Special Education Settings Research Articles

Resolving dilemmas: Swedish special educators and subject teachers’ perspectives on their enactment of inclusive education

ABSTRACT This article presents the findings from an interview study with 12 subject teachers and special educators in three Swedish lower secondary schools. The purpose of the study was to explore how school professionals perceive and respond to dilemmas related to inclusive education that require prioritizations between conflicting values, principles or goals. Through the use of conceptual tools and theoretical notions of policy enactment, the article sheds light on how such dilemmas can be played out in practice. Four different dilemmas were discerned in the analysis: special vs. general education settings, external control vs. professional freedom, curricular demands vs. students’ needs and individual vs. group. The analysis illustrates how actors’ perceptions and responses to dilemmas can be framed by policy demands in different ways, but also by contextual factors and the actors’ roles and positions in their schools. In this way, the article provides a partly new understanding of such processes in relation to previous research. Moreover, it is argued in the article that the notion of dilemmas provides an educational dimension that can be an important addition in analyses of policy enactment.

A dynamic process model for continued integration between ECE and EI/ECSE teacher preparation programs

ABSTRACT Early childhood and early childhood special education programs have predominantly been separate teacher preparation programs that prepare novice teachers for general or special education settings. However, with a growing shift toward inclusion, as well as a shortage of educators with training to teach all children, there is a need for teacher preparation programs to prepare all early childhood educators to support all children and engage all families. This article describes one institute of higher education’s integrated program and the program’s process to align coursework with both the Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators and Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators. We do this by discussing (a) the landscape of teacher education and integrated programs, (b) one IHE’s integrated program history, (c) our process for embedding standards, and (d) next steps.

Teaching science to students with special educational needs: a systematic review of science teaching-learning approaches in regular and special education settings

ABSTRACT In this systematic review, a series of didactic proposals and experiences that have been developed over recent years in formal education are presented with the common purpose of ensuring that students with special educational needs learn science. Initially, only 54 publications on the topic were identified, which underlines the scarce research over the last 20 years and the small percentage of papers published in research journals and conference proceedings within this area. From among those publications, our review is focused on the 27 that report the implementation of didactic interventions: 11 at specific special education centres and 16 at regular educational centres. Explicit instruction was considered a fundamental strategy in the first group, while varied experiences and methods were among the most relevant approach in the second group. In addition, both educational environments involve learner-centred teaching approaches, with the implementation of inquiry-based and hands-on activities, in line with the general results of research in Science Education that does not specifically deal with SSEN. Ensuring that all learners have the opportunity to learn science requires more specific and complementary studies that consolidate the evidence of these results, taking into account the diversity of learners in classrooms for the benefit of all.

Universal Teacher-Child Interaction Training in early childhood special education: A cluster randomized control trial

Growing evidence suggests that Teacher-Child Interaction Training-Universal (TCIT-U) is effective for increasing teachers' use of strategies that promote positive child behavior, but more rigorous research with larger, diverse samples is needed to understand the effects of TCIT-U on teacher and child outcomes in early childhood special education. Using a cluster randomized control trial, we evaluated the effects of TCIT-U on (a) teacher skill acquisition and self-efficacy and (b) child behavior and developmental functioning. Teachers in the TCIT-U group (n = 37) exhibited significantly greater increases in positive attention skills, increased consistent responding, and decreased critical statements relative to teachers in the waitlist control group (n = 36) at post and 1-month follow-up (d's range from 0.52 to 1.61). Teachers in the TCIT-U group also exhibited significantly fewer directive statements (d's range from 0.52 to 0.79) and greater increases in self-efficacy compared to waitlist teachers at post (d's range from 0.60 to 0.76). TCIT-U was also associated with short-term benefits for child behavior. Frequency (d = 0.41) and total number of behavior problems (d = 0.36) were significantly lower in the TCIT-U group than in the waitlist group at post (but not follow-up), with small-to-medium effects. The waitlist group, but not the TCIT-U group, demonstrated an increasing trend in number of problem behaviors over time. There were no significant between-group differences in developmental functioning. Current findings build support for the effectiveness of TCIT-U as universal prevention of behavior problems with an ethnically and racially diverse sample of teachers and children, including children with developmental disabilities. Implications for implementation of TCIT-U in the early childhood special education setting are discussed.

