School Special Education Teachers Research Articles

고교학점제 선택과목 운영 방안과 지원에 관한 고등학교 특수학급 교사의 인식과 요구

This study explored the perceptions and needs of special education teachers regarding the operation plans and support for high school credit elective courses for students with special needs in inclusive education settings. A survey was conducted targeting 195 high school special education teachers across the country. The results of this study showed that teachers perceived that elective subjects can provide customized academic and career guidance for students with disabilities however, they also noted that the low desire of students with disabilities in various subjects and range of participating students should be taken into consideration. Additionally, it was recognized that additional special education teachers and specific guidelines are needed to operate elective subjects. In the case of online elective courses, it was recognized that blended learning and the development of online contents for different types of disabilities are necessary that it is appropriate to operate inter-school co-curricular programs as blended co-curricular programs within regular school hours on a fixed base school. For out-of-school education, it was recognized that the district office of education should provide both out-of-school education and classes taught by external experts in schools, and that it is necessary to secure out-of-school educational institutions and manage their quality. In order to operate elective courses for students with special needs in an inclusive education environment, the school-level support for students’ mobility is important, moreover, itinerant special teachers are needed to provide elective subjects at both the district and national levels. Based on these results, implication for the operation of high school credit elective courses for students with special needs in inclusive education settings and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Retention of teachers in special education schools and special education classes: The importance of social support and psychological empowerment

AbstractThe current study examined what makes special education teachers remain in the profession. We will examine this, uniquely, separately among teachers in special education schools versus special education classes in general education schools. Participants were 212 special education teachers in special education schools and 257 in special education classes. Teachers completed questionnaires on social support, psychological empowerment, job satisfaction and future occupational plans. Results revealed significant associations between social support, psychological empowerment, job satisfaction and teachers' future plans. In addition, teachers in special education classes experienced lower levels of perceived social support and psychological empowerment compared to those in special education schools. A non‐significant moderation effect was found for the association between social support, psychological empowerment and satisfaction, with the occupational plans of teachers in both contexts. These findings demonstrate the importance of providing support for and strengthening the sense of psychological empowerment of special education teachers, particularly those who teach in special education classes in general education schools.

Factors for a successful transition to the labor market for persons with disabilities: The perspective of special education teachers in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Despite legislation that promotes the transition of young people from school to work and the increasing knowledge of the factors that contribute to successful transitions, young people with disabilities face lower rates of participation in employment, education, and vocational training compared to their non-disabilities peers. OBJECTIVE: The paper aims to examine the perspective of special education teachers (SET) regarding the success factors of the transition to the labor market for persons with disabilities after graduating from secondary school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: To conduct the research, we used a questionnaire; participants were sampled intentionally, and they were a representative sample at the level of Riyadh city (N = 180) of secondary school SET in the 2022/2023 school year. RESULTS: Educators have identified several factors critical to success in the labor market transition which can be separated into three categories; 1) person-centered factors, 2) family-specific factors, and 3) community instruction-specific factors. There were no statistically significant differences between the responses of participating SET according to their demographic characteristics (gender, educational level, and years of teaching experience) and the factors for successful labor market transition for persons with disability questionnaire. The results were interpreted in light of the theoretical framework and previous studies, and many recommendations were made for those that employ persons with disabilities. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight some of the areas that are critical to the labor market transition: employment and vocational skills’ training in secondary school, and families and community members’ attitudes and high expectations for the future of persons with disabilities.

