Disabilities In Mainstream Classrooms Research Articles

From individual to inclusive: exploring the spectrum of service delivery models in occupational therapist—teacher collaborations

AbstractCollaborative practice between teachers and occupational therapists is promoted as best-practice to support the inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms. However, interprofessional practice across the disciplines of education and health is complicated, and success is mediated by personal, professional, and system factors. This qualitative ethnographic study used shadowing, contextual conversations, and interviews to explore collaboration between teachers (n = 11) and occupational therapists (n = 10) in mainstream primary schools (n = 10) in three Australian states to better understand how context impacts practice. Findings reveal that collaborative practice is influenced both by the model of occupational therapy service delivery employed as well as professional differences between teachers and therapists. A move from itinerant to embedded models of service delivery may support collaboration and help bridge differences between professionals through improved communication and mutual professional development.

Promoting Inclusion in Education: Teachers’ Attitude and Self-efficacy towards Differently Abled Children in Mainstream Schools

Significant shifts in policy have been made in most of the developing nations, such as Pakistan, with regard to the inclusion of children with diverse learning needs, in particular those with disabilities. The main goal of this study was to investigate the attitudes and self-efficacy of teachers towards differently abled children in mainstream schools. Data was collected from three hundred and sixty one (361) primary school teachers working in Multan District, where an inclusive education pilot project is being implemented, using a quantitative research design. The results regarding the teachers’ current practices, teachers’ attitudes, and teachers’ sense of self-efficacy towards differently abled children indicate an overall positive attitude in mainstream schools. However, results showed that on the basis of teacher’s gender, location, professional, and academic qualifications there was no statistically significant difference in their attitude except in the domain of teaching experience. The current study suggests that teachers’ in Multan need to be required to engage in professional training focused on effectively managing students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms. These trainings seem to be offering great support for these teachers.

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF PROFESSIONAL ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS OF ALAMINOS DISTRICT

The success of inclusion or organized placement of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms largely depends on teachers’ attitudes towards students with special educational needs (SEN) and their knowledge on how to properly educate them. This study dealt with teachers’ assessment on attitudes, self-efficacy and concerns towards inclusive education, teachers’ perception on the extent of the use of inclusive practices, the relationship of teachers’ attitude, self-efficacy and concerns on their perception on the extent of the use of inclusive practices and the development and evaluation of the Professional Enhancement Program on Inclusive Education. The study employed descriptive and correlational analysis methods. The participants were 139 public elementary teachers in Alaminos District and four (4) experts. Data analysis utilized frequency counts, percentage, weighted mean, and Pearson-r correlation. Findings revealed that teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education were moderately favourable, self-efficacy was high, and concern was moderate. Inclusive practices were perceived to be frequently used by the teachers. Teachers’ attitude, self-efficacy and concerns have significant relationship with the teacher’s perception on the extent of the use of inclusive practices. As assessed by the experts, the developed Professional Enhancement program on Inclusive education was rated as “Excellent”. It is highly recommended that the developed Professional Enhancement program be used by the schools offering inclusive education.

The attitudes of parents of typically developing students towards including students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms in the United Arab Emirates

AbstractThis study investigates the attitudes of parents of typically developing students towards teaching students with disabilities in the mainstream classrooms, in relation to various family characteristics. This quantitative research employed a descriptive questionnaire survey to investigate the attitudes of parents of typically developing students towards teaching learners with disabilities in regular classrooms. A total of 419 parents of students from Cycle 1 and 2 classrooms in the United Arab Emirates completed the questionnaire. Parents showed positive attitudes towards teaching students with disabilities in the mainstream classrooms. Respondents who had no schooling were found to express more positive attitudes than those who had a college or university education, as were those with a ‘schooling’ level of education. The results revealed no significant relationship between respondents' attitudes towards inclusion and their gender, age, place of residence or the number of children in the family. The UAE Ministry of Education should recognize the importance of this study's findings when implementing the ministerial resolution regarding the philosophy of educational inclusion in all mainstream schools in the UAE. This can be seen as a measure to improve the quality of life and education of all marginalized students, especially those with disabilities.

Inclusion of learners with learning disabilities in the Vaal Triangle mainstream classrooms.