Psychological Functioning of Teachers Working in General and Special School Settings

Education develops human personality, refine thoughts, teach how to deal with others, and prepare better human beings for life. Teachers are the pivotal element of education system as they have to inculcate the purpose of education in individuals. This research aimed to explore the relationship between two elements of psychological functioning i.e. meaning in life and life satisfaction in teachers working in different educational settings. Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit N=140 teachers; n =70 from general and n =70 from special educational settings. A cross-sectional research design was employed. Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Demographic Information Sheet were used to collect the responses of school teachers. Results showed that teachers working in the special education setting reported high search for meaning in life as compared to teachers working in the general education setting. Furthermore, male teachers reported high search of meaning in life compared to female teachers. It was also revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between presence of meaning in life and satisfaction with life in teachers. Moreover, presence of meaning in life positively predicted life satisfaction. This research will lead the administration of the education system to introduce healthy reforms to improve psychological functioning of teachers and prepare them for upcoming challenges in the educational field.

Preschool teachers’ music-specific professional development preferences: Does teaching experience matter?

The purpose of this study was to investigate Hong Kong preschool teachers’ music-specific professional development (PD) preferences and analyze the potential differences among teachers with varying levels of teaching experience (beginning, experienced, and advanced). A survey was developed to assess four music-specific PD preferences: content, facilitators, types, and activities/resources. We found that respondents ( N = 1,019) preferred PD that was centered on musical creativity and curriculum integration; facilitated by experts in pedagogy and music performance; conducted as short workshops and mentoring sessions; and focused on observation, skill acquisition, and practice. The data also revealed significant differences between beginning, experienced, and advanced teachers and their PD preferences. Beginning teachers showed a higher preference for graduate studies and blended PD. Beginning and experienced teachers were more interested in playing instruments and in learning by observing other teachers. Advanced teachers showed preference for PD focusing on dance and music appreciation. The study shows that teaching experience is a crucial factor for determining preschool teachers’ music-specific PD preferences. Implications include considering teachers’ interests, motivations, and needs while planning and designing PD for preschool teachers. Further research should explore what teachers with different profiles require in specific educational settings.

Spanish as a heritage language in Europe: a demolinguistic perspective

Abstract This paper offers an estimation of the number of Spanish speakers in Europe in order to analyze the demographic dynamics according to their migratory backgrounds. This demolinguistic approach allows us to quantify this group of Spanish heritage speakers and outline their demographic and linguistic profiles. Through analyzing specific family, social, educational, and geographic settings, this paper identifies a heterogeneous group of 1.7 million Spanish heritage speakers. Moreover, we discuss the social dynamics involved in the intergenerational transmission of the Spanish language in different contexts: spaces in which Spanish is an official language and in which different geographic varieties coexist, and spaces beyond the national borders of predominantly Spanish-speaking countries. In the latter, the demolinguistic analysis suggests that barely a third have been linguistically socialized in environments favorable to the intergenerational transmission of the Spanish language.

Children with autism exhibit similar longitudinal changes in core symptoms when placed in special or mainstream education settings.

Today, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are placed in mainstream or special education settings somewhat arbitrarily with no clear clinical recommendations. Here, we compared changes in core ASD symptoms, as measured by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd edition (ADOS-2) clinical assessment, across ASD preschool children placed in special or mainstream education. Longitudinal changes in ADOS-2 scores did not differ significantly across settings over a 1- to 2-year period. While some children improved in core ASD symptoms, others deteriorated in both settings. This highlights the need to identify specific criteria for establishing meaningful placement recommendations.

