Sociocultural Context Effects on Teacher's Readiness to Refer for Learning Disabilities

2002 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth R. Drame

The social context of the special education referral process is influenced by a number of variables. Demographic and perception data were collected from 63 first-through fifth-grade general education teachers from three Midwestern public school districts to determine the impact of sociocultural variables on teachers' perceptions of classroom behavior, management, and referral tendencies. Teacher, classroom, and school variables including teachers' perception of a learning disability, educational level, grade level, instructional practices, and prereferral intervention models significantly influenced teachers' behavioral perceptions and referral tendencies. These results can inform teacher-training programs to ensure that general educators increase their ability to accurately detect learning difficulties and their awareness of the importance of their perceptions, instructional practices, and school factors on special education referral.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Y. Mngo ◽  
Agnes Y. Mngo

The opinions of general education secondary school teachers in seven select schools involved in a pilot inclusive education program in the Northwest Region of Cameroon were sought. The findings reveal that most teachers in Cameroon still prefer separate special education institutions to inclusive ones. These conclusions contradict earlier research which showed that resistance to integrated classrooms was emanating from beliefs and customs. Teachers with some training on teaching students with disabilities and more experienced and highly educated teachers were more supportive of inclusive education indicating that resistance to the practice is linked to inadequate or complete lack of teachers’ preparedness. Younger, less experienced teachers with no training in special education indicated less enthusiasm regarding the benefits of inclusion, their ability to manage integrated classrooms, and teach students with disabilities. The implication of these findings for future research, institutional support systems, institutional policies, and overall instructional leadership is discussed in this article.


Author(s):  
Roberto M. Garcia

Incoming PK12 general education teachers beginning their careers are not wanting to have individuals with intellectual disabilities in their classroom due to a lack of special education experience and knowledge. This practice-based qualitative narrative dissertation study explored student teacher individual perceptions and experiences on special education classroom behavior and inclusion for elementary public-school general education student teachers. The practice-based problem was the negative views pre-service K12 educators held for classroom inclusion and personal perceptions of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The study sample included 10 student teacher college students enrolled in one Texas early childhood program. Schlossberg's Transition Model was used as the practice-based conceptual framework and data were gathered from interviews and analyzed using Clandinin and Connelly's procedures for narrative analysis. The findings determined pre-service general education teachers are not always provided adequate inclusion training.


Author(s):  
Yesim Kesli Dollar ◽  
Enisa Mede

This chapter aims to investigate the impact of reflection on freshmen pre-service English teachers' classroom practices. Specifically, it explores how the participating student teachers' perceptions influenced their instructional practices as a result of participation in reflection activities. The participants of the study were ten freshmen student teachers enrolled in the English Language Teaching undergraduate program at a foundation (non-profit private) university in Turkey. Data came from the reflections of the participating student teachers about their recently-completed 15-hour field-based experience at the pre-school level. As a part of this class reflection activity, the participants were prompted to keep a diary in one of their undergraduate courses and respond to a series of statements or questions related to their classroom observation tasks. They were also engaged in class discussions and were required to write their overall feedback based on their field-based experience. The findings of the study revealed that reflective activities helped the prospective student teachers identify their strengths and weaknesses related to classroom activities, use of materials (use of technology and visuals) and classroom management, leading to self-awareness about their understanding and application of teaching skills and strategies.


1984 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen P. Safran ◽  
Robert S. Barcikowski

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of information commonly disseminated by consultants on teacher expectations for mainstreamed LD students. After receiving varying combinations of positive and negative communications in the areas of reading achievement, classroom behavior and learning style, subjects completed the Regular Educator Expectancy Scale-Revised — an instrument developed to measure four areas of mainstreaming (Instruction, Effects on Others, Effects on the Child, and Behavior Management Strategies). Results indicated that teachers were differentially influenced according to the type of information received. Implications for the LD consultant are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Robin D Brewer ◽  
Silvia M. Correa-Torres ◽  
Tyler W. Kincaid

<p><em>The authors of this study examined data from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS) regarding school settings, time students spent in each setting, and opportunities for social interactions experienced by students with multiple disabilities. Findings suggest that over a span of six years, students in the US spent an increasing amount of time in resource or pull-out settings. This resulted in students spending less time with their general education peers but also less time in self-contained special education classrooms. Results also indicated that the opportunities for social interactions experienced by students with multiple disabilities increased in all settings and typical students are now spending more time with students with multiple disabilities. The data also revealed that social interactions increased for all students but when students spent a majority of their day in the general education setting, the increase was at a significantly higher rate. This leads us to understand the need to prepare all students to be prepared to exit school into adult life. Interacting with typical students will increase their ability to interact and understand the need for socially acceptable behavior. </em></p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54
Author(s):  
Jonte Taylor ◽  
Naima Bhana

In a joint effort, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR) published instructional practice guides for special educators called High-Leverage Practices (McLeskey et al., 2017). These High Leverage Practices focus on four areas of practice (collaboration, assessment, instruction, and social/emotional/behavioral). High Leverage Practice 7 (HLP 7) is under the social/emotional/behavioral domain and guides teachers to establish positive and constructive learning environments for students. For special education training programs, opportunities to focus on HLP 7 can be presented in classroom/behavior management courses as a function of setting up classroom structure (atmosphere, rules, and procedures) that support developing positive, culturally responsive learning environments and student-teacher relationships. This paper provides support for why topics should focus on HLP 7 and how topics of structure, culturally responsive teaching, student-teacher relationship development, and social emotional learning should be included in classroom/behavior management courses in special education training programs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-107
Author(s):  
Sotiria Tzivinikou

Teachers’ professional development is the key to education improvement. On that basis, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of a 6-month in-service training program in the context of the continuing professional development for educators on educational practice. The main objective of the training program was to improve the educators’ teaching skills, to enrich their practices with the most effective strategies and with the newest findings from research evidence in order to increase the quality of their educational interventions for students with special educational needs. An innovation of that program was the simultaneous training of both general and special education teachers in pairs, smoothing the dividing lines between general and special education in their daily instructional practice. The participants were 30 educators, divided into 15 pairs. Each pair was working in the same inclusive school sharing the responsibility of the educational support of a student with learning problems. The estimation of the impact of the program was investigated by measuring the educators’ increasing sense of self-efficacy in relation to their instructional skills and overall effectiveness of their educational interventions for their students with learning difficulties. A pre and post evaluation research design was employed and the findings showed that the training program had a positive impact on the educators’ self-efficacy and their effectiveness regarding collaborative educational interventions for their students. Key words: continuing professional development, in-service training, self-efficacy.


Author(s):  
Yesim Kesli Dollar ◽  
Enisa Mede

This chapter aims to investigate the impact of reflection on freshmen pre-service English teachers' classroom practices. Specifically, it explores how the participating student teachers' perceptions influenced their instructional practices as a result of participation in reflection activities. The participants of the study were ten freshmen student teachers enrolled in the English Language Teaching undergraduate program at a foundation (non-profit private) university in Turkey. Data came from the reflections of the participating student teachers about their recently-completed 15-hour field-based experience at the pre-school level. As a part of this class reflection activity, the participants were prompted to keep a diary in one of their undergraduate courses and respond to a series of statements or questions related to their classroom observation tasks. They were also engaged in class discussions and were required to write their overall feedback based on their field-based experience. The findings of the study revealed that reflective activities helped the prospective student teachers identify their strengths and weaknesses related to classroom activities, use of materials (use of technology and visuals) and classroom management, leading to self-awareness about their understanding and application of teaching skills and strategies.


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