Integration has been the policy of the New South Wales Department of Education and
Training since 1981. Regular classroom teachers are responsible for implementing this policy
at the classroom level. In order to achieve this, teachers need to make informed decisions
about aspects of the class program and practice that may need to be adapted or modified to
provide opportunities for integrated students to participate meaningfully in regular classroom
environments.
The purpose of this study is twofold: to extend research into adaptations made by New South
Wales teachers under a policy of integration by surveying teachers' perceptions on various
adaptations/modifications and to explore factors related to teachers? implementation of these
adaptations/modifications to programs and practices for students with mild disabilities and/or
learning difficulties. Researchers have studied integration (variously named and interpreted)
since the eighties and the current research is based on a body of research conducted over the
last twenty-five years. The current research identified the frequency of different types of
adaptations/modifications used by regular classroom teachers. An attempt is made to identify
various barriers and isolate particular factors that may influence the use of these
adaptations/modifications in regular classrooms.
Results indicated that teachers reported using different adaptations and modifications to
varying degrees. Teachers indicated that they held a preference for adaptations and
modifications that could easily be implemented for all students in the class. Teachers reported
that barriers such as: 'Lack of preparation and planning time'; 'Demands on instruction time';
and 'Inadequate staff ratios' have the greatest affect on their implementation of adaptations
and modifications. The level of qualifications held by the teachers was the only factor that
had a significant correspondence to the frequency of adaptations and modifications
implemented for students with mild disabilities and learning difficulties. Further research is
recommended to investigate across a larger area of population, the type and level of
disabilities experienced by the students and the influence of teachers? choice on frequency of
adaptations and modifications.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/203295 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | van Limbeek, Catherine A. H., n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. n/a |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Catherine A. H. van Limbeek |
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