Over the last decade the idea of inclusion of students with disabilities and special educational needs (SEN) in general schools has become increasingly the focus of national and international policies. Inclusive education has also made enormous progress in Greece recently. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of Physical Educators toward the inclusion of students with disabilities and SEN in general Physical Education (PE) classes and to compare them with those teachers who taught the course of Olympic/Paralympic Education (O/PE) as well as examine gender differences. Four hundred and ten PE teachers (200 male and 210 female) of an average age of 33.58 years from different prefectures of Greece completed a modified version of the questionnaire Attitudes toward Teaching Individuals with Physical Disabilities in Physical Education (ATIPDPE) of Kudlacek et al (2002). Two-way ANOVA was used to analyze the data. The results revealed positive attitudes of all teachers toward teaching students with disabilities and SEN in PE classes; however, there were no significant differences between those who taught different type of PE courses as well as between males and females. It is strongly suggested an ongoing assessment should examine the changes in education of students with disabilities and SEN and their inclusion in the general schools and how... [more]

This study explores the effects of traditional beliefs, Confucian ideology, Chinese government policy and western influences on China’s inclusion of people with a disability in the Chinese community in the 21st century. Using visual ethnography and an auto-ethnographic approach, the study examines data obtained over a period of five years to analyse the impact of recent initiatives of the Chinese government in disability policy and planning on attitudes towards people with a disability and the accommodation of people with a disability within the community. Findings from the study suggest that a series of positive legislative and administrative policies that guarantee equal rights for people with disabilities in China have had some positive outcomes, and that social attitudes towards the disabled are gradually changing, mainly as a result of the active advocacy of the disability community. However, despite these initiatives and changes in attitude, there is little evidence of the impact of Chinese disability policy on the built environment in China outside the major cities, and the disabled are still largely invisible in public spaces.... [more]

Nigeria has made some efforts to educate all of its citizenry, including those with disabilities. And, it has struggled to make sure that programs are available to those who need them. However, its traditional, sociocultural, and educational problems have prevented some programmatic consistency and progress. As a result, the special education delivery system has faltered. This article analyzes contexts, problems, and prospects of special education in Nigeria.... [more]

This article discusses the chain of actions in special education in Norwegian compulsory school. An analysis is made of how the municipality follows up national guidelines relevant to the chain of actions through its own guidelines to the schools. The analysis gives the general impression that the local authority is facilitating guidance to the schools in a way that accommodates national regulations effectively, thus contributing to a situation in which national laws and regulations for education can be implemented through the different components of the chain of actions. Nonetheless, there appears to be a need for a revision of the guidelines in some areas, including a clearer emphasis on the consideration for inclusive education as well as collaboration among the teaching staff.... [more]

This study is a descriptive study designed to examine how school personnel are implementing the Response to Intervention (RTI) process and how they perceive the process. Using an online survey, school personnel in rural and urban schools in South Eastern Texas were asked about the RTI process on their campus and their opinions of the process. Participants were general and special educators, school administrators and related personnel. The sample consisted of 99 people who completed the entire survey. The authors found strengths in the RTI process in terms of early identification of students for RTI and collaboration among school personnel. Areas that needed improvement included writing measurable goals and having a system of consistent progress monitoring and data collection... [more]

The purpose of this study is to determine whether burnout levels of special education teachers working with hearing, orthopedic and mentally impaired students in Bursa, Turkey differ according to some independent variables such as gender, family status, years of teaching experience, educational background and school type. A descriptive approach incorporating quantitative and qualitative methods was adopted in the present study to collect data. To analyse the quantitative data, t-tests and Mann Whitney- U test and descriptive analysis were used. A total of 67 teachers were selected from the seven special education schools in Bursa, Turkey. Each subject was given both the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Personal Information Form. Fourteen of the voluntarily participant teachers were interviewed. The results of the study revealed the fact that teachers working in special education schools had been experiencing burnout at very high levels. When burnout levels were investigated with respect to the type of the schools where the teachers work, significant differences were found in all subscales. To overcome burnout syndrome, it is necessary to train qualified teachers not only psychologically but also physiologically. For this reason, teachers both during pre-service and in-service education periods should take some courses, which will help them avoid burnout... [more]

Most students who have sustained severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) appear normal when they return to school. Hopeful parents, encouraged by deceptively positive medical feedback, expect a return to regular education. In the classroom, the students initially seem almost ready to resume learning, but instead they fall farther behind grade level each year and begin to act out. Most can be trained to compensate for their acquired educational deficits. Teachers oriented to TBI by a professionally prepared video can implement simple classroom interventions at critical moments. A multidisciplinary team effort can provide pull-out instruction on strategies for improved self-control, study skills, and decision making. Some students will prove to need more intensive training from full-inclusion special education. The magnitude and scope of this covert and underpublicized problem in the United States should alert the special education communities in other nations to deal with this epidemic of unrecognized and unrehabilitated brain injury.... [more]