Interactions between special education teachers and children with chronic complex conditions: A qualitative study

Background The number of children with complex medical conditions has increased in recent decades. In this context, a complex chronic condition is characterized by multiple morbidities that require intensive or continuous health care according to the level of severity. Given their various health conditions, it is challenging to provide special education to these children, but there is still insufficient evidence regarding the practical experiences of educators. The aim of this study was to investigate special education teacher’s perceptions, experiences, and challenges while developing interpersonal relationships and communicating with children who have complex chronic conditions. Methods We recruited and interviewed 21 special education school teachers in Japan. The transcripts of the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Our analysis revealed four themes, including “searching for the meaning,” “complex chronic conditions as a difficult reality,” “widening experience for the future,” and “priority for interacting with children.” These themes reflect the perceptions, experiences, and challenges of the special education teachers. Conclusions In cases where children have severe functional limitations, it is more challenging to understand child-teacher interactions. This highlights the importance of searching for meaning in educational practices used among children with complex chronic conditions. Our findings may provide helpful insight into the experiences and challenges faced by special educators who engage with these children.

Perceptions of Special Education Homeroom Teachers by Parents and Teachers in Israel

Homeroom teachers in special education make outstanding efforts and are extremely devoted to their work. However, they must contend with frustrated parents who are disappointed with the inability of these teachers to meet their needs and expectations. Accordingly, it is of great interest to examine parents' perceptions of the role of the homeroom teacher in special education. The current study examines these perceptions regarding four dimensions of the homeroom teacher’s functioning versus the parents: Professionality, trustworthiness, availability, and empowerment. Parents' perceptions were examined in comparison with those of teachers at special education schools. The sample included 100 parents and 101 teachers in special education schools. The data were collected by a questionnaire constructed by the researchers in a previous study. The questionnaire includes four parts, examining the dimensions mentioned above. The teachers' questionnaire was identical, but they were instructed to refer to the relationship between the homeroom teacher and the parents. The findings show that the parents gave significantly lower evaluations than the teachers on all four dimensions: the homeroom teacher was perceived by the parents as less professional, less trustworthy, less available, and less empowering than evaluated by the teachers. The findings have practical implications for the training of special education teachers and for the professional development of teachers and also for coordinating expectations and defining boundaries that might help both homeroom teachers and parents form a constructive relationship.

Social (Dis)Integration: Using Social Ties and Networks to Understand Potential Sources of and Leverage Points for Middle School Special Education Teachers’ Burnout

Teachers’ social ties to colleagues are a key conduit of instructional and classroom management resources, and social and emotional support to meet teaching challenges. We argue that special education teachers’ formal and informal collegial ties are malleable contributors to factors that undergird their burnout. Using middle schools as an example, we use social network constructs and longitudinal analyses to demonstrate the limited extent to which special educators formally assigned to interdisciplinary teams actually forge and maintain constructive ties with their assigned colleagues. Furthermore, we describe the collegial qualities of the ties that special educators do form with general educators. By investigating the naturally occurring social ties of special educators within a prevalent social organization of teachers, we can identify strategies to help administrators align the formal and informal social structure of teachers, and interventions to support the qualities of special educators that promote strong ties to general educators, thereby increasing the social integration of special education teachers.

The impact of an online training program on pre-service teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about dyslexia

ABSTRACT This study aimed to assess the impact of online dyslexia training on the knowledge and beliefs of 64 pre-service special education and primary school teachers regarding dyslexia. The Scale of Knowledge and Beliefs about Developmental Dyslexia was utilised to gauge participants’ understanding and perspectives on dyslexia. The training specifically targeted the enhancement of early literacy, reading fluency, and reading comprehension skills in children with dyslexia over 2 weeks. Results indicated a significant improvement in participants’ knowledge and beliefs concerning dyslexia following the online training. These findings suggest that the online dyslexia training holds promise in enhancing pre-service teachers’ grasp of dyslexia. The study discusses limitations and provides recommendations for future research to further refine online training strategies and address persistent challenges in assisting students with dyslexia.

