Research on Special Education in New Zealand – Current State of the Art

1981 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-19
Author(s):  
Keri Wilton
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Regular School ◽  
Behavioural Characteristics ◽  
Maximum Benefit

Special education is usually defined as provisions made for children on the basis of particular and atypical physical or behavioural characteristics they have or manifest. Most current and widely used special education textbooks adopt such a definition, and Havill and Mitchell’s (1972) book — so far the only general New Zealand reference book in this area, is no exception: ‘Special education refers to the facilities, materials and teaching resources provided for children who because of exceptional physical, intellectual, emotional or social characteristics, can not receive maximum benefit from a regular school programme (Havill & Mitchell, 1972 [p.9])’; ‘….provisions brought to bear for children whose teaching needs are beyond the resources usually available in an ordinary school (Ross, 1972 [p. 17]). There is nothing wrong with defining special education in this way. Indeed the fact that a number of children have or show exceptional physical or behavioural characteristics (or can be reliably predicted to do so) is the very foundation upon which special educational provisions are planned and made. What needs equal recognition, however — and is frequently overlooked, is that such provisions will be necessary to the degree that regular classroom provisions are inadequate to accommodate children with special needs. It is possible — indeed probable, that many children are receiving special educational provisions mostly because of the inadequacies of their particular school/classroom situation and not primarily because of any special teaching needs they may have. In this sense, special educational services can be viewed as a type of “Band-Aid” facility — available when regular class provisions are inadequate for particular children because of inadequacies on the part of the teacher (i.e., in teaching ability, understanding of the special needs and learning/behavioural characteristics of the children concerned, etc.) or inadequacies in resources available to the teacher (i.e., equipment, time, etc.). The fact that it is very difficult to ascertain in any particluar case whether a child is receiving special education primarily because of characteristics he/she has or primarily because of characteristics or resources his/her teacher does not have, makes it very difficult to specify the special educational needs of such children, or to design or evaluate special educational provisions vis-a-vis the needs of the children concerned.

The Role Of Motion Games On The Development Of Children With Special Needs In The Primary Cycle

2019 ◽  
pp. 21-27
Author(s):  
Iuliana-Luminita Constantin ◽  
Marin Chirazi
Keyword(s):  
Special Needs ◽  
Special School ◽  
Children With Special Needs ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Regular School ◽  
Primary Cycle ◽  
Rules Of The Game

The purpose of this research is to highlight the role of the games of movement on the development and social integration of children with special educational requirements from the primary cycle, studying the theme in the literature. According to statistics in the field over the last years, there has been an increase in the number of children with special needs in regular schools. Thus, children who a few years ago would have been included in a special school, today have facilities at a regular school, along with children with typical development and have a similar curriculum to follow [7]. This is why motion games are a method, an important opportunity to integrate children with special requirements in a collective, because through them children cooperate (working in groups or pairs) making new friends, no longer feeling rejected, communication becomes easier, collaborates to achieve the goal of the game, support each other, become more responsible by observing the rules of the game and accept each other as they are. The game develops the ability to adapt easily to new situations, increases effort capacity, teaches children to be careful and develops their confidence. Due to the fact that movement games are performed more in group, they provide socialization, but they must be adapted according to the child's deficiency. Conclusion: We have found that motion games are an effective way to integrate children with special educational needs into a collective, because through them children make new friends easier, they are accepted in collectivity, communication becomes easier, they support and understand each other and most importantly accepted as they are. Through the game children feel free to act.

scholarly journals Implementation of an individual educational route in inclusive practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 98 ◽  
pp. 01019
Author(s):  
Oksana Titova ◽  
Margarita Bratkova ◽  
Olga Karanevskaya ◽  
Elena Gravitskaya ◽  
Irma Barbakadze
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Children With Special Needs ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Educational Organization ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Inclusive Schools

There is currently a trend towards an increase in the number of children with special educational needs enrolled in inclusive schools. Thus, the number of children with special educational needs enrolled in inclusive schools is growing. This is caused both by significant changes in the legal regulatory framework, including the 2012 Federal Law on Education, the adoption of the Federal State Educational Standard of Primary General Education for Children with Special Needs, etc. and by the fact that in some regions the number of specialized schools is decreasing, inclusive education becomes a more affordable option for children with special education needs. School specialists, parents, and the public engage in an active dialogue about choosing the most efficient path for an educational route for special needs children, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of inclusive and special education. The design and implementation of an individual educational route, an individual curriculum is essential for children with special needs in terms of improving the quality of education and efficiently entering social life. The relevance of the study is determined by identifying the components that facilitate and complicate, hinder the development and implementation of an individual educational route for these children in an educational organization; the determination of the content of an individual educational route based on the current situation in a practical institution considering the requirements of inclusive education. The purpose of the study is to explore the problems of developing and implementing individual educational routes for children with special needs in the context of inclusion and to determine ways to solve these problems. The key methods of the study are a questionnaire and a structured interview. The empirical data confirms the assumption that the development and implementation of an individual educational route for children with special needs in an educational organization are problematic and inefficient for several reasons. The data obtained is new since similar research results have not been found in the open sources over the past five years.