Supporting in-Service Special Educational Needs Teachers to Stay Engaged: A Two-Step Hierarchical Linear Regression Analysis

This study aims to propose and evaluate a model for work engagement in Special Educational Needs (SEN) teachers in Greece, in order to get insights into the effect of parameters such as job satisfaction, burnout and other personal characteristics. The sample consisted of 503 female and 161 male teachers of both primary and secondary education, working in special and mainstream educational settings. Based on these data, a two-step hierarchical regression model was used to identify predictors of teachers’ work engagement. Moreover, confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit (TLI = 0.974 > 0.95, RMSEA = 0.043 < 0.08, CFI = 0.952 ≥ . 0.900, χ2/df = 1.3 < 2, p > 0.05 and SRMR = 0.027 < 0.08) of the first order structural model for work engagement (WE-JS-BO). The second-order structural model for the work engagement included teachers’ demographic parameters, labeled personal characteristics, which yielded a good fit (TLI = 0.978 > 0.95, RMSEA = 0.039 < 0.08, CFI = 0.964 ≥ 0.90, χ2/df = 1. 1 < 2, p >0.05 and SRMR = 0.024 < 0.08) Results are discussed for their possible applications in special education teachers’ training.

특수체육 전공 교사의 행위 주체성(Teacher Agency) 탐색

Objectives This study explores how the teacher agency of adapted physical education teachers is expressed in their subject, and what contextual factors affect the teacher agency in various special education settings.&#x0D; Methods A qualitative case study method was used for six adapted physical education teachers working at special education sites in various regions. Educational data of research participants were collected through in-depth interviews. Data analysis was conducted inductively by harnessing Priestley et al.’s (2015) ecological perspective as a theoretical framework.&#x0D; Results Adapted physical education teachers proactively practiced physical education when they understood the context of the situation and formed their own firm belief, while endeavouring to teach their subject consistently in any environment. The manifestation of teacher agency was promoted when the belief and values of physical education formed from teachers’ previous life experience matched with any one of the cultural, structural, and social contexts. In addition, factors that facilitated the manifestation of teacher agency include the school culture that is permissive for major subjects, the support from fellow teachers and important people, and the proper physical environment for physical education classes. On the other hand, barriers to the manifestation of teacher agency were the discourse taking adapted physical education as an integrated subject and stressing individualised education for students subject to special education as opposed to school curriculum, on-site atmosphere that does not recognise adapted physical education, the absence of physical environment support, limited emphasis on their role as special teachers, and lack of reflection on their major subject. In addition, despite the agreement between the repetitive and evaluative dimensions, fear of the projective dimensions also acted as a barrier.&#x0D; Conclusions Based on the findings, this study suggested the possibility that adapted physical education teachers proactively manifest teacher agency, the need for incumbent teacher education for adapted physical education, and the atmosphere to recognise special education as a school curriculum and institutional measures to improve this.

Language gains in 4-6-year-old children with developmental language disorder and the relation with language profile, severity, multilingualism and non-verbal cognition.