South Africa adopted a policy on inclusive education in 2001 to ensure that all learners are accommodated and accepted in the classrooms despite their differences. This study was aimed at exploring the inclusion of learners with learning disabilities in mainstream primary schools for teaching and learning. This study followed a qualitative approach embedded in a descriptive phenomenological design. Data were generated through in-depth interviews with individual participants and were analysed thematically for content. Six teachers from six different mainstream primary school classrooms were purposefully selected for the study. Findings revealed that overcrowding, time constraints and lack of parental involvement impede the inclusion of learners with learning disabilities in mainstream classrooms. However, teachers use: (1) multi-level teaching, (2) concrete teaching and/or learning aids, (3) differentiated instruction and (4) code-switching in accommodating learners with learning disabilities. This study argues that for learners with learning disabilities to be more included in mainstream classrooms, the learner population should be reduced to a maximum of 30 learners per class, and collaboration with parents should be enhanced. Also, the arrangement of learners for teaching and learning could be limited to small groups consisting of four to five learners. Multi-level teaching and differentiated instruction should be applied in settings that do not require learners to be separated from their peers without learning disabilities. This study will help improve teachers' inclusive classroom pedagogical practices for all learners including those with learning disabilities.

Inclusive Play-Based Learning: Approaches from Enacting Kindergarten Teachers.

Policies related to the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms have led to questions regarding how teachers can help cultivate inclusive learning communities where all children are supported and valued. In play-based kindergarten programs, teachers are tasked with ensuring goals for children’s learning and development are cultivated in play. However, debates persist regarding the optimal role of the teacher in play and how to meaningfully support the play of children with disabilities. The current multiple case study explored the perspectives and approaches of three kindergarten teachers who highly valued, and strived to enable, participation and inclusion in play-based learning, referred to here as enactors. A minimum of three hours of observation were conducted in each classroom in the fall, and semi-structured teacher interviews were conducted in the fall and spring of the school year. Enactors shared some common themes related to implementing play-based learning to promote inclusion, including a balance of child agency and teacher guidance, involvement that is child-centred and flexible, and the importance of supporting social interactions in play. These views informed both common and unique practices observed in play, including one-on-one conversations, supporting small groups, becoming an active play partner, and collaboratively addressing problems that arose in play. These results illustrate ways enactors gave meaning to the concept of inclusion through their play practices, providing salient examples of play alongside teachers’ craft knowledge to help support inclusive play-based learning practices going forward.

Emotional, Behavioral and Cognitive Self-Regulation of Children with Learning Disabilities in Arabic Mainstreamed and Specialized Middle-School Classrooms in Kuwait

This research examines how emotional, behavioral and cognitive self-regulation in children with learning disabilities is affected by the school environment in Kuwait. A quantitative design approach was chosen to gather data on emotional, behavioral and cognitive self-regulation using a bespoke self-regulation Likert scale; 56 students from grades 6-9 were surveyed from mainstreamed and specialized classrooms in Kuwait. The analysis showed statistically significant differences in emotional self-regulation; children with learning disabilities in mainstream classrooms performed lower than expected compared to children in specialized classroom. Results showed that girls in specialized classes had lower behavioral self-regulation than the boys. All mainstreamed children with learning disabilities scored lower across all axis compared to students in specialized classroom. Children’s self-regulation across all axis declined in grades 7 and 8 compared to those in grade 6; however, children in specialized classrooms recovered self-regulation skills in grade 9 compared to mainstreamed children’s self-regulation which continued to plateau through to grade 9. The study was influenced by types of services each mainstreamed and specialized class offered. Furthermore, the researchers emphasize introducing emotional self-regulation training for classroom teachers and assistants in mainstreamed classrooms. They suggest specific characteristics specialized classes can implement to recover self-regulation across all axis.

Teacher attitudes in Italy after 40 years of inclusion

In 1977, Italy adopted a policy to fully include students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms. This study surveyed the attitudes of Italian teachers towards inclusive education 40 years after this reform. The data were collected from 153 basic school teachers using the Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusion Scale (TAIS). The results indicate that the Italian teachers had a high level of commitment to inclusive education. Approximately 90% of the respondents agreed that students with special educational needs should be educated in mainstream classrooms, and only 7% felt that they should be transferred to special education classrooms instead. To improve the quality of inclusive education, the teachers most frequently mentioned the need for more in‐service training, smaller class sizes, and additional help from support teachers and therapists in the classroom.