This study was undertaken to examine the university teachers’ perception of including students with Visual Impairment (VI) in the public universities of Ghana. The sample consisted of 110 teachers from the University of Cape Coast (UCC), the University of Education, Winneba, (UEW), and the University of Ghana (UG). Data were collected through questionnaire developed by the researchers (Chronbach’s coefficient Alpha of .76). One research question and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The data were analyzed employing descriptive statistics, t-tests and ANOVA. The results showed that teachers perception toward inclusion of students with VI were favorable. Gender differences were noted showing that female teachers’ perceptions were more positive than the males’. Teachers in the three universities also differed in their perception toward the inclusion of students with VI.... [more]

This paper proposes that play therapy can be an appropriate intervention in working with children with autism in schools especially when working with children who have little in the way of social skills and poor communication. It proposes that play therapy may offer school counsellors opportunities that the more cognitive therapies do not. Through the use of case study research, the paper discusses and illustrates an intervention with a seven year old boy with autism across 12 sessions of sandplay in a school in Queensland, Australia. This paper draws our attention to the legitimate use of case study research in counselling. It also advocates for the use of sandplay, (an expressive therapy intervention) with a child who is autistic and who at first plays chaotically. This paper draws the counsellor’s attention to the developmental stages that will follow when the child feels secure enough to proceed. The lack of well researched longitudinal quantitative or mixed method research in play therapy is also noted... [more]

Reading comprehension is a crucial skill for academic success of all students. Very often, students with learning disabilities struggle with reading skills and since students learn new information in school by reading; these difficulties often increase the academic struggles students with learning disabilities face. The current study examined whether computer assisted instruction could be effective in teaching a comprehension strategy, story mapping, to nine high school students with learning disabilities. The investigation used a single-subject, multiple baseline designed. Daily quizzes, story maps, and a standardized test measured student progress. In addition, a survey of students’ perceptions regarding the computer assisted instruction was administered. Comprehension results varied across students; however, the majority of students showed improved comprehension scores on the Gates-MacGinitie comprehension test regardless of the group in which they participated. These findings suggest the daily readings on the computer, rather than the comprehension strategy itself, might have influenced students’ reading comprehension... [more]

In this case study the quality of mediational teaching was evaluated for interactions between teachers and pupils in special education in regular Norwegian primary schools. Mediational teaching is interpreted as a process by which a teacher mediates a given curriculum using certain categories in interactions with a pupil. The categories are focusing; affecting; expanding; competence; regulation; and different. The study is based on a social cognitive theory as developed by the Israeli scientist Reuven Feuerstein. Initially an observation instrument was developed. The instrument was used to measure the quality of mediational teaching practiced in four cases of teacher and pupil dyads. The results imply that the quality of mediational teaching was low in all four cases. These results may hopefully encourage teachers to employ a wider and more varied use of the categories in mediational teaching than what was found in this study... [more]

This study attempts to identify the drivers and inhibitors of employment for people with disabilities in Malaysia. It explores the skills and psychological traits needed by people with disabilities in order to get jobs and the barriers to their employment. Data include interviews detailing the viewpoints of 24 teachers with visual impairments. These teachers are registered and classified as either legally blind or partially sighted by the Malaysian Social Welfare Department. The majority of them are male, Malay, between 30-40 years old and have diploma qualification from Teachers Training College. The interviews were transcribed verbatim. Keywords or phrases were extracted, clustered, and interpreted into themes. Analyzed data were confirmed with the participants to ensure trustworthiness and reliability. The findings provide interesting insights into the specific employment issues faced by people with visual impairments and also shed lights on the issues encountered by people with other types of disability. It also discusses measures that can be taken to improve the employment rate of people with disabilities in the country. A discussion of the research findings is also provided. ... [more]

The present study sought to determine the perceived utility of initiating vocational training in primary education by implementing a student-operated restaurant. Specifically, this study examined the extent to which vocational education training affected school professionals’, parents’, and elementary special education students’ perceptions of knowledge, performance, and self variables. Participants included 32 school professionals, 19 parents, and 16 students. At the conclusion of the vocational training, researcher constructed surveys were distributed to school faculty and parents. Additionally, students participated in a semi-structured interview conducted by the researchers. Findings suggest that parents and school professionals perceived the intervention as producing a very significant effect on students’ knowledge, performance, and self variables. School professionals, as well as parents, perceived the training as worthwhile, worthy of continued implementation, and as age appropriate. Non-parametric analyses revealed that school professionals’ and parents’ perceptions of the training’s effect on students’ outcomes were not significantly different. Student surveys suggested the training produced a positive effect on students’ perceptions of knowledge and performance variables. ... [more]

