This diploma thesis concerns the topic of inclusive education in the Czech Republic with a focus on school counseling staff as the main representatives of street-level bureaucracy in the process of inclusive education. The general aim of this study is to examine the situation after the implementation of the Amendment No. 82/2015 Coll. of the Education Act from the point of view of school counseling staff. Moreover, the study also examines whether the current position of street-level bureaucracy in the inclusive education process is well-set and whether the current system settings meet the needs of the recipients of service. The objectives are fulfilled via qualitative research, particularly eight semi- structured interviews with school counseling staff and two semi-structured interviews with NGO representatives, and analysis of relevant public policy documents. Based on the qualitative research among these respondents, it concludes that the work concluded that there is scope for improvement in many ways in the current form of inclusive education in the Czech Republic, especially in staffing, financial support and mutual communication and cooperation among the actors involved.

This thesis is about strategies applied by the teaching assistant and his tools of help in connection with the pupil in the learning process. The theoretical part includes the following themes: the inclusion, the position of teaching assistant and the pupils with special educational needs. The practical part of thesis solves the problems of two individual pupils with special educational needs visiting the first grade of elementary school. This part aims at searching and reflection of effective help from the teaching assistant to the pupil. The practical part is based on an action research that is divided into two parts. Each practical part is dedicated to one pupil. The first part of the action research dedicated to pupil J. solves a problem with pupil's seisures and his return to the learning proces. During the research, it has been observed that the pupil is returned to the learning proces through the quiet handling of teaching assistant connected with an eye contact. The second part of the action reasearch is dedicated to the pupil P. The problem of low self-confidence and often giving up of his work before its completion is solved in this part. In this case the tool prepared in cooperation with the teaching assistant and the class teacher seems to be effective. This tool helps the pupil to...

This thesis deals with the occurrence of scientifically gifted students at Czech schools. The talent affects a person's life fundamentally but also it influences the lives of others people. These gifted and talented people usually become leading scientists and researchers. They can affect important social events significantly during their professional careers. After the family teachers and school are the most important part in development of the child. Therefore teachers should know what specific educational requirements gifted students have. It's necessary to determine the status of teachers. In the theoretical part of the thesis the main aim of the literary review was a theoretical background of the talent, the incidence of gifted pupils at Czech and foreign schools, the work with gifted pupils at foreign schools and educational institutions and associations working with gifted children. In the practical part of the thesis a questionnaire was created and then distributed to teachers of science subjects. The questionnaire has found foreknowledge Czech teachers of the concept of genius and talent. Whether teachers are able to identify gifted pupils in the classroom what forms of work with talented students are used and the questionnaire was evaluated. Proposals and suggestions were created for working with...

My thesis deals with the readiness of starting teachers for inclusive education. The aim of this thesis is to identify concerns of starting teachers regarding inclusive education that could arise in their future practice. The theoretical part of the thesis clarifies concepts such as the starting teacher, inclusive education, integrated education and also pupil with special educational needs. Further the competencies of starting teacher and the requirements that are needed for them after starting practice are described in this part. The theoretical part also describes the readiness of school for inclusive education and what does the Czech republic support system looks like. Important milestones in Czech legislation that affect inclusive education are very briefly mentioned in this part. Within the empirical part of the thesis a research survey in the form of qualitative interviews was used. The main aim of the questions and subsequent answers was to find out what are the most common concerns of starting teachers or what would make them feel more prepared for the job. These interviews were conducted at different time intervals with the same starting teachers. The results of the research are processed in the form of answers to research questions and afterwards compared with each other as well as with...

The aim of the diploma thesis called The role of a teaching assistant in the process of inclusive education in conditions of the particular elementary school is to find out, which aspects of inclusive education are fulfilled at the selected elementary school. The assessment is based on the research containing the analysis of school documents, personal attendance and observations at the selected school and structured interviews. Furthermore, on the basis of interviews with teacher assistants and selected teachers in a particular elementary school, the aim is to find out how the cooperation between selected teaching professions works and whether this cooperation meets the inclusion requirements, which are determined according to the study of professional literature. The theoretical part is divided into several areas. The main theme is inclusion. Other areas include the subjects of inclusion, such as schoolchild with special needs, teacher assistant and teacher. The practical part is divided into five stages. The stages include observation, interviews with selected teacher assistants, teachers, class teachers and analysis of primary school documents. The output of this thesis is a comprehensive picture of the conception of inclusion at a selected school, focused primarily on the results of...