Development and Implementation of the CIRCLE Framework

ABSTRACT We report the implementation of a new framework supporting teacher practice for inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms. Eight schools in one Scottish authority took part. Questionnaire, focus group, and interview data were gathered. Results indicated that the framework was well-received and provided a useful resource for class teachers. The framework was perceived as a feasible method for supporting teachers and related personnel to think systematically about key issues relating to children with disabilities in the classroom. It was suggested that the provision of a common language was supportive of collaborative working. Areas for revision included a system of navigation and simplification in the framework manual.

The value of differentiated instruction in the inclusion of students with special needs/ disabilities in mainstream schools

The aim of this presentation is to analyse the current international policies on inclusion and to discuss the value and use of differentiated instruction as a means to the inclusion of students with special needs/ disabilities in mainstream settings. The movement to inclusion requires teachers to create inclusive learning environments, which would encourage the use of practices that would benefit all students. In this respect, differentiated instruction has rapidly evolved as a teaching approach to meet the diverse and heterogeneous needs of students with special needs/ disabilities in mainstream classrooms. Modifying and adjusting instruction to allow all students in a classroom to access the general education curriculum is at the heart of inclusive education. In this presentation, I shall discuss the development of differentiated instruction as a means to inclusion for students with special needs/ disabilities in mainstream classrooms. Information will be provided with regard to the main principles of DI as well as the basic criteria in designing individualized adaptations for these students. In addition to this, I will review the factors which influence the development of differentiated instruction based on research findings. Finally, I will argue that differentiated instruction provides a learning environment which takes into consideration the individual characteristics of students and, as such, is a useful approach for the inclusion of students with special needs/ disabilities in mainstream settings.

Influence of parental attitude towards inclusive education for CWSN: A study in Barpeta district, Assam, India

The concept of inclusion is based on the ideas of providing equal opportunities to all children depending upon their individual needs and diverse nature. Right to belongingness should be one of the prime opportunities to all children both normal and deficient to value the uniformity in a country. The term inclusive education means much more than integrated education. It refers to an education system that accommodates all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions. The term inclusive education refers to education of all children without discrimination of attainment, gender or disability into the regular school. Inclusion is minimizing exclusion and fostering participation for all children in the culture within a wider framework of support of all children in general schools. Inclusion is a mean to provide opportunities to children regardless the differences. Here emphasis has been given on adapting the environment to accommodate the disability instead of treating the deficit. The success of inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms largely depends on parents’ attitudes towards their children with special needs. Parents play a significant role in the upbringing, protection and development of children. Parenting involves providing moral support, companion, and ensures good habits and supporting basic needs including education. Hence attitude of parents can effectively change the perspective of inclusive education Attitude of parents is one of the decisive factors to make inclusive education successful. Their attitude is crucial as they have unique knowledge about the child’s strengths and needs. They are directly involved in Inclusive Education Program development and educational placement of their children. In order to full participation in developing IEP of children, parents must have knowledge about specific disabilities. In the present paper an attempt has been made to study the attitude of parents towards inclusive education for CWSN in Barpeta District, Assam, India.

A Study on the Awareness of Behavioral Issues of Children with Intellectual Disabilities among General Education Teachers in Inclusive Schools

Inclusion, or organized placement of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, has certainly been one of the major topics in education for the last two decades. However, it was not until quite recently that teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of children with special educational needs (SENs) became the focus of extensive research. Present study was conducted with the objective to see the awareness of school teachers of Chandigarh regarding the behavioral issues of children with Intellectual disabilities. It was conducted on the 90 samples with three different teaching experience criteria and modified research questionnaire. After the analysis of data it is found that F ration of the three groups found .994, .399 and .423 respectively, which shows that P>0.05 level. So there is no difference in the awareness of school teachers of Chandigarh regarding behavioral issues of children with ID in inclusive schools.

