Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs最新文献

A total of 40% of children with ASD have clinical symptoms of anxiety. However, there is little research on how teachers respond to this type of behaviour in the classroom. This study aimed to compare teachers' responses towards the anxiety of students with ASD and to explore the relationship between these responses and their ASD awareness and emotional regulation strategies. A quantitative study was conducted using a non-probabilistic sample of 139 Cuban teachers from primary schools and preschools. The results indicate that teachers responses towards the anxiety of students with ASD vary in relation to age, experience in inclusive schools, specific training on educating students with ASD and teaching stage, as well as the type of anxiety. The findings also revealed that emotional regulation and knowledge about ASD had a significant impact on teachers' responses. Practical implications and future lines of research are discussed.

The study aimed to explore the challenges and potential benefits of online delivery in preparing pre-service teachers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for inclusive teaching. The study specifically examined their readiness to assist students with special educational needs (SEN) within the K-12 education system. It employed semi-structured interviews to comprehensively understand the perspectives and experiences of 11 pre-service teachers enrolled in an online teacher education programme. The findings revealed that the participants expressed significant concern about their preparedness to teach students with SEN. They expressed apprehension about the limited opportunities they had during their teacher education programme to learn about and interact with students with SEN. The findings also shed light on the gap between theory and practice, underscoring the importance of contemporary teacher education programmes in re-evaluating their curricula to address the emerging needs of both learners and teachers, specifically in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19. Lastly, the study provided implications for practice and suggested future research in this area.

Person-centred planning (PCP) is both a philosophy and method of service delivery across varied contexts. It is used in pathway planning for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to promote positive transition outcomes. Due to idiosyncratic use, it is unclear how PCP meetings are organised and structured and to what extent this reflects fidelity to PCP as a philosophy. It is also unclear how young people experience PCP meetings and how this impacts transition. To explore this further, a systematic literature review was undertaken from which six studies were included and their data reported using PRISMA guidelines. Drawing upon Gestalt theory as an interpretive lens, findings from these studies suggest that PCP meetings comprise intersecting ‘foreground’ and ‘background’ elements, making PCP meetings a complex space requiring skilled facilitation. Limitations and recommendations for further research and practice are included.

Although the number of resource provision (RP) classrooms for the education of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in English mainstream schools has increased, very little is known about their functioning and impact. Through collaborative research, based on critical communicative methodology, this study aims to (i) evaluate with the participants the effective practices and challenges in educating students with SEND in RP and mainstream classrooms, and (ii) discuss the position of RP within the inclusion and exclusion debate. Reflective conversations, communicative focus groups and communicative observations were conducted with teachers, teaching assistants, mothers and students in three schools. Two different models were identified in the conceptualisation and practice of RP; either as a service to promote the education and inclusion of students with SEND in mainstream classroom/school, or as a space for specialised provision with opportunities for inclusion. These models reflect two different approaches in the education of these students, the rights- and the needs-based approach respectively. We argue that RP as inclusive service should be prioritised. However, flexibility in its conceptualisation and functioning, either as inclusive service or safe space, can positively contribute towards a realistic approach to inclusion combining human rights and individual diversity perspectives.

The voices of autistic young people are frequently excluded from transition planning and decision-making, especially when they have more complex needs and may not use speech to communicate. The aim of this research, based at a residential special school in England, was to extend and evaluate the use of the ‘I am’ Digital Stories methodology. ‘I am’ Digital Stories are short (c.3–5 min) videos that use a strengths-based framework to support the sharing of voice, experiences, and preferences in visual form. ‘I am’ Digital Stories is an accessible and inclusive methodology that enables young people to present their ‘best selves’ to people in new settings who are meeting them for the first time. Digital Stories were co-created with and/or for three young adults aged 18–19, their families and the school, and shared with stakeholders as part of the transition to post-school contexts. Reflexive thematic analysis of data from 17 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders resulted in five themes: benefits of Digital Stories, humanising approach; ownerships and agency, ethical considerations and direct impact on practice. Stakeholders highlighted how powerful the ‘I am’ Digital Stories were for gaining a fuller, more humanising understanding of the young person that was unavailable or impossible via other sources.

