Difficulties Facing the Integration of Students with Disabilities from the Viewpoint of Workers in Integrated Schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The study aimed to identify the nature of the difficulties facing the inclusion of students with disabilities from the viewpoint of workers in integrated schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and identify the differences in those difficulties that are due to the variables (job title, gender, scientific qualification, specialization, years of teaching experience). It also aimed to identify the most challenging categories of disability to integrate into regular classes and identify the proposals of workers in integration schools to overcome the difficulties facing inclusion. The study population consisted of all workers in the integration schools that contain grades (1-10) and contain an educational counselor and students with disabilities, where a representative sample of (179) workers in these schools was selected. The researcher used a questionnaire to classify the difficulties within four dimensions: resources learning (equipment, means and methods, and curriculum). Next is evaluation and its contents of classroom evaluation strategies and activities, then qualification of educators, and finally awareness and trends; the tool contains (39) items. The study results showed no formal evaluation strategies in place for students with disabilities, and there is awareness and positive attitudes towards integrating students with disabilities, in addition to the presence of a resource room and a special education teacher to help support students with disabilities. Furthermore, there is a lack of educational evaluation tools for the disabled category, which the Ministry circulates in the field when evaluating them and setting achievement tests. Results also showed that teachers do not consider individual differences between students; besides insufficient training received by teachers to deal with students with disabilities, the inclusion of students with disabilities helps to form healthy social relationships with others.The researcher recommended some recommendations such as determining the criteria for inclusion of students with disabilities in integrated schools, increasing the number of resource rooms, conducting studies similar to this study to examine the difficulties facing the integration of the disabled in the integration schools from the point of view of the parents, the disabled, and the relevant institutions. Received: 2 September 2021 / Accepted: 10 November 2021 / Published: 3 January 2022

Content Delivery Modes for Students with Visual Impairments in Integrated Schools of Nepal

The purpose of this study is to explore the instructional approaches that have been using by teachers working in integrated schools for years to optimize the access of visually impaired students to general education curriculum. This study was guided by constructivist paradigm followed by case study design. Altogether eleven teachers were selected from three integrated schools located in Kathmandu Valley by using purposive sampling method. Qualitative data were gathered by using semi-structured interview, classroom observation, and document analysis to get deeper understanding on the studied phenomenon. And then garnered information were edited, transcribed, coded, and thematized to draw meaningful results and conclusions. A number of instructional techniques such as providing materials into accessible format, placing students with low vision near to chalkboard, ability based grouping, pairing blind and sighted students together, etc. were applied by targeting the distinct learning needs of students with visual impairments. But most of these instructional techniques were not used on routine basis because of poorly trained teachers, limited instructional materials, and high students-teacher ratio. Therefore, proper training, sufficient instructional materials, and manageable size of the classroom should be arranged to optimize the access of visually impaired students to general education curriculum.

Integrated and shared education: Sinn Féin, the Democratic Unionist Party and educational change in Northern Ireland

There is a considerable literature concerning divided societies and the role of education in such societies. In the case of Northern Ireland, education is characterised by a largely separate system of education for its two main communities. There is also a considerably smaller integrated schools sector, where the two communities learn together. A more recent intervention is that of shared education where separate schools are retained but shared classes and other opportunities for sharing are offered. Politically, there has never been extensive support for integrated education, particularly from the two largest parties in the Assembly and power-sharing Executive: The Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin. While not active proponents of integrated education the two parties have embraced shared education and with their own interpretation of its implementation. The introduction of shared education can be seen as a triumph as the two main parties in the coalition have agreed on a policy designed to bridge the gap in education. An alternative view is that shared education is the least-worst option for these two parties but may do little to advance reconciliation.

Teaching styles used by teachers in special and integrated schools

School has a special role in developing social skills in students with mild intellectual disabilities. It is often the only place where important behaviors and competencies are shaped, and the teacher plays a key part in this process. In this paper, I analyzed teachers’ assessments of their teaching styles by comparing opinions of teachers in special middle schools and in integrated middle schools. These settings follow different educational paths and, consequently, different teaching styles might be used. In the study, I also took into consideration the location of settings (Warsaw and near Warsaw). I used the Teacher Behavior Questionnaire by Grzegorz Sędek (1995). It includes the following dimensions of teachers’ activities in class: encouraging curiosity and creativity, lack of control over the class, criticizing, pushing, demanding faithful reproduction, clarity of expression and movement, stimulating students’ initiative in class, visualization and concretization of the material, and reminding students of the need to learn. The study covered 121 middle school teachers, including 56 teachers in special schools and 65 teachers in integrated schools. The majority of respondents were women (81%). Most of the teachers had 10 to 20 years of service (30%) and were appointed teachers (47%) or chartered teachers (47%). The frequency of behaviors was presented as a percentage analysis. I assumed that the 0–20% range means that the teachers declare that they never show a given behavior, the 21–40% range – that a given behavior is rarely displayed, the 41–60% range – that the teachers sometimes behave in a given way, and the 61–80% range reveals frequent behaviors. The results above 80% indicate a very high frequency of a given behavior.