일반고등학교 특수교사의 진로·직업교육 경험에 관한 현상학적 연구

General high schools continue the academic tradition in South Korea. This phenomenological study aimed to determine the meaning of career and vocational education experiences for nine general high school special education teachers. Data were collected from interviews, vocational education documents, special classes management plans, literary works, and vocabulary representing the subject. To ensure research integrity, it underwent participant review, peer review, review through the Relational Responsive Community, and IRB review. The organization and interpretation of the collected data consisted of a circular structure that expanded the epistemological and ontological horizons of the research question by creating new questions through hermeneutic circulation and conducting interviews again. The study results found that the essential themes were ‘Bottom of rank: General high school ecosystem cannot be sympathized with,’ ‘Special classes in schools within schools,’ and ‘Special teachers who grow with an existential understanding of students with disabilities’. Through this study results, we discussed disabled students should be able to have valuable experiences that lead to social integration through general high school life, special classes should be restructured, and special teachers should run special classes with an existential understanding of disabled students and the need to grow in self-understanding.

Interactions between special education teachers and children with chronic complex conditions: A qualitative study.

The number of children with complex medical conditions has increased in recent decades. In this context, a complex chronic condition is characterized by multiple morbidities that require intensive or continuous health care according to the level of severity. Given their various health conditions, it is challenging to provide special education to these children, but there is still insufficient evidence regarding the practical experiences of educators. The aim of this study was to investigate special education teacher's perceptions, experiences, and challenges while developing interpersonal relationships and communicating with children who have complex chronic conditions. We recruited and interviewed 21 special education school teachers in Japan. The transcripts of the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Our analysis revealed four themes, including "searching for the meaning," "complex chronic conditions as a difficult reality," "widening experience for the future," and "priority for interacting with children." These themes reflect the perceptions, experiences, and challenges of the special education teachers. In cases where children have severe functional limitations, it is more challenging to understand child-teacher interactions. This highlights the importance of searching for meaning in educational practices used among children with complex chronic conditions. Our findings may provide helpful insight into the experiences and challenges faced by special educators who engage with these children.

The Effectiveness of School Leaders' Leadership in National Special Education School in Kuala Lumpur

Every school needs a comprehensive plan to produce well-rounded students who meet their physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and social needs. Therefore, the success of a school is determined by the cohesive cooperation between the school community and the stakeholders managed by the school leader. However, a research study found that leaders in special education schools still need to understand the necessary leadership strategies to implement. Failure to do so can result in weak or ineffective leadership. Hence, this study analyzed the leadership level of school leaders in special education schools in Kuala Lumpur. The data was obtained through a quantitative method, which involved conducting a survey using questionnaires as the research instrument. The questionnaire was distributed to 66 special education school teachers. The results showed that the leadership level of special education school leaders for the domain of creating a conducive school environment (overall min: 2.70), improving the competence of school members (overall min: 2.48), and creating partnerships and networking (overall min: 2.63) was at a modest level. Therefore, the stakeholders in the Regional Education Office, State Education Department, and the Malaysian Ministry of Education need to collaborate and channel their efforts towards raising the leadership capabilities of special education school leaders to the highest possible level. It will enable the implementation of the PPPM 2013-2025 goal to place high-achieving leaders in every school.

Constructing ‘the parents’ in primary schools in Greece: special education teachers’ whispers

The Greek educational system is highly centralized and the communication between parents and teachers is considered as a marginal or a grey area in the school function. Educational legislation favours parents’ involvement rather than participation and implies an imbalance between parents and professionals. Drawing on a study using a life history approach, this paper considers the ways in which special education teachers in both special education schools and integration units perceive the parents of their students. The boundaries between expert knowledge and personal experience form a contested terrain of power relationships. These relationships are shaped by circumstances and are highly contextualized. Special school teachers deem parents in a deficit discourse while Integration unit teachers deem parents in a client discourse. The construction of the “parents” seems to be a gendered and social class issue as well. This work also reveals some implications for the teachers’ training programmes in order to ensure a more equal partnership at more inclusive and democratic schools.