scholarly journals School Security and Safety for Students with Special Needs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: الأمن والسلامة المدرسية لطلاب ذوى الاحتياجات الخاصة فى المملكة العربية السعودية

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed bin Nasser al-Maatiq Al-Shahrani
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
School Safety ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
School Security ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Students With Special Needs ◽  
Regular School ◽  
The Impact

The study aimed at evaluating the school safety and security which is necessary to protect students with special needs in Saudi Arabia. The analytical descriptive approach was used  and study was divided into two main chapters: The first chapter deals with the conceptual framework by identifying the meaning of school security and safety, and identifying the special needs group. Then in the next chapter the researcher analyzed the current reality in Saudi society and diagnose it. The negative effects of not integrating special needs students in schools, and concluding with the most important recommendations and mechanisms to remedy these problems, and design a plan of action to implement the study and set a timetable for it. Results: Children with special needs face several problems, including psychological, educational or social, and the integration of this group into society in general and in schools is a complex issue. Integration is defined as providing opportunities for children with disabilities to become involved in the special education system as a means of emphasizing the principle of equality Opportunities in education and aims to integrate in general to meet the special educational needs of children with disabilities within the framework of the regular school and according to the methods and methods and methods of educational studies and supervised by the provision of a specialized educational system in addition to the cadres of education in the public school and many studies pointed to the impact Consolidation and support, including those rejected as a result of several positive and negative trends.

scholarly journals Christian Context of Disability and Special Education Nowadays

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 243-259
Author(s):  
Ewa Domagała-Zyśk
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Disability Studies ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Medical Procedures ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
John Paul Ii ◽  
Full Development

Abstract Disability studies and special educational needs studies are becoming more and more popular nowadays as researcher got more evidence about both needs and potential of persons with disabilities. Investigating new possibilities and way of normalisations should be definitely based on stable anthropological principle as only then one can be sure that persons with disabilities are treated with brotherhood, dignity and respect, not as object of therapy, rehabilitation and medical procedures, but fully human subjects at every stage of their life. The aim of the paper is to draw fundaments of Christian special education as a perspective that may form a basis for both research and counselling and rehabilitation practice. This perspective founded on principles of Christianity enriched with writings on disability of such persons as John Paul II and Jean Vanier is a guarantee of full development of persons with disabilities and/or special needs.

Historicising the Integration Debate

1990 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-38
Author(s):  
Dianne Snow
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
School System ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
Children With Special Needs ◽  
Educational Facilities ◽  
Regular School ◽  
History Of Special Education ◽  
History Of ◽  
Segregated Schooling

The history of special education is conceived within the integration debate in a way which lends credibility to two broad claims. The first is that governments have been lax in providing educational facilities for children with disabilities, while the second comprises an argument for shifting definitional control of the notion of ‘disability’ from the medical to the educational arena. The recent Report to the Australian Schools Commission on Integration in Australia exemplifies this stance by pointing to the initial reluctance of governments to assume responsibility for educating children with special needs, followed by their eventual involvement in establishing segregated educational facilities. With segregated schooling becoming the norm, the problem now confronting educators is how to integrate these students and their supporting resources into the regular school system.

Inclusive education in New Zealand: rhetoric and reality

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Anne Selvaraj
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Current Policy ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Special Education Policy

Purpose – New Zealand continues to struggle with interpreting and implementing its current policy of inclusion, especially as it relates to children traditionally known as having “special educational needs”. The purpose of this paper is to trace the discursive development of institutionalised Special Education in New Zealand and examines how the funding and policy mechanisms of neoliberalism within which rights-based inclusion was introduced have complicated the planning and delivery of services in schools. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on Gillian Fulcher’s (1989) discourses of disability as they are expressed through policy documents and educational reports to examine the language and values that have underpinned the development of Special Education policy and provision in New Zealand. Findings – The paper has identified and attempted to explain the extent to which traditional forms of exclusion have continued to structure current policy and practice despite a paradigm shift to inclusion. It argues that this has militated against clear understanding, acceptance and success of this major paradigm shift. Research limitations/implications – In examining the social nature of disability, and its implications in the structures of education today, it is possible to consider opportunities for acting to address these. Originality/value – The value of this work is in taking an historical approach to help understand why there continues be a distance between policy rhetoric and the reality of its implementation in practice.

scholarly journals Exploring the professional self-efficacy perceptions of the teachers of children in need of special education in terms of various variablesÖzel eğitim gereksinimli çocukların öğretmenlerinin mesleki özyeterlilik algılarının çeşitli değişkenlere göre incelenmesi

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 694
Author(s):  
Gülşah Gerez Cantimer ◽  
Sare Şengül ◽  
Nur Akçin
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Professional Experience ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Professional Self ◽  
Special Education Program

