This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Peer Support Programmes in facilitating the social integration of students with special educational needs (SEN) into mainstream schools in Hong Kong. International literature has shown that peer influence has a great impact on adolescent development. Peer Support Programmes benefit not only the supportees, but also the helpers, 111 enhancing their social, emotional, physical, cognitive and academic development. In Hong Kong, though integrated education was launched in 1997, few schools have attempted to develop Peer Support Programmes specifically in supporting students with SEN in their schools. The two intervention schools in this study are two mainstream secondary schools that have made an attempt to pioneer Peer Support Programmes specially tailored for the support of students with SEN. Their experience in the past two years has become the focus of tIns research study - the values and the feasibility of specially designed Peer Support Programmes as well as the supports and barriers in its implementation. It is hoped that the research findings of the present study can be a reference for other secondary schools in Hong Kong when they consider implementing similar programmes in future. A mixed methods design was used. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in a two-stage sequential design. Findings of this research indicated that with the implementation of Peer Support Programmes, not only did we see positive changes in the peer supporters and students with SEN in their personal and social growth but there was also a positive impact on the school ethos of the two intervention schools in accepting individual differences. This study also found that support factors, including the clear vision of school leaders as well as an overall policy on addressing the learning and social needs of students with SEN, are essential elements for the successful implementation of Peer Support Programmes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:679715 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Lee, Eva |
| Publisher | University of Bristol |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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