This thesis is a part of Master Degree within the field of Special Education at Malmö University. The purpose of the research is to elucidate how the supportive material Assessment Tool for Accessible Education of the Swedish National Agency of Special Needs Educations and Schools is being used by educational institutions in Sweden and how it contributes to the change in the learning environment among preschools and schools. The reading provides valuable knowledge for how the agency can develop their support to educational institutions, as well as for the actors of the field to make the learning environment accessible to the students. The study looks at similarities and differences between the inclusive learning environments based on previous research, and the accessible learning environment based on Assessment Tool for Accessible Education. A lot of similarities can be found in the pedagogic and social aspects, while the differences become prominent in aspects of the physical environment which can only be found in accessible learning environments. Further, pros and cons of supporting individual needs in relation to the learning environment are discussed and what consequences it may give rise to for disabled students. Research questions are as follow; Does the Assessment Tool for Accessible Education contribute to a change in the learning environment? What developing processes contribute to the change? How should institutions be supported in order to develop the accessible learning environment?Mixed methods have been used for collection of data; a poll was answered by 425 people and interviews were held with nine focus groups from four different institutions, including one group of students. The theoretical frame of the analysis follows the organization theory; learning organization and rational-analytic, interactional, and political perspective. The empiric has been worked through thematically and is presented in a chronological order from when people first came in touch with Assessment Tool for Accessible Education, how the work has been implemented and processed at the institutions, and a description of what changes has been processed and its effects upon the learning environment. Obstacles and factors of success experienced by the respondents as well as the need of support for development are also presented. The results of the research show that the assessment tools contribute to a change in how the pedagogues approach the knowledge of how the learning and development of the students is affected by the learning environment when organizational development exists within the institution. Development launches when structural and cultural conditions exist and are processed which in turn leads to development of the learning organization. The research looks at the consequences when these conditions are lacking. Further, when good conditions exist the learning environments develop. The research shows changes that have been processed through the physical, pedagogic, and social environment. Also, all students receive a higher level of accessibility than disabled students. The conclusion is that the Assessment Tool for Accessible Education contributes to a higher level of knowledge regarding the significance of the learning environment which implies changes, provided that organizational development exists within the institution. Keywords: Accessible Learning Environment, Disabilities, Inclusive Learning Environments, Learning Organization, Organization theory, Process
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-31331 |
Date | January 2016 |
Creators | Persson, Pia |
Publisher | Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för lärande och samhälle (LS), Malmö högskola/Lärande och samhälle |
Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
Language | Swedish |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
Format | application/pdf |
Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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