärdsprogram utifrån lärarens upplevelse i grundsärskolan samt gymnasiesärskolan. I föreliggande studie använde vi Agile teori som teoretisk utgångspunkt. Vi genomförde en enkätundersökning för att samla in data från lärare som arbetar i grundsärskolan och gymnasiesärskolan. 62 lärare sammanlagt svarade på frågeformuläret. Vi analyserade det mesta av datamaterialet kvantitativt med Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) samt gjorde en kvalitativ tematisk analys på en öppen fråga i formuläret. Resultaten visar att utmaningarna inför implementering av åtgärdsprogram kvarstår. I strid mot föreskrift i styrdokument ges inte alla elever i behov av särskilt stöd möjlighet att delta i utarbetande av Åp. Vi ser även att inte alla vårdnadshavare till elever i behov av särskilt stöd ges möjligheter att delta i processen. Vi fann att användandet av Åp i lektionsplanering är låg i grundsärskolan och gymnasiesärskolan samt att det saknas koppling mellan Åp processen och undervisningsplaneringen för elever i behov av särskilt stöd. Vår studie belyser behovet av att söka utvecklingsmöjligheter till exempel kompetensutveckling och kollegialt samarbete för personal i särskolan. Sådana förbättringsåtgärder kan fylla en del av klyftan som upplevs mellan riktlinjer och praktik gällande åtgärdsprogram.

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