融合教育背景下特殊教育学校职能的转变

在融合教育背景下,特殊教育学校的职能必将做出相应的转变,特殊教育学校作为资源中心的功能将日益强烈.特殊教育学校必须重新定位,成为融合教育的支持者;特殊教育学校的功能从单一教育功能转变为多重服务功能,即为特殊儿童提供评估服务,承担起“资源教室”功能,成为融合教育学校教师及家长的“培训中心”,发挥“巡回指导”的作用;特殊教育学校教师角色也随之发生转变,由单一教育者角色转变为兼具“教育者”、“合作者”、“协调者”和“督导者”的多重角色.     

A special teacher for a special child? (Re)considering the role of the special education teacher within the context of an inclusive education reform agenda

Notwithstanding the recent signing and ratification by Cyprus of another International Convention on the rights of students designated as having special educational needs and/or disabilities to attend mainstream schools on an equal basis with their peers, local policy and practice promote an ‘exclusionary inclusion’ that draws a discernible line between general and special education. This paper concentrates on exploring the role of special education teachers in Cyprus in the light of policy concerns about providing the ‘least restrictive’ learning environment for this group of students and enabling them ‘to reach their full potential’. It is suggested that the role of special education teachers embodies and reflects reductionist forms of inclusion informed by deficit-oriented and assimilationist special education perspectives, while there is also evidence of a lack of professionalism and accountability. The paper draws on head teachers’ and special education teachers’ interviews in order to portray the ways in which they view and experience the role of special education teachers in mainstream schools in Cyprus. New objectives and future directions are identified and discussed.     

加强教师教育改革培养全纳型的教师

传统的高等特殊教育教师的培养存在许多问题,急需大力实施改革,目前各个设有特殊教育专业的高校在特殊教育师资培养的改革方面已经进行了一些探索。随着全纳教育的发展,传统的特殊教育教师培训势必向全纳型教师转变。当前的教师教育为实现这一转变提供了良好的契机,构建以培养全纳型教师为宗旨的教师教育体系,应当系统地考虑全纳型教师的培养目标、课程体系和资格认定制度。     

The attitudes of teachers towards inclusive education in Vojvodina

The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of preschool, primary, secondary and high school teachers towards inclusive education of children with special educational needs. In addition, the study established the correlation between these attitudes and gender, education level, teaching experience, formal training in the special education field, and the duration and quality of work experience with children with special education needs. The sample comprised 322 teachers from the Serbian province of Vojvodina. The My Thinking about Inclusion Scale (Stoiber, K. C., M. Gettinger, and D. Goetz. 1998. “Exploring Factors Influencing Parents' and Early Childhood Practitioners Beliefs about Inclusion.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 13 (1): 107–131) was used. The results show that, in general, the participants held neutral attitudes towards inclusive education and more positive expectations regarding the outcomes of inclusion. This study also emphasised teaching performance in an inclusive class as a subject of great concern. The high school and preschool teachers as well as the teachers with previous positive experience with working in an inclusive environment reported more positive attitudes towards inclusive education than those from primary and secondary schools and those with negative experiences with the implementation of inclusive practices.     

The second chance school

Loughshore Educational Resource Centre is a religiously integrated, co‐educational, special needs and secondary school situated in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Loughshore works with a wide clientele of pupils across the spectrum of need and ability from the metropolitan area of Belfast. It plays a vital role as an educational base for a multiplicity of out‐of‐school children. The centre works in the backdrop of an emerging peace in the region as well as the significantly high levels of deprivation experienced across Northern Ireland’s capital. With places at the centre at a premium, a strict admission criterion exists. The centre aims to give a ‘second chance’ to its pupils, who are at risk of social exclusion, focusing on academic, personal and social development, providing skills which can be used to gain employment or continue to further education.     

