British Journal of Special Education最新文献

The Covid-19 pandemic forced an international shutdown of in-person learning. Remote learning became the temporary model of education for students. The intention of this study was to investigate teacher perceptions and experiences of remote learning, in order to understand its impact on students with exceptionalities and their social and emotional learning (SEL). The research design for this qualitative study encompassed multiple cases that included teacher interviews with a semi-structured interview protocol. The sample for this study consisted of 16 educators: eight elementary mainstream education teachers, three elementary special education teachers and five related service providers. Interviews were transcribed and coded using grounded theory. There were three themes that emerged from this research, however, in this article the author focuses on the most prevalent theme: students' SEL deficits and exceptions. SEL deficits include emotional regulation, lack of engagement and perseverance. Exceptions found include advocating for oneself and being tech savvy. The data strongly suggest the need for change. The findings of this study may help support the reimagining of special education, teacher practices, and how to integrate SEL into the curriculum throughout the day.

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and, in particular, its Sustainable Development Goal no. 4, underline the relevance of quality education that translates into long-term benefits for all learners. This article reports findings of a collaborative research study that piloted an inclusive practice index to investigate inclusion in schools. We applied a mixed-methods design to identify potent features of inclusion, and developed an index that measured the extent to which inclusive practices were considered in schools. The index was administered in 168 schools and to 498 teachers. Using exploratory factor analysis, psychometric properties and potency of factors were determined. Our results revealed a two-factor solution cumulatively accounting for 72% of variation. Based on our findings, we highlight the need for schools to be deliberate in processes that enhance application of inclusive practices. When applied with intention, this will foster accountability for inclusion in the delivery of meaningful inclusive education.

Students with disabilities such as visual impairment (VI) face challenges in accessing education, mainly owing to their inability to participate in learning activities in the classroom. While experts in special education have discussed the deployment of assistive technology (AT) to support the learning of students with VI, research on its impact is very scarce, especially in non-western countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). To bridge this gap, this study explored special education teachers' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of AT in supporting the learning and mobility of students with VI in schools. A total of 228 special education teachers from three regions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE, participated in the study. The participants completed an assistive technology for VI scale, and the data were subjected to mean score computation, multivariate analyses of variance and correlation and hierarchical multiple regression. Participants rated the impact of AT highly with regard to the reading, writing and orientation and mobility skills of students with VI. Interestingly, the orientation/mobility sub-scale showed an association with teacher experience and location. The article discusses the practical implications of the findings as well as directions for future research.

Assessment and monitoring of safety in special education schools is imperative to establish and maintain a safe environment in which students can develop academic and social–emotional skills. The present study describes the development of a student self-report measure, the Safe at School questionnaire. Factorial validity, reliability and concurrent validity was examined in a construction sample of 280 students (68.6% male, age M = 13.29, SD = 2.52) and a validation sample of 1572 students (77.4% male; age M = 14.33, SD = 2.04), representing 233 classes from 20 schools for special education in the Netherlands. Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the factor structure of the Safe at School questionnaire. A model with three correlating factors at the within- and between-group level (Rules and Social Norms, Perceived Own Safety and Perceived Safety of Other Students) showed a satisfactory fit to the data. Reliabilities of the scales were good. Also, measurement invariance for gender was demonstrated, indicating no differences in latent means between boys and girls. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Language and drawing each have their own sets of symbols that they use to convey messages. It is still unclear whether the development of these two expression mechanisms is similar or distinct. There are various approaches to supporting language and communication skills, including structured and naturalistic methods. The goal of this in-depth case study is to find out how a combined intervention affects the language and drawing abilities of a three-year-old girl with developmental delay. Structured implementations and milieu teaching strategies were used in the same session, but not simultaneously. The participant's language and communication skills improved at the end of the programme. Interestingly, even though there was no drawing-related goal, her drawings evolved too. Even though this is a single-subject case study, it suggests that if a child's cognitive and language skills develop, his/her drawing skills do as well.

Disadvantaged young people who have experienced violence often have low self-esteem due to the difficult circumstances to which they are exposed. Abuse, bullying and other forms of mistreatment have a permanent impact on their sense of self-worth, generating negative emotions and self-protective behaviour in order to shield themselves from further harm. As a result, these young people may struggle to maintain their self-esteem in the context of the challenges they face. This article aims to explore how training can be used to combat this issue to build self-esteem among vulnerable young people, through a case study of a training entrepreneurship programme for vulnerable Thai young people residing in a home for girls. Through conducting a 16-week training programme and follow-up interviews, the study finds that entrepreneurship training has a positive effect on building self-esteem. Findings indicate that the young women who participated reported feeling more confident, with better self-reliance, and more capable of pursuing future endeavours, especially since the training enhances their understanding of long-term effects and outcomes, including employment and the impact of job creation and sustainable development. Ultimately, the study underlines the importance of entrepreneurship training to build self-esteem and confidence in young people who are vulnerable and in need of such an opportunity.

This survey-based research explores data from a diverse range of 54 professionals involved in collaborative team working to support children with specific needs. The survey investigated the individual's perception of their own role, and the interactions within the team. The survey collected some quantitative data, such as age and length of time in role, to explore correlations, but it also asked open-ended questions, providing a wealth of qualitative data. While we have focused on relationship dynamics between professionals in previous work, in this article we revisit the data with a specific focus on the positionality and voice of the child and their parents within multi-professional teams. In doing so we find that professionals frequently forget that the child themselves is entitled to a say in the decisions made about them and that the concept of the parent as an expert on their own child is rarely recognised in practice. There is also evidence that the challenging emotions that many parents struggle with during multi-professional working can easily be misread as reluctance or disinterest. All of these findings highlight a need for professionals to take a far more reflective approach to their collaborative work with colleagues, families and children.

The study explored the lived experiences of online teaching by first time online lecturers in institutions of higher education in South Africa during COVID-19. The study adopted a qualitative approach. Findings show positive and negative experiences influenced by variables related to personality, technology, workload and physical teaching environment among others. Personality traits like fear of risks, attitudes to online teaching, emotional management skills serve to model experiences. Participants with negative attitude towards online teaching and low emotional intelligence generally had negative experiences of online teaching exacerbated by a lack of technical and psycho-social support. Positive experiences were found to be a result of positive attitude towards change, positive emotional intelligence and access to different kinds of support. This group experienced high levels of job satisfaction and positive online teaching experiences. Understanding lecturers’ experiences is thus crucial in establishing best practices in online teaching which ensure job satisfaction and quality of teaching.

Research documenting the effects of trauma in early childhood describes the profound and long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect on the developing brain and the subsequent deficits in critical cognitive and social development. While educators have increasingly endeavoured to understand this impact and become more ‘trauma-informed’ in their classrooms, little is understood about the process or what it requires of the teacher. This study explores the experiences of six teachers in regional Victoria, Australia, who sought to apply their neuroscientific understandings in their classrooms, and identifies the many personal and professional challenges they confronted. Critical reflection was employed both to deeply explore their collective experiences and to support them in this complex work. Findings describe the nuanced and interpersonal nature of trauma-informed education and imply the need for critical reflection in teacher practice as an important element in the process.

This research identifies the soft (employability) skills that key stakeholders view as essential for young people with intellectual disability (ID) to gain and maintain open employment. The study subsequently examined the work experience opportunities for young people with ID to develop these soft skills during their school years. Qualitative data from 89 participants (questionnaires and interviews) and a review of the current literature informed the development of a set of soft skills for open employment and a proposed model for work exposure programmes from the commencement to the conclusion of high school.