The integration of disabled children into regular schools is
a current educational and social issue causing widespread
interest, concern and debate throughout Australia. The most
controversial and innovative adoption of integration policy
has occurred in Victoria since the release of the Collins
Report in 1984.
The present study was conducted in 26 State primary schools
in the Bendigo area of the Loddon Campaspe Mallee region of
Victoria where disabled children had been integrated in
regular classrooms with the assistance of a paid teacher
aide during 1988.
The purpose of the study was to survey the concerns of those
teachers into whose classes children with disabilities had
been integrated.
The Stages of Concern (SoC) dimension of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (C-BAM) was chosen as the research
methodology. C-BAM was developed at the Research and
Development Center for Teacher Education, University of
Texas at Austin, and for the purpose of this study, the
methodology consisted of a questionnaire of 35 standardized
items (the Stages of Concern Questionnaire), and a School
Survey.
The study set out to identify the concerns of teachers
(ii)
toward integration, and to establish reasons why teachers
are at particular stages of concern. Factors included
teachers' age, gender, number of years of teaching
experience, qualifications and in-service training. Other
issues related to the disabled children themselves, the
school, and factors such as availability of resources,
funding levels, and access to support systems.
This study developed from the policy document Integration in
Victorian Education (the Collins Report, 1984). Since then,
the Ministry of Education has published two additional
booklets (in January and February, 1987), which partly
address some of the issues included in this thesis. These
include resourcing, in-servicing and the legal implications
of the innovation.
The analysis of the data points to major shortcomings which
will jeopardize the implementation process and the likely
success of the innovation. A number of recommendations have
been suggested, with particular reference to the pre-service
and in-service training of teachers, and issues relating to
funding and resources.
The findings have implications for all classroom teachers,
as potentially all are required to accept disabled children
into their classes. The results and recommendations also
have relevance for the Ministry of Education, whose
responsibility it is to ensure that the integration of
disabled children into regular classes is fully supported at
a government level, and for training institutions, whose
task it is to provide appropriate pre-service and in-service
programs for present and future classroom teachers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219281 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Reed, Brian, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Brian Reed |
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