美国融合教育的政策特点与实施效果

美国是融合教育发展较为完善的国家之一,制定和遵循政策是其高标准开展融合教育的一贯原则。1975年以来,美国系列联邦教育法律始终贯彻融合教育理念,其法案中关于融合教育政策演变目标从人本补偿走向全人发展,参与主体实现了权力博弈与责任分担并进,治理结构从扁平形式走向扁平实质,运行机制从制度“面”发展到制度“体”。数年来,在政策推动下,美国提高了融合程度和教育质量、构筑了多元主体支持保障体系、推动了教师资格认证和教育惩戒制度的有效运行。     

Mental health difficulties among young people on the autistic spectrum in mainstream secondary schools: a comparative study

Young people on the autistic spectrum (AS) may be at an increased risk of developing mental health difficulties, but to date research evidence has been equivocal and/or inadequate. The aim of the current study was to document the mental health profiles of adolescents on the AS, and to identify factors that contribute to difficulties in this area. Mental health profiles of a group of adolescents on the AS (N = 22) were compared with age, gender and special educational needs (SEN)‐provision‐matched control groups of adolescents with dyslexia (N = 21) and with no SEN (N = 23) using the Beck Youth Inventories. Additionally, five participants on the AS participated in semi‐structured interviews about their experience of school. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that adolescents on the AS experienced significantly greater anxiety, depression, anger and lower self‐concept than those with no SEN. They also experienced significantly greater anxiety and anger than those with dyslexia. Qualitative analysis revealed that problems in social relationships, understanding the nature of the AS and disruptions to routine were common contributory factors to the mental health difficulties of participants. However, interview data also revealed key coping strategies implemented by participants to help them overcome their difficulties. The implications of these findings are discussed, and methodological limitations are noted.     

Inclusive education for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders in secondary mainstream schools: teacher attitudes,experience and knowledge

The aim of the current study was to examine the experience, attitudes and knowledge of school staff in relation to inclusive education for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) in mainstream secondary schools. Fifty-three participants from 11 secondary schools in the north-west of England completed a survey that covered socio-demographic information and teaching experience, perceptions of inclusion within their school, experience and knowledge of ASDs, influences on integration of pupils with ASDs, ability to cope with behaviours associated with ASDs and benefits and problems associated with integration of pupils with ASD in mainstream schools. Respondents tended to indicate positive attitudes towards inclusion. Our analysis also showed that senior managers and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators reported greater self-efficacy in teaching pupils with ASD and in coping with behaviours associated with ASD than did subject teachers. Finally, respondents reported social inclusion as both a potential benefit and challenge for pupils with ASD. The implications of these findings for future training and practice are discussed.     

The scope for using international indicators of inclusive education in Kuwait and GCC countries: A preliminary study involving special education teachers

In both the literature on inclusive education and in international policy development, there has been considerable interest in the use of sets of indicators for the implementation of inclusive education at national and local levels. Drawing on sets of indicators developed in Europe and the Pacific Islands, this study proposes a set of such indicators for Kuwait. These indicators are then presented in a survey of 161 special education teachers working in public elementary mainstream schools across Kuwait. Analysis of the results is used to explore how such indicators could play a role in promoting policy implementation for inclusive education in Kuwait and more widely in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.     

日本全纳教育的实施体系、改革方向及面临的问题

日本全纳教育的特有形式为＂特殊需要教育＂,它的实施体系包括普通班、特殊需要教育班、资源教室、特殊需要教育学校及访问教育。日本政府从法律上、财政上对全纳教育大力支持,日本学校从特殊需要资源教室的设立、特殊需要教育学校功能的扩展、加强联合活动与学习等方面进行改革以迈向全纳教育。当前日本全纳教育还面临着观念、师资培养以及高年级学生回流等问题。     

Mainstream teachers’ concerns about inclusive education for children with special educational needs and disability in England under pre-pandemic conditions

A survey-based investigation of teachers’ concerns was conducted the following adaptation of Sharma and Desai’s ‘Concerns about Integrated Education (CIE) Scale’ two decades ago. The terminology was adjusted and ‘integrated’ became ‘inclusive’, and ‘Special Educational Needs and / or Disability (SEND)’ replaced ‘disability’ in a novel ‘Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale’. A purposive sample included the public and private education sectors. An online questionnaire was completed in April 2020 (n = 93) by teachers (66: state mainstream, 18: independent, 5: UK-based international schools, 3: SEND specialists, 1: alternative provision). Statistical analysis of closed questions aimed to identify teachers’ concerns about IE for children with SEND and was complemented by qualitative analysis of data generated through open-ended questions. Varied understandings of what IE means and longstanding concerns were identified. The highest level of concern was evidenced around resources, specifically, funding for specialist and support staff, resources, and appropriate infrastructure. Qualitative data analysis suggested that children with SEND risk being perceived as an onerous adjunct to an already stressful ‘regular’ teaching role. Few respondents mentioned national performance monitoring and accountability regimes in this context and, instead, viewed additional paraprofessional and external support as self-evident solutions to excessive workloads, neglecting the implications for equity in education.     