The need for special education is gaining importance each passing day with increasing the number of children in need of special education. Since self-efficacy perceptions of teachers of children in need of special education which is related their field will shape the education given, the identifying current situation is seen important for resolving deficienciens. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to develop “The Special Education Teachers’ Sense of Professional Self-Efficacy Scale (SET-SPSES)” (Study I) and reveal whether the level of professional self-efficacy perceptions of the special education teachers show differences depending on a variety of variables (gender, age, educational background, professional experience, and special needs of students) (Study II). SET-SPSES was found to be a suitable instrument in accordance with Study II that was made the validity and the reliability. The research was carried out with 464 teachers graduating from a special education program and working in the academic year of 2013-2014 in Istanbul. According to the research findings; it was determined that the special education teachers had an adequate level of teaching self-efficacy perception and that their perceptions did not significantly vary by gender, age, professional experience, and special needs of students, but significantly varied by education level.  ÖzetÖzel eğitim gereksinimli çocukların sayısının her geçen gün artmasıyla özel eğitime duyulan ihtiyaç önem kazanmaktadır. Özel eğitim gereksinimli çocukların öğretmenlerinin alanlarına yönelik özyeterlilik algıları verdikleri eğitimi şekillendireceğinden varolan durumun tespit edilmesi eksiklerin giderilmesi adına önemli görülmektedir. Bu nedenle çalışmada “Özel Eğitim Öğretmenlerinin Mesleki Özyeterlilik Algısı Ölçeği (ÖEÖ-MÖAÖ)” geliştirilerek (Çalışma I) özel eğitim öğretmenlerinin mesleki özyeterlilik algılarının düzeylerinin çeşitli değişkenlere (cinsiyet, yaş, öğrenim durumu, mesleki deneyim ve öğrencinin özel gereksinim durumu) göre farklılık gösterip göstermediğinin ortaya konulması (Çalışma II) amaçlanmıştır. Çalışma I’de yapılan geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışmaları doğrultusunda Özel Eğitim Öğretmenlerinin Mesleki Özyeterlilik Algısı Ölçeği’nin kullanılabilir özelliklere sahip olduğu bulunmuştur. Araştırma 2013-2014 eğitim-öğretim yılında İstanbul ilinde görev yapmakta olan toplam 464 özel eğitim alan mezunu öğretmen ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma bulgularına göre; özel eğitim öğretmenlerinin mesleki özyeterlilik algılarının yeterli düzeyde olduğu; cinsiyet, yaş, mesleki deneyim ve öğrencinin özel gereksinim durumu ile anlamlı bir farklılık göstermediği, öğrenim durumu ile anlamlı bir farklılık gösterdiği belirlenmiştir. 

scholarly journals TEACHERS’ ATTITUDE TO THE USE ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN TECHNOLOGY LESSONS, EDUCATING PUPILS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS/MOKYTOJŲ POŽIŪRIS Į ELEKTRONIKOS PRIETAISŲ NAUDOJIMĄ TECHNOLOGIJŲ PAMOKOSE, UGDANT SPECIALIUOSIUS UGDYMOSI POREIKIUS TURINČIUS MOKINIUS

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (39) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Asta Vaitkevičienė ◽  
Asta Širiakovienė
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Life Form ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Essential Feature ◽  
Electronic Devices ◽  
Practical Skills ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
Intellectual Abilities

<p>Abilities of pupils with moderate, severe and profound intellectual disabilities are developed in activities. One of such activities is technology lessons with its essential feature – practical orientation. The most important achievements of SEN pupils in the technology subject is formation of practical daily life skills. As provided in <em>The Recommendations on Adaptation of Basic Education General Curricula for Education of Special Needs Pupils with Low and Very Low Intellectual Abilities </em>(2010), technology education consists of such parts as nutrition, textiles, structural materials and electronics. Properly organized electronics lessons prepare special needs pupils for life, form their practical skills, and help them to get familiar with new technologies. It was relevant to find out the attitudes of teachers of special education institutions to the use of electronic devices in the lessons of technology, because previous research did not deal with learning resources of special education institutions, teachers’ attitude to new technologies, and possibilities of using electronic devices.</p><p> </p><p>Vidutinį ir žymų ir labai žymų intelekto sutrikimą turinčių mokinių gebėjimai ugdomi veikloje. Viena iš tokių veiklų yra technologijų pamokos, kurių esminis bruožas – praktinis kryptingumas. <em>Pagrindinio ugdymo bendrųjų programų pritaikymo rekomendacijose specialiųjų poreikių žemų ir labai žemų intelektinių gebėjimų mokinių ugdymui</em> (2010) technologinis ugdymas yra numatytas ir sudarytas iš tokių dalių kaip mityba, tekstilė, konstrukcinės medžiagos ir elektronika. Buvo aktualu išsiaiškinti specialiųjų ugdymo įstaigų pedagogų požiūrį į elektronikos prietaisų naudojimą technologijų pamokose, nes požiūris ir pasitikėjimas yra mokytojo žinių konstrukto dalis. Straipsnio autorės laikosi požiūrio, jei mokytojas<em> </em>pats teisingai ir visapusiškai nesupranta technologijų, jis negali formuoti teisingo, visapusiško mokinių požiūrio.</p><p> </p>

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