General education teachers in the Republic of Korea were investigated regarding their participation in programs to include students with disabilities in general education settings. Previous studies have shown that even general education teachers with positive attitudes towards inclusion are reluctant in practice to have students with disabilities in their classrooms. This study examines 33 Korean general education teachers from three primary schools in Seoul regarding their attitudes towards, and willingness to accommodate, the needs of a student with a disability. The results show that 41.37% of general education teachers had positive attitudes towards inclusion programs, while 55.16% were unwilling to actually participate. Quantitative data obtained through a questionnaire was supplemented by qualitative data obtained through interviews. The interviews focused on the positive and negative effects of inclusion, as well as problems in implementing inclusive education programs. The findings will be discussed in the light of previous international research and will highlight links between the age and teaching experience of general education teachers and their negative attitudes towards inclusion.... [more]

Focus group interviews were conducted with special education teachers from Oahu, Hawaii and Washington, DC regarding self-determination for youth with emotional/behavioral disorders. Some of the teachers defined their own self-determination in individualistic terms, while highlighting the importance of collectivistic values for many of their students. Other teachers who held more collectivist–based definitions and perceptions still discussed how their own experiences differed from those of their students. Profiles of self-determination views are presented and compared to definitions and current practices in the field of special education with respect to self-determination and transition. The concepts of individualism and collectivism and of social capital are used to enhance understanding of differences in the views of the participating teachers and of the obstacles to self-determination they identify for their students.... [more]

There is an increase in the number of students with disabilities in higher education. This study examined changes in faculty knowledge, attitudes and willingness to make accommodations for these students in teacher training colleges in Israel. Two samples of faculty members were studied. One study was conducted in 1996/7 and the second ten years later. Faculty responded to a questionnaire about knowledge, attitudes and adaptations. Data revealed some differences in the background variables. Faculty in the later study reported more knowledge and contact with the office of support services for students with disabilities. No significant group differences were found in faculty willingness to provide instructional, technological and testing adaptations. Attitudes toward students with disabilities in teacher education were positive in both studies, although faculty in the 2006/7 study was more stringent in their admission requirements. Background variables including personal contact with persons with disabilities, training in disabilities, academic rank and area of teaching were related to attitudes and willingness to provide adaptations in the 2006/7 study. A discussion of practical and research implications is provided ... [more]

Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of the National Center for Education Statistics, this article describes data concerning educational expectations and use of school counselors for students enrolled in special education. Participants included students enrolled in special education from urban, suburban, and rural settings. Chi Square analyses revealed students in special education were as likely to use the services of school counselors as other groups. However, they had a lower educational expectation when compared to mainstream students. Recommendations and implications for school counselors and other educators were included.... [more]

Increasing numbers of special education teachers enter the profession via widely varying preparation programs, also known as alternative certification programs. This article describes a survey of 54 novice special education teachers from alternative certification (AC) programs. In this paper, the authors discuss both challenges and support needs and provide recommendations for administrators who are hiring these AC teachers. Participants reported some of the major challenges faced were, for example, classroom management and knowing what to teach (content/curriculum). In contrast, the participants reported little need for support in the areas of parent communication and entering the school community... [more]

This article provides a description of how a beginning special education teacher in an inclusion classroom used pre-assessment, self-assessment, and on-going assessment to implement the principles of differentiated instruction to become more responsive to her students’ needs in a systematic way. This article describes a case study of one beginning teacher’s use of differentiated instruction. First, a discussion of the usefulness of differentiated instruction in increasing the likelihood of success for children with disabilities is provided. Next, qualitative data supported the implementation of the differentiated instruction process to help the teacher realize how she could positively impact students’ learning using Tomlinson’s (2000) categories of content, product, process, and learning environments. Finally, recommendations are provided for how to engage teachers to implement differentiated instruction as a data-based iterative process of using evidence-based practices to meet the needs of all children in an inclusion classroom. ... [more]

An observational research study based on sensory integration theory was conducted to examine the observed impact of student selected multi-sensory experiences within a multi-sensory intervention center relative to the sustained focus levels of students with special needs. A stratified random sample of 50 students with severe developmental disabilities ages eight to eighteen was selected for observation within a public school environment representing four classifications of students: TMH (Trainable Mentally Handicapped), PMH (Profoundly Mentally Handicapped), students with Autism, and students with Multiple Disabilities. An observation form representing 24 observable behaviors (facial expressions, vocal cues, and body language) defined in the literature was developed and pilot tested for construct validation and reliability purposes. Four trained observers completed inter-rater reliability analysis prior to the study. Observers completed observation forms for individual students for three 20-minute time periods (within the regular classroom, within the multi-sensory center, and after returning to the regular classroom). Sustained focus was measured by combining specific observed types of data reflecting student engagement and on-task behaviors as defined in the literature. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. Findings of the study lend strong support for implementing multi-sensory experiences to increase the sustained focus of students with special needs.... [more]