Lärande gemenskaper i en organisation kan bidra till utveckling. Specialpedagogens uppdrag inom skolutveckling med fokus på lärande gemenskaper har identifierats som ett outforskat område nationellt. Studiens syfte är därför att bidra med kunskap om specialpedagogens roll i arbetet med lärande gemenskaper i en lärande organisation. Studiens metod är kvalitativ och undersöker specialpedagogens arbete med lärande gemenskaper på tre grundskolor genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Respondenterna i studien är fyra specialpedagoger och tre rektorer. Utifrån Ahrenfelts tolkning av systemteorin med begrepp som helhet, gränsyta och informativitet tolkas och analyseras empirin. Resultatet visar att specialpedagogen verkar genom att skapa relationer och möjliggöra samarbete i organisationen, och använder sin kunskap och förmåga inom pedagogisk handledning som ett verktyg för att främja lärande gemenskaper. Vidare visar resultatet att specialpedagogen kan vara den som identifierar nästa steg i utvecklingsarbetet genom sitt arbete såväl inom systemet som omvärlden. Hen använder även sin förmåga till analys i sovrandet av information. För att specialpedagogen ska kunna använda sin färdighet och förmåga erhållen via universitetsexamen på avancerad nivå, behöver rektorn vara den som sätter ramar och beslutar om prioritet. Rektors roll är även att hålla utvecklingsarbetets mål levande för medarbetare via exempelvis medarbetarsamtal, vilket i sin tur faciliterar specialpedagogens arbete vilken ofta är den som håller i olika fortbildnings- och utbildningsinsatser. Rektorerna i studien framhäver vikten av att ha specialpedagogen med i till exempel utvecklingsgrupper så att hen sedan kan verka på de olika nivåerna utifrån prioriterade mål. Sammantaget visar vårt resultat att om samarbetet och ramarna sätts av rektor kan specialpedagogen bidra med sin kompetens för att möjliggöra lärande gemenskaper. / Learning communities within an organization can contribute to development and growth. The role of the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO), a contributor to school development through the establishment of learning communities, was identified as an area on which little research has been done nationally. Therefore, the aim of this study is to contribute further knowledge about the role of SENCOs in the development of learning communities in educational organizations. The method used is qualitative and investigates the work of SENCO and principals in three elementary schools through semi-structured interviews. The interviewees are four SENCOs and three principals. The empirical data is analyzed using Ahrenfelt’s interpretation of systems theory and terms such as the whole, interface, and informativeness. The conclusions drawn are that SENCOs operate by promoting relations and enabling cooperation within the organization, as well as by using their knowledge and competency in pedagogical guidance as a tool for establishing learning communities. Furthermore, the results show that SENCOs are capable of identifying the next step in the process of development through their work both within the system as well as the surrounding environment. SENCOs also use their analytical skills when sifting through information. For SENCOs to be able to fully utilize the skill set received through advanced university study, the conclusion is that it is the principal who is required to prioritize and establish the framework for the creation of a learning organization. The principal needs to remind the staff of the developmental process, for example through yearly staff interviews. This in turn facilitates the work of the SENCO, who is often the one responsible for administering various forms of vocational training. The principals view the participation of SENCOs in the school’s development groups as important. This enables SENCOs to act on the goals prioritized within the organization. Overall, the conclusion is that provided that principals establish the framework, SENCOs are capable of contributing with their area of competency in the development of learning communities.

The overall aim of this licentiate thesis is to increase knowledge of the special educators’ professional role and work in relation to special educational support for recently arrived immigrant pupils. The need for the study is motivated by the immigrant pupils’ low achievement of goals and schools responsibility to adapt education to each pupil’s needs in a school for all. The first study examines special educators’ role and work in relation to special educational support for recently arrived immigrant pupils and the professional group's view of the reasons for special educational support for these pupils. The results are based on responses in a questionnaire directed to 483 special educators. The results show that the special educators state that the reasons why recently arrived immigrant pupils are in need of special educational support are that the knowledge requirements are too difficult for the pupils to achieve or that the pupils have individual shortcomings. The occupational group's tasks consist of administrative work and the development of learning environments. According to the special educators, most often class and subject teachers and mother tongue tutors provide special educational support. The special educators collaborate to the greatest extent with class and subject teachers and with the pupils, while they want more collaboration with mother tongue tutors. The results of the study are interpreted and discussed based on Abbott's theory (1988) reasoning about professional groups’ claims of jurisdiction, Persson's (1998) categorical and relational perspectives and Hughes' (1958) concept of dirty work. In the second study, free text answers (n = 451) from the questionnaire are examined, where the special educators describe how they and their schools have developed learning environments for recently arrived immigrant pupils in need of special educational support. The free text answers are analyzed using a qualitative content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). This analysis is then theorized based on Skrtics´ (1991; 2005) concepts of the school system to interpret obstacles and opportunities in the development of the learning environments. The results show that the development have mainly taken place through general adaptations (one size fits all solutions), language-adapted solutions and special solutions. The analysis based on Skrtics’ concepts shows how the machine and professional bureaucracy can act as an obstacle to the development of learning environments for recently arrived immigrant pupils in need of special educational support. The thesis helps to bring together the results from the two studies. A developed contextualization is made, and the results from the two studies are discussed in relation to previous research and theoretical points of departure. Abbott's (1988) reasoning on claims of jurisdiction and Skrtics’ conceptions of the school system (1991; 2005) are combined to get a deeper understanding of the deadlocks that may exist in the bureaucratic system.