Early and effective treatment for children with developmental language disorder (DLD) is important. Although a growing body of research shows the effects of interventions at the group level, clinicians observe large individual differences in language growth, and differences in outcomes across language domains. A systematic understanding of how child characteristics contribute to changes in language skills is still lacking. To assess changes in the language domains: expressive morphosyntax; receptive and expressive vocabulary; and comprehension, in children in special needs education for DLD. To explore if differences in language gains between children are related to child characteristics: language profile; severity of the disorder; being raised mono- or multilingually; and cognitive ability. We extracted data from school records of 154 children (4-6 years old) in special needs education offering a language and communication-stimulating educational environment, including speech and language therapy. Changes in language were measured by comparing the scores on standardized language tests at the beginning and the end of a school year. Next, we related language change to language profile (receptive-expressive versus expressive-only disorders), severity (initial scores), growing up mono- and multilingually, and children's reported non-verbal IQ scores. Overall, the children showed significant improvements in expressive morphosyntax, expressive vocabulary and language comprehension. Baseline scores and gains were lowest for expressive morphosyntax. Differences in language gains between children with receptive-expressive disorders and expressive-only disorders were not significant. There was more improvement in children with lower initial scores. There were no differences between mono- and multilingual children, except for expressive vocabulary. There was no evidence of a relation between non-verbal IQ scores and language growth. Children with DLD in special needs education showed gains in language performance during one school year. There was, however, little change in morphosyntactic scores, which supports previous studies concluding that poor morphosyntax is a persistent characteristic of DLD. Our results indicate that it is important to include all children with DLD in intervention: children with receptive-expressive and expressive disorders; mono- and multilingual children, and children with high, average and low non-verbal IQ scores. We did not find negative relations between these child factors and changes in language skills. What is already known on the subject Intervention studies indicate that intervention can be effective, but not for all children with DLD, and not in all language domains. Longitudinal studies on language development show stable growth patterns in children with DLD at the group level. A systematic understanding of how child characteristics contribute to changes in language skills is still lacking. What this paper adds to existing knowledge In this study, we report on the language gains of a cohort of 154 children with DLD (4-6 years old), in a special education setting for children with language disorders. Our sample includes children with receptive-expressive disorders and expressive-only disorders, and monolingual as well as multilingual children. Our results show that children's language skills improved. The co-normed tests we used revealed that the children had much lower growth in morphosyntax than in the other language domains. Language gains between children with receptive-expressive and expressive-only language disorders did not differ, children with lower initial test scores showed more improvement than children with higher initial scores, multilingual children showed more gains in expressive vocabulary than monolingual children, and there was no effect of non-verbal IQ on change in language scores. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The results suggest that catching up on language is possible for children with DLD. It is important to include all children with DLD in intervention: mono- and multilingual children; children with receptive-expressive and expressive disorders; and children with high, average and low non-verbal IQ scores. We did not find negative relations between these child factors and changes in language skills. The limited growth in morphosyntax compared with other linguistic areas warrants the attention of both practitioners and researchers, with a particular focus on the implementation of research findings in clinical practice.

Mobilizing assistance through complaints in digital skills courses for adults

Within a rapidly digitalizing society, it is important to understand how the learning and teaching of digital skills play out in situ, especially among the elderly, an often marginalized user group. This paper will focus on elderly participants engaged in the process of learning digital skills in adult education courses. In video recordings from adult education centres in Finland and Germany, we explore how students mobilize their teachers’ assistance upon encountering a problem with their mobile devices (smartphones, laptops or tablets). Prior research on social interaction has shown that assistance can be recruited through a variety of verbal and embodied formats. In this specific educational setting, participants can use complaints about their digital skills or the mobile devices in order to obtain help. Utilizing multimodal conversation analysis, we will explore two basic sequence types involving students’ complaints, discuss their cross-linguistic characteristics, and reflect on their link to this educational setting and digital devices.

Augmented Reality in Physics Education: Students with Intellectual Disabilities Inquire the Structure of Matter

Abstract Immersive technologies support educational activities and provide motivating contexts which are increasingly implemented in special education settings. Augmented Reality (AR) seems to improve the level of engagement in teaching and learning processes for all students, including students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). However, there is a lack of research that investigates AR learning environments where students with ID can be involved in inquiry-based activities and acquire academic content linked to real situations. The purpose of this study was to implement a single-subject design and evaluate the effects of an AR system on students’ performance on the microscopic level of the structure of matter and especially the phase-states of water. A functional relationship was found between students’ correct responses during probe sessions and the AR inquiry-based intervention. In addition, a social validity assessment indicated that the AR glasses helped students with ID to acquire physics concepts, as well as inquiry skills in a vivid experience. The students also reported satisfaction from using the AR glasses. Suggestions for future research include the design of AR-based interventions for other science concepts for students with ID as well as other special educational needs.

Educational Sequence Mining for Dropout Prediction in MOOCs: Model Building, Evaluation, and Benchmarking

Due to the unprecedented growth in available data collected by e-learning platforms, including platforms used by massive open online course (MOOC) providers, important opportunities arise to structurally use these data for decision making and improvement of the educational offering. Student retention is a strategic task that can be supported by means of automated data-driven dropout prediction. Given the time-based nature of the collected data (user activity), these data can be viewed as sequences, and thus, sequence mining presents itself as a fitting set of techniques to automatically extract valuable insights. However, there is a lack of general guidelines for using sequence mining in specific educational settings, as well as little information on how different techniques perform in comparison to each other. We address these limitations with two main contributions. First, we propose a framework for applying sequence classification for dropout prediction in MOOCs. This framework includes two data-driven dropout definitions, the specification of data formatting and preparation tasks, and a blackprint on how to train dropout prediction models at suitable time points in the run of the course. Second, we conduct a benchmarking study of recent and well-performing sequence classification techniques, tested with different parametrizations on 47 real-life datasets from MOOCs, resulting in a comparative assessment of over 18 000 models. Our results provide insight into the performance differences between the techniques and allow us to formulate concrete recommendations toward the choice of suitable hyperparameters that have a significant influence on the predictive performance.

SPECIAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP PRACTICES IN THE RURAL SCHOOL SETTING

This study examined the best practices and insights gained that will impact future practice in the rural special education setting with the return to post-COVID instruction. Hattie (2021) highlighted the importance of reflecting on what went right and encouraged schools to discuss the evidence of success during the pandemic school year. Following the scholar-practitioner framework, two special education directors in the rural central Texas area share their experiences during the pandemic and offer insight into new practices and procedures they are implementing post-COVID. Four common themes emerged from the thematic analysis: (a) the importance of technology, (b) changes in instructional practices, (c) barriers to student success, and (d) communication structures. This article aims to guide rural special education leaders as they continue to navigate instructional and financial challenges post-pandemic.

Physical activity knowledge and confidence of education staff in a special education setting

Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) are less likely to meet physical activity (PA) guidelines and have higher tendencies towards sedentary behaviors. Considering a large proportion of a child's day is spent at school, this setting provides a promising environment for increasing PA levels. Staff often significantly impact the success of PA within schools. Limited research has focused on PA knowledge and confidence of staff in a special education setting. In this study, staff from two Schools for Specific Purposes in Sydney, Australia, were invited to complete a questionnaire regarding their knowledge of child PA guidelines, and their confidence in delivering PA to children with ID. Questions were derived from the validated Schools Physical Activity &amp; Nutrition Survey (SPANS). Descriptive analyses were completed on all variables. The questionnaire was completed by 55 of the 74 participants. Although 40.0% reported knowledge of Australian PA guidelines for children, only 20% correctly identified these guidelines. PA was perceived to be ‘extremely important’ (4.69/5) for children with ID, and staff reported ‘confidence’ (3.78/5) in delivering PA for children with ID. Only seven (12.7%) participants reported meeting the New South Wales Department of Education PA requirements (mean = 100 minutes per week). We conclude that despite confidence in delivery of PA and its perceived importance, staff within special education settings have little knowledge of child PA guidelines and are unlikely to meet current Department of Education requirements. We suggest a targeted intervention to improve staff knowledge of PA guidelines, which may enhance the delivery of PA for children with ID.

Development and Evaluation of Two 3D-Simulated Practice Learning Environments

This paper discusses the evaluation of two 3D simulated practice learning environments, Tiny Oaks and Play2Do, focused on supporting people working with children, families, and vulnerable people in special educational settings. Pre-test/post-test evaluation methodology was employed consisting of a questionnaire with 16 questions covering knowledge and understanding, professional practice, and transferable skills. Tiny Oaks had 530 participants pre-test and 423 post-test from six European countries, and results show a significant increase in learning across all questions. Play2Do had 318 participants pre-test and 301 participants post-test from the UK and Bulgaria, and again results show a significant increase in learning across all questions. The system usability scale (SUS) questionnaire was also used to measure the usability of the two environments, and usability was found to be excellent. Findings suggest that 3D simulated practice environments can provide a valuable learning experience and can provide practice learning scenarios that may be difficult to encounter in real-life.

