The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in philosophies and perceptions of inclusive education between teachers in Brazil and teachers in the United States. As part of a study abroad program, a team of university faculty and graduate students from Tennessee traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in order to investigate their inclusive educational practices. Mixed-methodology approach was used including analyzing classroom and school observations, teacher and administrator interviews, and analysis of survey questionnaire. The participants were teachers from both private and public schools in the United States and Brazil. Results demonstrated that the Brazilian philosophy of inclusion is not exclusively related to special education and students with disabilities, but encompasses a more democratic ideal for all students, including those with disabilities and those from extreme poverty. Of all the teachers surveyed, the private school teachers in Brazil had the most positive perception of the overall role of inclusive education compared to their public school and American counterparts. ... [more]

This study examines the effectiveness of five spelling strategies used to teach junior secondary school students with dyslexia. Participants were 30 secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. The teachers commented on five spelling strategies: the phonological strategy, an integration of phonological and orthographical strategies, the rule-based strategy, the visual-imagery strategy and teaching spelling with other skills. The study compared teachers’ opinions and suggestions given in the literature. Results indicated that the five strategies have both strengths and weaknesses. The strategies are complementary; therefore, integration is suggested. Implications are discussed in the context of spelling strategies and measures of teaching junior students with dyslexia. ... [more]

The study examined students with disabilities perspectives toward their experiences in a public University in Jordan using a survey approach. The aim of this study was to take a closer look at the experiences of students with disabilities in Jordan and, in light of new legislation, to identify obstacles in the higher education system. It found that there was still much work to be done to enhance the higher education experiences for students with disabilities and identified several issues that should be addressed in order to enable access and entitlement to higher education. Recommendations and implications for future research are discussed in the context of the current disability legislation in Jordan. ... [more]

We translated and report on the psychometric properties of English and French versions of two reading difficulties screening tools for junior/community college students. We administered the Adult Reading History Questionnaire-Revised (ARHQ-R) (Parrila, Georgiou, & Corkett, 2007) to 1889 students enrolled in compulsory language courses in English and French colleges in the language of instruction at the school. Eighty students (4%) self-reported a learning disability. We also administered English and French versions of the Test de lecture - Épreuve de compréhension (Institut de Recherche et d’Évaluation Psychopédagogique Inc., 2000) to 432 college students. We categorized all participants into adequate, poor and very poor readers based on each measure and examined scores of students with and without learning disabilities. Although there were significant differences among groups under regular testing times, extended time resulted in comparable reading comprehension scores for all groups. Recommendations based on the findings are made for research and practice. ... [more]

This article aims to throw light on how the intentions behind inclusive and individually adapted education in Norwegian compulsory schools are followed up in practice with regard to central aspects of the roles of headteachers, teachers and curriculum planning. The study was carried out as a postal survey of compulsory school teachers in two municipalities. When the results are viewed as a whole, it is evident that some of the teachers have positive assessments of their own practice with regard to various aspects of inclusive and individually adapted education. However, there are a large number of teachers who have not given such positive feedback. In the majority of cases, less than half of the teachers agree with the category to a large degree in their responses. Thus, there appears to be a clear need in the role of headteachers, teachers and curriculum planning for further development in order to gain understanding for and realise the intentions of inclusive and individually adapted education. ... [more]

This study addressed the autism awareness of College of Education students in two universities in Turkey. The main purpose of this research study was to conduct a needs assessment to learn more about Turkey’s College of Education students’ knowledge and awareness of autism. The Autism Awareness of College of Education Students in Turkey questionnaire was used to collect the data. The survey statements were designed to answer the research questions and provide considerable information on College of Education students’ awareness and attitudes about autism. Participants for this study were randomly selected from among the students in the College of Education at two different universities in Turkey: Gazi University, Ankara, and Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon. The data from the questionnaire were analyzed with descriptive statistics to understand attitudes, beliefs, and thoughts of College of Education students in Turkey. Results generally demonstrated that College of Education students’ knowledge of autism was limited; however, they realized they need more classes and preparation in order to effectively work with children with autism. ... [more]

Inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms and programs continues to be a focus in the international field of special education. In the USA where the history of inclusion is over three decades old, current special educator's professional standards clearly expect that certified special educators will enter the field with adept collaboration and co-teaching skills in order to optimize services for students with disabilities in inclusive settings. Coursework in collaboration for pre-service special educators is a common mechanism for providing this training within the United States (McKenzie, 2009). This qualitative case study (n=12) conducted over a semester of coursework on collaboration in a distance education format utilized grounded theory, through document analysis and interviewing (n=5), to build a better understanding of pre-service special educators’ perceptions and beliefs about collaborating with general educator partners in school settings. Five themes emerged from over 300 participant quotations: 1) definitions of collaboration, 2) outcomes of collaboration, 3) collaborative behaviors between teachers, 4) challenges to collaboration, and 5) preparedness to collaborate. These pre-service special educators most often commented on the challenges they experienced in school settings. Implications for teacher education programs worldwide and future research are discussed. ... [more]