(in English): KOMÁRKOVÁ, Ivana., The teacher assistent in an inclusive school as an opportunity for the effective education of pupils with the special educational needs. Prague: Philosophical faculty, Charles University, 2019. x pp. Degree Thesis This thesis focuses on the role of teacher's assistant and his or her activity in the process of educating pupils with specific educational needs on the level of elementary schools . Every inclusive school offers the possibility of special personal support in the classroom provided by the teacher and his or her assistant working together as a team. This sort of educational method actually creates and entirely new educational situation and opens a new opportunity in the educational process. It demands an effective cooperation of both educationalists, because their attitudes determine the cooperative climate in the whole class community and also in the entire school community. The goal of this thesis is to describe the actual situation of the teacher's assistant in relation to the successful realization of the content of inclusive education in elementary schools. The thesis focuses especially on the cooperation between the teacher's assistant and other people involved. And also on mapping their needs related to successful fulfilment of the goals of inclusive...

This diploma thesis deals with the issue of inclusion of pupils with Asperger's syndrome in primary schools. It analyzes the inclusion of selected student with Asperger's syndrome and it's based on a case report, verifies the success of inclusion in a practice. The main aim of this diploma tesis is to describe and analyze the factors, which contribute to the inclusion of pupils with Asperger's syndrome in education in a regular school. The theoretical part of the diploma thesis deals with the definition of Asperger's syndrome and other issuses related to the inclusion. The research analysed the obtained data and answered set research questions.

Den politiska majoriteten i Stockholms stad beslutade 2019 att alla kommunala skolor senast hösten 2023 ska ha inrättat en lokal särskild undervisningsgrupp. Syftet med denna studie var att kartlägga om och i så fall hur särskilda undervisningsgrupper har organiserats och hur de används på mellan- och högstadiet i Stockholms stads grundskolor. Studien är kvantitativ och den övergripande teorin beskrivs som en sociokulturell ram runt ett specialpedagogiskt perspektiv som innehåller både ett kompensatoriskt och kritiskt synsätt och som tillsammans bildar ett dilemmaperspektiv.  Respondenter utgjordes av rektorer och/eller organisatoriskt ansvariga för särskilda undervisnings grupper inom Stockholms stads kommunala grundskolor och datainsamlingsmetoden var en digital enkät. Enkäten skickades till samtliga 57 kommunala mellan- och högstadieskolor och 19 skolor valde att svara. Insamlad empiri sorterades utifrån studiens frågeställningar, analyserades med hjälp av deskriptiv statistik och presenterades i tabell- och diagramform. Resultatet visar att majoriteten av skolorna hade flera särskilda undervisningsgrupper och att det oftast var biträdande rektor som hade det organisatoriska ansvaret för dessa grupper. De kompetenser som i hög grad var representerade i skolornas undervisningsgrupper var grundskollärare och ämneslärare. De vanligaste orsakerna till att elever hade helt eller delar av sin undervisning i särskilda undervisningsgrupper var beslut om särskilt stöd och hög skolfrånvaro. Studien visade även på att pojkar var överrepresenterade i dessa grupper och att den här sortens särskilda stödinsats ökar med stigande ålder. / The political majority in the city of Stockholm decided in 2019 that all municipal schools must have established a local special teaching group by autumn 2023 at the latest. The purpose of this study was to survey how, and if, special teaching groups have been organized and how they are used at Stockholm's elementary schools. The study uses a quantitative method and the overall theory is described as a socio-cultural framework around a special educational perspective that contains both a compensatory and critical approach and which together form a dilemma perspective. Respondents consisted of principals and/or organizationally responsible for special teaching groups from the municipal elementary schools in the city of Stockholm, and the data collection method was a digital survey. The questionnaire was sent to all 57 municipal elementary schools and 19 schools chose to respond. Collected empirical evidence was sorted based on the study's questions, analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in table and diagram form. The results showed that the majority of schools had several special teaching groups and that it was usually the assistant principal who had the organizational responsibility for these groups. The competencies that are highly represented in the schools' teaching groups were primary school teachers and subject teachers. The most common reasons why students had all or parts of their education in special teaching groups were decisions on special support and high absence from school. The survey also shows that boys were overrepresented in these groups and that this type of special support effort increases with increasing age.