Short report: Correlates of behaviours that challenge in children with intellectual disability in special education settings

BackgroundUnderstanding the correlates of behaviours that challenge (CB) can help in both identifying children with intellectual disabilities (ID) at risk of developing CB and designing support programmes and interventions. AimsThis study explores the correlates of CB exhibited by children with ID in special educational settings in the UK. Methods and proceduresData on behaviours that challenge were provided by educators of 71 children with ID. Additional measures of adaptive and pro-social behaviours, maternal anxiety, depression, and stress, and demographic variables were included in the cross-sectional binary logistic regression analyses. Outcomes and resultsResults showed that pro-social behaviours of children with ID were associated negatively with overall CB (OR=0.72, 95% CI [0.62, 0.84], p < 0.001), stereotyped (OR=0.81, 95% CI [0.70, 0.94], p = 0.005), self-injurious (OR=0.80, 95% CI [0.70, 0.90], p < 0.001), and aggressive/destructive behaviours (OR=0.79, 95% CI [0.69, 0.90], p < 0.001). Stereotyped behaviours were associated with lower adaptive skills (OR=0.95, 95% CI [0.91, 0.99], p = 0.026) and male gender (OR=9.20, 95% CI [1.07, 79.44], p = 0.044). Aggressive/Destructive behaviours were associated with maternal stress (OR=0.82, 95% CI [0.70, 0.97], p = 0.022), and increased maternal anxiety (OR=1.21, 95% CI [1.00, 1.47], p = 0.050) was a marginally significant predictor of self-injurious behaviours. Conclusions and implicationsThe findings of this study emphasise the potential role of pro-social and adaptive behaviours, gender of children with ID, and maternal stress, as factors associated with CB in special education settings. Therefore, the present study contributes to extending the literature on correlates of CB for children with ID in special education settings while adopting an evidence-informed methodology for defining and measuring CB that facilitates replicability and allows for comparisons across findings of studies that explore CB thus increasing a more coherent evidence-base regarding assessment of CB.

Inclusive education in a refugee camp for children with disabilities: How are school setting and children’s behavioral functioning related?

Many refugee children face challenges accessing education, but refugee children with disabilities are especially vulnerable to exclusion from school environments as well as social settings. Mainstreaming is considered a best practice but may not always be feasible given the limited resources available in refugee camps. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which school setting (i.e., special needs vs. mainstream classrooms) is associated with changes in children’s prosocial behaviors (i.e., social skills and ability to get along well with peers) and behavioral difficulties, accounting for disability status. In Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, researchers collected two waves of data (approximately 2.5 years apart) for students enrolled in special needs schools (n = 78) and students who had transitioned from special needs schools into mainstream classrooms (n = 51). Children’s average prosocial scores decreased between wave 1 and wave 2, but scores from children in special needs schools decreased at a lower rate indicating potential protective factors in these settings. While children’s average total difficulties decreased over time, children’s difficulties in special needs schools decreased at a faster rate, also indicating potential protective factors. Neither severity of disability nor gender significantly predicted change in prosocial or difficulties scores. In the context of a refugee camp, mainstreaming alone may not fully address the needs of children with disabilities. Specific factors seen in special education settings, such as individualized services, accessible accommodations, and infrastructure supports, must be considered as a means of creating inclusive educational environments.

Strategies on Instructional Delivery Method and Pupils’ Proficiency of the Pull-out Service Model in Elementary Special Education Setting

The study aimed to develop strategies on instructional delivery method and pupils’ proficiency of the pull-out service model in special education setting in the three Maryland elementary schools of the research district in the eastern state of USA by determining the extent of utilization of instructional delivery method in terms of information processing, behavioral, social interaction, and personal, the level of proficiency of pupils in terms of Mathematics and Reading, and the issues and concerns in the pull-out service model in elementary special education setting. The subjects of this study were 65 teachers of the three Maryland elementary schools which were selected using purposive sampling. The study utilized descriptive and inferential statistics after data collection and tabulation. Weighted mean was utilized to describe the instructional delivery method and pupils’ proficiency of the pull-out service model in elementary special education setting. F-test was employed to determine the significant difference in the assessment of the utilization of instructional delivery method and pupils’ proficient indicators. T-test was employed to determine the significant difference between the pupils’ proficiency in Mathematics and Reading. Pearson’s determined if the instructional delivery method related to the proficiency of pupils. Results revealed that social interaction is not widely utilized. Meanwhile, the pupils have low level of proficiency in reading followed by mathematics. Further, the major issue in the pull-out program is the self-esteem of pupils with disability.