L’école Gulliver and La Borde: An ethnographic account of collectivist integration and institutional psychotherapy

ABSTRACTThis article draws on ethnographic research at L’école Gulliver, a preschool in Paris that integrates children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms with non-disabled peers. The preschool provides a case example of a collectivist integration approach to constructing shared institutional life, which is conceptualized in part through their connection to the work of Felix Guattari with psychiatric patients at a French in-patient clinic, La Borde. At both La Borde and Gulliver, daily life and institutional practices are structured to maximize transversality, with the intention of fostering a new kind of “group-subject” that is responsive to the realities of daily institutional life. We argue that practices at Gulliver challenge progressive inclusive teaching practices that largely ignore or neglect to account for the emotional difficulties of inclusion. Their approach challenges the focus in progressive inclusive education on the individual child or educator to the detriment of understanding the power of the collective production of subjectivities. At Gulliver, the experience of disability is a shared reference point across the group, and although it is experienced differently for different individuals, it is central to the construction of a group-subject that, in being more expansive and responsible than any individual, is to the benefit of all.

Co-teachers’ attitudes towards planning and instructional activities for students with disabilities

Co-teaching is considered a means for improving the inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms. This research employs a mixed methods research approach to investigate teachers’ attitudes towards co-teaching practices for students with disabilities in Greek schools. In total, 400 co-teachers completed a survey questionnaire and 10 of them participated in semi-structured interviews, in which they reported co-teaching practices with regard to planning and evaluation activities, co-teaching models, content of teaching and instructional grouping arrangements. The participants stated that the time they spend to plan and evaluate together is insufficient and that they need more time to perform these activities. In addition, co-teachers were found to use their limited time to separate rather than to co-plan or evaluate co-teaching activities. They reported inconsistencies in the rating of co-teaching activities during planning and evaluation. Even though co-teachers approved a specific stance towards all models of co-teaching, they mainly noted that they implemented supportive co-teaching. Also, they stated that they modify the content of teaching for their students with disabilities, but they limit this practice to individual teaching in order to assist these students to overcome specific difficulties. Finally, co-teachers indicated that they prefer to teach the students with disabilities in mixed ability groups rather than to teach them individually out of the class. The results of this research support those of previous studies with regard to the planning needs of co-teachers and the prevalence of the supportive co-teaching model. In addition, our results inform the field about diverse approaches and inconsistencies in delivering the curriculum and the grouping arrangements for students with disabilities. We argue that professional development on the practical implementation of co-teaching and administrative support are necessary to enhance co-teachers’ activities towards the development of an inclusive culture.

Teachers’ Knowledge and Attitude towards Inclusive Education: Basis for an Enhanced Professional Development Program

The success of inclusion or organised placement of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms largely depends on teachers’ attitudes towards students with special educational needs (SEN) and their knowledge on how to properly educate them. In quite a number of studies, the attitude of teachers towards educating students with SEN has been put forward as a decisive factor in making schools more inclusive. If mainstream teachers do not accept the education of these students as an integral part of their job, they will try to ensure that someone else (often the special educational needs teacher) takes responsibility for these students and will organise covert segregation in the school (e.g. the special class). This study uses descriptive survey method to investigate international school teachers’ knowledge and attitude towards inclusive education of SEN students in the Eastern Seaboard region of Thailand in the school year 2013-2014. Fifty-two male and female general education and special educational needs teachers who work full time in four international schools in the region completed the Modified Opinions Relative to the Integration of Children with Disabilities (MORID) survey. The respondents had moderate knowledge on inclusive education and revealed neutral attitude towards inclusion. There is a need for schools to provide more special educational needs training, sufficient learning support providers and educational resources as well as in-depth specialisation courses that provide specialised practices for implementing the SEN strategies in their classrooms as well as offering teaching strategies on how to bridge theory and practice. Learning Support Programmes and the actual delivery of these programmes should be developed in terms of individual education plan (IEP) provision, curriculum modifications and classroom adaptations that are appropriate for students with special educational needs. Keywords: knowledge, attitudes, inclusive education, inclusion, special educational needs students

Conceptual diversities and empirical shortcomings – a critical analysis of research on inclusive education

