The showcase of special education in Turkey: Guidance and research centres

ABSTRACT Background Identifying the students with intellectual disabilities and deciding the required services would not be sufficient without parental involvement. The purpose of this study was to understand the perspectives of the parents of students with intellectual disabilities about the Guidance and Research Centres (GRCs) and reveal the parents’ experiences at the GRCs. Method In this qualitative study, unstructured interviews were conducted. Twenty-one parents who had a child with an intellectual disability were asked about their experiences during their visit to the GRCs. Content analysis with an inductive approach was used to analyse the data. Findings Most of the parents reported problems regarding educational evaluation, and communication and collaboration. The participants provided their suggestions about evaluation procedures, professionalism, and institutional practices. Conclusions The problems at the GRCs must be considered by educators and other stakeholders to better provide educational evaluation, support services, and guidance to the students and their parents.