Parent Views on the Placement of Students with Special Needs in Regular Classrooms at an Australian Primary School

1998 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-37
Author(s):  
Susan Wright ◽  
Jeff Sigafoos

The present study surveyed the views of parents about the education of students with special needs in regular classrooms. The survey involved 81 parents of students without disabilities and 29 parents of students with special needs. The children attended an Australian primary school. The school provided special education to 35 students with special needs and some of their education was provided in regular classrooms. Both groups of parents provided a range of supportive comments, but also expressed concerns about the implementation of special education in regular classrooms. Specific concerns included the extra time and added stress of educating children with special needs in the regular classroom, the potential disruption and disadvantage to other students, and the lack of support and resources, which may decrease the amount of learning. These views are consistent with those expressed by teachers and students without special needs as reported in the companion paper (Wright & Sigafoos, 1997) to the present study.

1997 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan L. Wright ◽  
Jeff Sigafoos

The present study surveyed teachers and students without disabilities regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities at an Australian primary school. The school provided special education to 35 students with special needs and some of their education was provided in regular classrooms alongside peers without disabilities. Fifteen regular classroom teachers and 109 classroom peers without special needs completed questionnaires. Both groups provided a range of supportive comments about regular classroom placements for student with special needs, but also expressed concerns about the implementation of special education in regular classrooms. Specific concerns included the extra time and added stress of educating children with special needs in the regular classroom setting, potential disruption and disadvantage to other students and the lack of support and resources. Unless these concerns are addressed, placement of students with special needs in regular classrooms may generate stress, concern, and even possibly resentment among some teachers and students without disabilities.


1993 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 44-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Libby G. Cohen ◽  
Loraine J. Spenciner

This study investigated how rural special education teachers and students use computer technology when working on reading, spelling, and writing activities. The results indicate that computers are not very well integrated in reading, spelling, or writing curricula. When students do use computers, they use them by themselves in the resource room or in the special classroom for reinforcement activities. Assistive devices, which could make computers accessible, are, for the most part, unavailable. Despite the evidence of the benefits of the use of microcomputers and software by students with special needs, this technology remains largely untapped.


2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Apps ◽  
Mark Carter

AbstractConstructivist literature has become increasingly prominent in the area of special education. The nature of constructivism and its relevance and limitations for students with special needs is discussed, as is the importance of appropriate research in determining the efficacy of instructional interventions. A search of the literature into the efficacy of constructivism for students with special needs in K-12 settings revealed a predominance of descriptive and discussion-based research and very limited experimental research. The limited existing experimental research indicates that constructivist instructional approaches may have circumscribed applications in special education. Specifically, they may be appropriate to applications for students with learning difficulties in areas such as science education. Nevertheless, there are major methodological and interpretative problems that undermine confidence in the existing body of research. These problems include an absence of adequate procedural reliability data, interventions that often involve teaching single or very small groups of students, and conditions that do not approximate regular classrooms. There is also evidence suggesting that constructivist approaches may be inappropriate and ineffective for students with intellectual disabilities. The need for considerable caution and extensive further research in this area is evident, in light of the ready adoption of constructivism in schools and the increase of constructivist literature.


2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-20
Author(s):  
Christina E. van Kraayenoord

It is an honour to be invited to present the Des English Memorial Lecture at the 30th Annual National Conference of the Australian Association of Special Education (AASE) in 2005. Des English was the first President of this Association. Much of what he stood for was embedded in a respect for the abilities of students with special needs and his desire to ensure that these students had the best opportunities to learn. He was deeply committed to the belief that a professional organization such as the Australian Association of Special Education was needed to develop teachers and administrators who were knowledgeable and skilled, and he worked tirelessly to establish this Association, continuing to work with energy towards the goal of enhancing the education of students with special needs through the professional development of their teachers until his death in 1977.


2006 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Anderson

MOVING BEYOND ARGUMENTS from social justice or human rights as a basis for inclusive classrooms, this paper advances a ‘theology of interdependence’ as a rationale for creating the classroom ethos desired in Christian education. A theology of interdependence provides insight into the culture of inclusive classrooms and forms the mainstay for an inclusive education and an inclusive worldview that stress community. Rather than discussing the how-to of inclusion, emphasis is on how-to-be inclusive. True collaboration between general and special education can best be accomplished through a theology of interdependence which communicates that disabled and able-bodied persons can learn from one another.


2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-125
Author(s):  
Mark Apps ◽  
Mark Carter

AbstractConstructivist literature has become increasingly prominent in the area of special education. The nature of constructivism and its relevance and limitations for students with special needs is discussed, as is the importance of appropriate research in determining the efficacy of instructional interventions. A search of the literature into the efficacy of constructivism for students with special needs in K-12 settings revealed a predominance of descriptive and discussion-based research and very limited experimental research. The limited existing experimental research indicates that constructivist instructional approaches may have circumscribed applications in special education. Specifically, they may be appropriate to applications for students with learning difficulties in areas such as science education. Nevertheless, there are major methodological and interpretative problems that undermine confidence in the existing body of research. These problems include an absence of adequate procedural reliability data, interventions that often involve teaching single or very small groups of students, and conditions that do not approximate regular classrooms. There is also evidence suggesting that constructivist approaches may be inappropriate and ineffective for students with intellectual disabilities. The need for considerable caution and extensive further research in this area is evident, in light of the ready adoption of constructivism in schools and the increase of constructivist literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Rodríguez-Oramas ◽  
Pilar Alvarez ◽  
Mimar Ramis-Salas ◽  
Laura Ruiz-Eugenio

In the international context of a progress toward more inclusive educational systems and practices, the role of Special Education teachers is being transformed. From an inclusive perspective, these professionals increasingly support students and their teachers in the mainstream classroom, avoiding segregation. However, Special Education teachers often struggle to reach and support all students with special needs and their teachers to provide quality inclusive education. For this reason, more research is still needed on in-service training strategies for the inclusion of students with special needs that effectively translate into evidence-based school practices that improve the education of all students. This article analyses the impact of two evidence-based dialogic training programs of Special Education teachers working in mainstream schools carried out in Mexico during the 2018–2019 school year. Through in-depth interviews with participants, it was identified how, after the training, teachers increasingly grounded their actions on scientific evidence and promoted interactive learning environments that improved the educational inclusion of their students with special needs. This training also became the venue to make evidence-based educational actions available to other students without special needs, improving the quality of education provided to all students.


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