The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse research about inclusive education. Prior reviews and the outcome of a recent search of databases are analysed with regard to (a) how inclusion is defined and (b) what empirical knowledge there is regarding factors that make schools and classrooms more inclusive. Our point of departure is that we regard inclusion as an idea about what school systems, schools and classrooms should accomplish, and as such, an expression of an educational philosophy. Four different understandings of inclusive education were found: (a) inclusion as the placement of pupils with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, (b) inclusion as meeting the social/academic needs of pupils with disabilities, (c) inclusion as meeting the social/academic needs of all pupils and (d) inclusion as creation of communities. Under a strict definition of inclusive education, hardly any research was found which reliably identified factors that give rise to inclusive processes. The outcome of our analyses are discussed from the perspective that different understandings of inclusion should be seen, to a large extent, as expressions of different views of what schools should accomplish. We also propose that some of the adherents to inclusion as creation of communities can be placed in the grand educational tradition reaching back to Dewey that tries to establish new ideals for school systems in a society in which individualism is perhaps the main ideology. The main conclusions are that the operative meaning of inclusion in reviews and empirical research should be much more clearly defined and that new types of studies are needed.

Parental perspectives and challenges in inclusive education in Singapore

Relatively little work has focused on inclusive education in Singapore. This study examines the experiences and perceptions of parents whose children with disabilities are attending mainstream secondary schools in Singapore. Data was drawn from interviews with 13 parents of children with mild disabilities. Our findings reveal that parental perspective on inclusive education in Singapore is not only about classroom support but also reflects a deeper concern about whether their children with disabilities will emerge from school as contributing individuals in society. While parents strive to effectively include their children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, there were dichotomies in their (1) understanding of disabilities, (2) expectations of school support, and (3) expectations for their child with disabilities. Given that academic and social prowess is a critical prerequisite to have a shot at entering the meritocratic Singapore society, the tension parents experience is to gauge a reasonable amount of pressure to exert on their children, the school and themselves as they assert their children's educational entitlements within an imperfect but evolving state of inclusion.

Inclusion of Children with Hearing Impairment in Schools: A Survey on Teachers’ Attitudes

Purpose: Inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms has become the focus of extensive research in education. It has both academic and social benefits for all students, such as providing opportunities for communication and social interaction. The evaluation of teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion appears to be a good method to determine the success of the programme. Although this has been widely researched in many countries, the available evidence is not consistent. This study was undertaken in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India, to measure and compare teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of children with hearing impairment in schools. Method: A questionnaire developed by Giles and Tanner (1995) measuring three domains - (1) effective strategies for meeting the needs of all students, (2) the support for educational change in their district, and (3) inclusive education - was modified in keeping with cultural and geographical variations and used as the test tool. A hundred teachers of various Government and non-Government schools in 2 districts of Andhra Pradesh, India, participated in the study. Results: Higher scores on domain 1 indicate that teachers feel effective strategies to benefit students with disabilities should be implemented in schools. The results also indicate that most teachers are agreeable to the inclusion of students with disabilities in their classrooms. Significant difference in attitudes was observed, based on the teachers’ qualifications, teaching experience, gender, level of teaching and management. Conclusion: The study concludes that there is a need for intervention to foster more positive attitudes among teachers, if the implementation of inclusive education is to succeed. It also has implications for the framing of laws and policies for children with hearing impairments.

The influence of teaching experience and professional development on Greek teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion

On the assumption that the successful implementation of any inclusive policy is largely dependent on educators being positive about it, a survey was undertaken into the attitudes of Greek teachers to inclusion. The 155 respondents were general education primary teachers drawn from one region of Northern Greece, with a proportion deliberately selected from schools identified as actively implementing inclusive programmes. The analysis revealed positive attitudes towards the general concept of inclusion but variable views on the difficulty of accommodating different types of disabilities in mainstream classrooms. Teachers who had been actively involved in teaching pupils with SEN held significantly more positive attitudes than their counterparts with little or no such experience. The analysis also demonstrated the importance of substantive long‐term training in the formation of positive teacher attitudes towards inclusion. The paper concludes with recommendations for developing critical professional development courses that can result in attitudinal change and the formulation of genuinely inclusive practices.

Training and Intervention in South Africa

Training and Intervention in South Africa