Abstract
In Scandinavia, the field of intellectual disability (ID) practice lacks specific course, professional training, theoretical foundation, guidelines, and practice consensus. However, Pedagogiskt Förhållnings-och Arbetsätt (PFA model) has the potential to offer a pedagogical attitude and a way of working within ID practice. PFA was developed in the context of Swedish ID practice and has attracted national and European interest. Most staff working in ID practice in Scandinavia are educated to upper secondary school (adolescent students) level or vocational course (adult students) level. In the present pilot study, we examined the effects of providing a web-based PFA course as a complement to the Swedish national curriculum. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the effects of self-assessed knowledge and learning using a web-based PFA course intervention on an adult vocational course. The study involved a quantitative intervention approach involving two equivalent groups in an experimental design: an experimental group (n = 12) and a comparison group (n = 46). These groups were administered a pre-test and a post-test questionnaire that estimated their knowledge of the course through self-reporting tests. The findings provide empirical evidence of the informed and sustained use of knowledge building through complementary web-based PFA courses.
Highlights
The Scandinavian field of intellectual disability (ID) practice lacks staff with specific course, professional training, theoretical foundations, and practice consensus
The use of the web-based PFA course module as a complement to Special Pedagogics 1, which is a part of the national curriculum for vocational courses at the upper secondary school level in Sweden, enhanced the learning outcomes
The Internet has changed the ways in which people acquire and share knowledge and interact. This pilot study provided empirical evidence that the informed and sustained use of knowledge building through complementary web-based PFA course significantly improved the self-assessed knowledge of students taking Special Pedagogics 1
Summary
The Scandinavian field of intellectual disability (ID) practice lacks staff with specific course, professional training, theoretical foundations, and practice consensus. The staff engaged in ID practice play a pivotal role, but they are often left to devise strategies by themselves; receive minimal training or guidance on how to support individuals with ID; frequently provide support on their own or with co-workers, who are ill-prepared or inexperienced [1]. In the United Kingdom and Australia, active support appears to be the major work guiding staff in ID practice [2,3,4,5,6], called person-centered active support [7]. Different compensatory methods are used: for example, Alternative and Complementary Communication, naming different communication procedures and methods It can consist of signs such as support, pictures, symbols, concrete objects, talking aids and computers.
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