Scaffolding Learning Via Multimodal STEM Text Sets for Students With Learning Disabilities

The importance of text complexity has gained recognition since the Common Core State Standards (CCSS-ELA) were developed. The Linking Science and Literacy for All Learners (LS&L4AL) program uses multimodal STEM text sets to link reading grade-band complex texts with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) sense-making. We define a multimodal STEM text set as a coherent collection of resources pertaining to an anchor phenomenon and line of inquiry that support learners’ acquiring the disciplinary literacy skills and sense-making called for by the NGSS and CCSS-ELA shared practices. The anchor phenomenon and line of inquiry are determined by the anchor text—a rich, complex grade-band level text about natural phenomena with research-generated data from recent STEM primary literature. In this study, we report on a qualitative analysis of how English language arts, special education, and science middle school teachers ( N=11) scaffolded instruction to support students, including students with learning disabilities, in reading complex STEM texts to develop sense-making of scientific phenomena.

Resilience of Teachers in Special Education Schools in Guizhou Province, China through Administration: Ecological Systems Theory Analysis

Background and Aims: This paper aim to investigate that teachers in special education schools have poor teacher resilience, mainly in the form of psychological stress that leads to mental health problems and consequent poor teaching effectiveness. Methods: Through the quantitative approach, this paper investigates the phenomenon. Results: The results suggest that special education schools should develop a comprehensive support system for in-service teachers in their administration based on the interaction of the systems within, between, beyond, and the cross system. Conclusion: It is hoped that through the adaptation of classroom teaching methods and materials to the realities of special education, collaboration between general education teachers and special education teachers, and the establishment of a school culture that respects individual differences, the aim is to enhance the teacher resilience of teachers in special education schools.

Work-Based Learning Experiences and Students With Intellectual Disability

Abstract The purpose of this study was to describe the extent to which students with intellectual disability participate in work-based learning experiences and determine whether student characteristics (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, grade level, and support needs) relate to student participation in these activities. An online questionnaire was emailed to high school special education teachers in four states who had a state-issued teaching license in intellectual disability. A total of 266 teachers completed the questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to answer the research questions. Students participated in a variety of work-based learning experiences, with more students participating in school experiences than community experiences. The majority of work experiences were in one of three career clusters: (a) hospitality and tourism; (b) business, management, and administration; or (c) general work skills. Amount of time spent in work experiences varied greatly, with students spending more time in school experiences than community experiences. Student support needs and grade level were related to participation in community experiences. Grade level was also related to the amount of time students spent in school and community experiences.

An Investigation into the Attitude Toward Special Education Curriculum and Teaching of Special Education Teachers: The Data from China’s Guangdong Province

To further understand the curriculum and teaching attitude of teachers in special education schools in Guangdong Province, this study adopted a stratified whole-group unequal probability sampling method and selected 768 teachers from special education schools in Guangdong Province’s 21 cities for a questionnaire survey. The data on special education teachers’ attitudes towards special education curriculum and teaching were selected. Descriptive statistics, one-sample t-test, independent sample t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data and compared with the data of special education teachers’ attitudes towards special education curriculum and teaching in the National Survey of Special Education Teacher Professional Development (NSETPDS). The results indicated that the cognitive response of special education teachers in Guangdong Province to the special education curriculum and teaching attitude is positive (M=1.81, SD=0.51), significantly higher than that of the national special education teachers. The emotional response and general attitude were positive but significantly lower than that of the national special education teachers. The attitude of male special education teachers toward the special education curriculum and teaching was significantly higher than that of female special education teachers. Special education teachers with more than 20 years of teaching experience had a more positive attitude towards special education curriculum and teaching than those with 1-5 years of teaching experience. Based on the analysis of the research results, some suggestions are put forward to provide a basis for the professional development of teachers in Guangdong Province.

TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE LEVEL OF EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE AND REGULATION OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS

Emotional disturbance and regulation are key elements in special education classes but are still understudied. This study explores the topic of the emotions of students with special educational needs (SEN). The objective of this study is to examine the level of special education teachers' knowledge of (i) emotional disturbance and (ii) emotional regulation in SEN students. This study uses a quantitative approach in the form of survey as research design. A total of 74 primary school special education teachers were involved as respondents through a simple random sampling technique. Instrument used is a questionnaire adapted from the Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire by Mirabile (2014). Cronbach's Alpha validity obtained for the instrument after adaptation and pilot study was .838. Data was collected by distributing online questionnaire to the population of primary special education teachers through social media. Descriptive analysis was conducted on collected data through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software and summarized in table form. The findings of this study show a high level of special education teachers' knowledge of emotional disturbance in SEN students (mean=3.56) while teachers' knowledge of emotional regulation in SEN students recorded a moderate level (mean=2.94). Special education teachers have basic knowledge of emotions in SEN students but yet to reach the optimal level. The planning and implementation of learning in special education classes needs to emphasize the importance of regulating students' emotions and the role of teachers in emotions coregulations with SEN students.

Interactions between special education teachers and children with chronic complex conditions: A qualitative study

Background: The number of children with complex medical conditions has increased in recent decades. In this context, a complex chronic condition is characterized by multiple morbidities that require intensive or continuous health care according to the level of severity. Given their various health conditions, it is challenging to provide special education to these children, but there is still insufficient evidence regarding the practical experiences of educators. The aim of this study was to investigate special education teacher’s perceptions, experiences, and challenges while developing interpersonal relationships and communicating with children who have complex chronic conditions. Methods: We recruited and interviewed 21 special education school teachers. The transcripts of the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Our analysis revealed four themes, including “searching for the meaning,” “complex chronic conditions as a difficult reality,” “widening experience for the future,” and “priority for interacting with children.” These themes reflect the perceptions, experiences, and challenges of the special education teachers. Conclusions: In cases where children have severe functional limitations, it is more challenging to understand child-teacher interactions. This highlights the importance of searching for meaning in educational practices used among children with complex chronic conditions. Our findings may provide helpful insight into the experiences and challenges faced by special educators who engage with these children.

Special Education Teachers’ Job Satisfaction and its effect on Employee Retention

Special education teachers need the appropriate environment, collaboration opportunities, and overall support from administrators as it drives everything related to the intent to remain in the field. This study utilizes a descriptive correlation approach to describe the level of job satisfaction and employee retention of the 30 public school special education teachers in Davao City. Data were gathered through an adopted survey questionnaire. Results of the study showed that while teachers have a high level of Job Satisfaction, there are areas that need support in compensation and job content. Meanwhile, their employee retention is also high but needs more provision in areas of physiological and safety needs. Thus, job satisfaction and employee retention among special education teachers have a significantly high positive correlation. If the special education teacher is satisfied with their work even if it is challenging to teach special children, they will still stay in their work. It is recommended that the Department of Education should continue to provide professional development and career opportunities to teachers to maintain excellent performance and the intent to remain in the field of education.

Special education teachers’ emotional intelligence and its relationships with social support, work engagement and job performance: a job demands-resources theory’s perspective

Based on the Job Demands-Resources theory, this research investigated the multiple mediating role of special education teachers’ social support and work engagement in the relationship between their emotional intelligence and job performance. Data of 710 Chinese mainland teachers in special education schools were analyzed. The results showed that emotional intelligence directly predicted job performance. Both social support and work engagement partially mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and job performance. Furthermore, social support and work engagement serially mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and job performance. The limitations and implications for future studies and practices are discussed.

Supporting Families to Motivate Their Middle School Student During Homework Time

Nearly every secondary-age student must complete homework for their classes, and for many students with disabilities, completing homework at home is a struggle. Students with disabilities often require substantial support to execute homework assignments, and this responsibility frequently falls to their families. This dynamic can create a stressful environment for working at home. Although supports may be in place at school to ensure a student’s success, at home, families often wonder how to reduce stress and improve their child’s success during homework time. This article provides middle and high school special education teachers and case managers with a step-by-step plan for supporting families and their students as they plan for and implement a structured homework routine with built-in supports.