This article presents a case study of a school designed for youth hospitalized for mental disorders, aiming to reveal the educational approach of such a school, a topic on which nothing has been written so far. The study, which lasted a year, employed qualitative techniques: observations, document collection and interviews. The study has found that the school not only provides education to the hospitalized youth, but also functions as an active factor in expediting their recuperation. This significant educational approach is composed of five main principles: (1) Maintenance of a normative atmosphere, (2) Providing the students with a feeling of personal value, (3) Students' responsibility for recovery, (4) Staff's containment of students, and (5) Flexibility. This approach actually endows new meaning to learning, considering it a rehabilitative process. ... [more]

There is a lack of studies on the school experiences of students in the pre-vocational programme in Brunei Darussalam. The aim of this study is find out what are the students’ experiences at school, what they go through at school and so on. A qualitative approach was utilized whereby in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven students from two local secondary schools. Some of the findings included overall positive views of school and the acquiring of daily living skills which they felt was important to them. It was found that success and happiness is associated with their favourite subjects and interests. It appeared that there is a good camaraderie between teachers and students indicating that friends and more importantly teachers play a vital role in their lives. Also, the students seem to have a strong sense of family and ambitions. The students encountered some problems related to bullying by classmates and other students and trouble-makers which affect them negatively. In addition, the students faced punishments and one student complained of negative teacher attitudes. It was concluded that lessening their problems could help make school more pleasant for them. Finally, there should be more emphasis on family involvement and that the importance of school to work transition to realise their dreams and ambitions should not be taken lightly. ... [more]

To examine the key factors that lead to effective implementation of school-wide behavior interventions, this study examined the extent to which school-wide behavior interventions were implemented in four Hong Kong schools. The study also explored Hong Kong teachers’ beliefs about behavioral and social skill programs for secondary students with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Findings indicated that the adoption of behavioral and social skill programs were common practices in schools and that the majority of participants in the present study believed that behavioral and social skill programs should be implemented in schools at an early stage. Furthermore, findings suggested that it is important to consider the interrelationship of professional, strategic, contextual, and attitudinal factors that support students’ social competence and minimize their challenging behavior. ... [more]

The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of a specific Disability Camp Program (DCP) in the attitudes of children without disabilities toward the inclusion of children with disabilities in a summer sport and leisure activity camp. Three hundred eighty-seven campers without disabilities participated in the study and were divided into control (n = 190) and experimental groups (n = 197). The control group followed the camp’s regular program, while the experimental group attended a DCP in addition to the camp’s regular program. All participants completed the Attitudes Towards Integrated Sports Inventory (ATISI), (Block & Malloy, 1998) twice; just before and immediately after their participation in the DAP. ATISI consists of two subscales: general and sports-specific. The results of the 2 X 2 repeated measures analysis of variance revealed statistical significant differences on the experimental group, both in general and in sport-specific attitude subscales. These findings imply that participation in this particular DCP can had a positive influence on children’s attitudes towards the inclusion of children with disabilities in summer sport and leisure activity camp. ... [more]

The transition of young children with autism from early intervention to school needs to be carefully managed in order to maintain intervention gains, protect against the risk of child-and-family anxiety, and enable a successful start to formal education. While many North American studies have mapped high-intensity practices for transitioning children with disabilities to school, only a few have recently examined autism-specific practices. The present study drew on this literature to identify and socially validate transition-to-school practices for Australian children with autism and their families. Queensland intervention and advisory teachers (N = 91) used an on-line survey to rate 36 transition practices. Results indicate that all practices were perceived to be highly important in the Australian context. Future transition-to-school research can draw upon this socially validated practice listing. ... [more]

Bahamian classrooms are comprised of students with varying disabilities (emotional, physical, mental, and learning), and these students are failing to meet the requirements of their various grade levels due to inadequate interventions critical to addressing their individual needs. For these needs to be met in mainstream classrooms, Inclusive Education is inevitable. Consequently, a qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to survey perceptions of primary school teachers towards this practice. The sample included teachers from various schools within New Providence, The Bahamas. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Responses were qualitatively analyzed for themes and main concepts through open-coding. The study emphasizes the need to recognize teachers’ perceptions towards inclusive education as a fundamental aspect of the practice’s success in primary schools. Findings indicated that ninety percent of the teachers interviewed expressed negative perceptions of inclusive education. It was also revealed that the most prevalent influencing factors of the teachers’ negative perceptions were lack of training in special education and inclusive education, and lack of resources. Twenty percent of the teachers expressed positive perceptions of inclusive education, stating however, that the success of such a practice depends greatly upon a myriad of elements. ... [more]