This paper explores the Lay Theories of ADHD of stakeholders (teacher, parent and student) in an Irish context. Academic theories of difference have and continue to evolve, moving from medicalisation, through more socially oriented ideas, to more current trend around neurodivergence. However, inclusion as a process is socially negotiated within classrooms and the wider community. An understanding of stakeholders' lay theories or their beliefs about ADHD (e.g., what causes it and how to respond) gives us insights into this process. This paper draws on findings from a multi-case study (N = 15) that explored the lay theories of 17 parents, 15 students (7–18 year; Mean = 12.8; SD = 3.09), and 12 teachers (4 primary and 8 secondary) affected by ADHD in mainstream schools. Participants took part in a semi-structured interview. A data-driven Thematic Analysis identified three themes: what is ADHD, do they have control, and medication. Each stakeholder group held distinctly different views, which created considerable confusion. Findings are discussed in terms the need for the education of key stakeholders, and what those educational initiatives might include, as well as for the role of collaboration within the process of inclusion.

The aim of this article was to explore whether and how special education documents incorporate efforts to hear young children. The study is based on an in-depth analysis of expert assessments and individual education plans (IEP) pertaining to 17 children enrolled in early education and care (ECEC) institutions in Norway. The documents are scrutinized for explicit attempts to hear young children, as well as in-depth analysis of descriptions of children to see if the text convey efforts to include their perspectives. The findings reveal a clear absence of explicit attempts to listen to children during the assessment process. However, the assessments include information obtained from parents and ECEC regarding children's preferences and interests, suggesting an attempt to represent children's voices by proxy. Although the documents contain various descriptions of children's verbal and non-verbal expressions, these descriptions primarily serve as illustrations of their challenges. The assessments portray children as individuals with difficulties, positioning them as mere ‘cases’. At the same time, recommendations and plans for support emphasize listening to children's voices. The findings of this study suggest a need to redefine special education documents in order to listen to children's views and to incorporate alternative understandings into the assessment process.

Differentiated instruction (DI) is a pedagogical framework to which all students can be engaged in their learning and achieve academically in their schooling. While DI is for all students, there is little research in DI for students with learning difficulties, in senior-secondary schools in Australia. This research formed part of a larger study, which recruited 12 participants across two Australian states, to investigate how teachers in senior-secondary schooling, differentiate for students with learning difficulties. Findings indicated that when students had labelled learning difficulties as recognised by other professionals, teachers expressed being able to differentiate more easily with greater self-efficacy, as compared with differentiating for students who teachers themselves considered were experiencing difficulties in their learning but had no label assigned to them. Teachers voiced that learning difficulties was a broad concept, with each teacher defining learning difficulties differently. This suggests that with the broad nature of learning difficulties, teachers may struggle to differentiate accordingly, leading to lower self-efficacy beliefs. While labelled learning difficulties provide guidance for differentiating, this may also see teachers differentiating based on preconceived ideas and for students with special needs, rather than individual students' current understanding. Implications for future practice are discussed.

There is yet a concerted effort directed to ameliorate mathematics anxiety (MA) among deaf learners especially in Nigeria. Hence, this study examined the effects of rational emotive behavioural and relaxation therapies on MA among deaf learners. The study adopted the quantitative quasi-experimental research design. A purposive sampling method was adopted to select three schools for the deaf in Oyo state. A random sampling procedure was employed to select 60 deaf learners who were assigned to two experimental groups and the control group. The Mathematics Anxiety Scale was used to screen participants, while a Mathematics Achievement Test was used for data collection. Data gathered were analysed using analysis of covariance and a descriptive chart. Findings revealed the efficacy of the two therapeutic interventions on the reduction of MA among the participants. The estimated mean difference between the treatments (rational emotive behavioural therapy = 5.537; relaxation therapy = 3.867) and control groups (1.670) showed higher potency of rational emotive behavioural therapy for reduction in MA among deaf learners than relaxation therapy. Based on the findings, it is important that mathematics teaching environment should be rich with tangible instructional materials that speak specifically to the emotion and cognitions of deaf learners.

We examined the association between regular teachers' distress tolerance (tolerance of frustration, ambiguity and discomfort) and their willingness to include children with special educational needs (SENs) in their classes, as well as the mediating function of teacher job satisfaction. We sampled 502 teachers in Anambra State, Nigeria. Our findings revealed that while teachers' tolerance of frustration had significant positive effects on job satisfaction and inclusive education willingness for children with SENs, tolerance of ambiguity did not. Tolerance of emotional discomfort was significantly related to inclusive willingness of teachers. Furthermore, teacher job satisfaction mediated the relationship between tolerance of frustration and their inclusive education willingness but could not mediate that between tolerance of ambiguity and willingness to include SENs. We concluded that tolerance of frustration and discomfort can positively impact teachers' willing efforts for inclusion, highlighting the need to foster the emotional capacity of teachers, and provide supportive structures to enhance teachers' job satisfaction.