The Correlation between the Understanding on Children with Special Needs and Teaching Profession with the Performance of Pre-Service Teacher in Internship Program at School for Persons with Disability

Abstract

ABSTRACT : This research aims to reveal the correlation between the understanding of pre-service teacher at schools for persons with disability or SLB (Sekolah Luar Biasa) about children with special needs or ABK (Anak Berkebutuhan Khusus) as an independent variable X1 and understanding of the teaching profession as an independent variable X2, with their performance in carrying out internship activities at SLB as the dependent variable Y. By applying a quantitative research approach, t he results of the study showed that: understanding of ABK was low with Mean X1 = 1.694; understanding of the teaching profession was high with Mean X2 = 3.071; and the performance of the internship was also low with Mean Y = 1.764. The results of the correlative analysis show that the understanding of the ABK has a very high correlation with the internship performance with rX1Y = 0.946; the understanding of the teaching profession has a low correlation with the internship performance with rX2Y = 0.339; while the two independent variables have moderate correlated with the dependent variable with rX1X2Y = 0.477. It could be interpreted that a sense of concern for the difficulties faced by persons with disabilities is less influential in shaping the professional attitude of prospective teachers than their motivation to enjoy the various benefits that can be obtained if working as a teacher. Therefore, it is recommended that visiting SLB activities should be made as part of an orientation program for new students before the first lecture begins. In addition, the university offered scholarships to family members with disabilities and children of SLB teachers to attract their interest in continuing their education as prospective SLB teachers. KEY WORDS: Children with Special Needs; Teacher Professionals; Internship Program; School for Students with Special Needs. About the Author: Prof. Abdorrakhman Gintings, Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer at the UNINUS ( Universitas Islam Nusantara or Islamic University of Indonesian Archipelago) in Bandung City, West Java, Indonesia. For academic interests, the author is able to be contacted via e-mail address at: abdorrakhman.gintings@uninus.ac.id Suggested Citation: Gintings, Abdorrakhman. (2019). “The Correlation between the Understanding on Children with Special Needs and Teaching Profession with the Performance of Pre-Service Teacher in Internship Program at School for Persons with Disability” in EDUCARE: International Journal for Educational Studies , Volume 11(2), February, pp.127-138. Bandung, Indonesia: Minda Masagi Press owned by ASPENSI with ISSN 1979-7877 (print) and ISSN 2621-587X (online). A rticle Timeline : Accepted (December 22, 2018); Revised (January 27, 2019); and Published (February 28, 2019).