Differences in Teaching Self-Determination between General and Special Education Teachers in Elementary Schools

Pen-Chiang Chao,Yu-Chi Chou

doi:10.5539/jel.v6n4p40

Pen-Chiang Chao, Yu-Chi Chou

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v6n4p40

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are differences in the teaching of self-determination between general and special education teachers in Taiwan. The participants were 380 teachers recruited from elementary schools nationwide in Taiwan. Among them, 128 were general education teachers, while the others were special educators providing services in either resource rooms (n = 125) or self-contained classrooms (n = 127). The Teaching Self-Determination Scale (TSDS) was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, t tests, analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) were employed to analyze data. Findings showed that both general and special education teachers’ level of teaching self-determination was in the range of “sometimes to often”. Nevertheless, general education teachers’ level in teaching psychological empowerment, self-regulation, and autonomous skills was higher than that of their special education counterparts. Additionally, general educators tended to focus the most on instructing psychological empowerment abilities, while the self-contained classroom teachers paid intense attention to the teaching of autonomous skills. Resource room teachers demonstrated a relatively balanced instruction of various skills. Findings of this study enabled us to further understand elementary school teachers’ level of teaching self-determination and its characteristics as well. Suggestion and implications are provided.

Highlights

Over the past three decades, the concept of self-determination has become an important research topic in the field of special education and rehabilitation
The results of this study showed that general education teachers had the highest mean Teaching Self-Determination Scale (TSDS) Full Scale scores, followed by resource room teachers
Regarding the teachers’ level of self-determination instruction, the findings of this study showed that the three participating groups of elementary school teachers, namely general education teachers, resource room teachers, and self-contained classroom teachers, all had mean scores significantly higher than the midpoint of 72 on the TSDS Full Scale that represents a level of “sometimes”

Summary

Introduction

Over the past three decades, the concept of self-determination has become an important research topic in the field of special education and rehabilitation. As U.S scholars have claimed, since the beginning of the third wave of the disability movement in the twenty-first century (Wehmeyer, Bersani, & Gagne, 2000), people with disabilities have transformed themselves from the role of second-class citizens to that of victims, before becoming individuals with self-determination who can control their own fate. This trend originates from the United States, it has gradually spread to other parts of the world, including countries in Europe and Asia.

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