全纳视角下我国特教体育师资培养探究

探讨特教体育的作用以及全纳视角下特教体育师资素质的新要求.分别从培养目标及教师生源、培养机构及培训模式、培训课程、资格认证及后续培养、师资考核晋升制度及社会保障措施5个方面对特教体育师资建设体系进行探究.     

Teachers’ perception of inclusive teaching practices for students with severe permanent disabilities / Percepción del profesorado sobre prácticas docentes inclusivas en alumnado con discapacidades graves y permanentes

Abstract

This study examines the perceptions of teachers in special education schools regarding the use of inclusive practices for students with severe permanent disabilities. The research was performed in Andalusia (Spain), using surveys as the main data collection method. To this end, a specific scale was designed and validated, and surveys were filled out by 428 teachers who worked in one of the 59 special education schools in the region. The data analysis shows that the teachers had positive perceptions of the use of inclusive teaching practices; there were significant relationships between variables related to the type of school, as well as gender, age and teaching experience.     

论全纳教育与教师素质

目前要彻底实现全纳教育还存在许多困难 ,其中最关键的制约因素就是教师素质问题 ,因此实施全纳教育应着重做好三个方面的工作 :(1)要求教师形成全纳教育的态度、价值和期望 ;(2 )要求教师树立民主的教育观 ;(3)在现阶段教师首先应具备教育特殊儿童的知识、技能和情感基础。     

Secondary schools included: a literature review

For over a decade, inclusive discourse comprises the development of a school for all, both in primary and in secondary education. Facing long-standing barriers for effective comprehensive education, secondary schools show specific interests, strengths and needs in a school-wide movement towards inclusion. Reviewing literature of recent research in inclusion in secondary schools (2000–2012), current interests represent inclusive culture, policy and practices, although the balance between each of these dimensions is unequal. A large number of studies report on attitudes towards inclusion, followed by inclusive practice. A lower number of studies deal with policy issues. Staff attitudes towards inclusion, access to the general curriculum, peer support, self-determination strategies and collaborative practices in specific subject areas were identified as major topics of investigation. Considerable attention has also been paid to peer attitudes, self-advocacy and student grouping. While the adolescent perspective is emphasised, little room is left for parental involvement. Also, the central role of administrators and professional development of staff has been underexposed in current research on secondary inclusion.     

美国全纳教育的发展、实施策略及问题

美国全纳教育经历了30年的发展,从最初的一种教育理念发展为波及全美中小学的教育改革运动。全纳教育取得的成功使其成为当代美国基础教育改革的重要成果和标志之一。回顾美国全纳教育的兴起与发展、分析美国全纳教育的实施策略及其存在的问题对我国当前的基础教育改革具有特殊的借鉴意义。     

Inclusive education in Spain: how do skills,resources, and supports affect regular education teachers’ perceptions of inclusion?

This study examined regular education teachers’ perceptions of inclusion in elementary and secondary schools in Spain and how these perceptions may differ depending on teaching experience, skills, and the availability of resources and supports. Stratified random sampling procedures were used to draw a representative sample of 336 general education teachers (68 kindergarten, 133 elementary, and 135 secondary teachers) from the province of Alicante. The results indicated the acceptance of the principles of inclusion, although teacher skills, time, material resources, and personal supports for inclusion were deemed insufficient. Kindergarten and elementary teachers showed more positive perceptions of inclusion than secondary education teachers, and so did teachers with more personal supports and material resources than those with less supports and resources. The results are discussed in terms of its implications for practice in order to promote more inclusive classrooms in Spain.     

The evolution of special education in Malaysia

This article traces the evolution of special education in Malaysia across four chronological stages: before and during the early colonial period (before 1900), pre‐independence (1900–1957), post‐independence (1957–1990) and modern Malaysia (1990 to the present), through document analysis. By placing current issues and trends within a historical perspective, we can provide a context for understanding current practices in relation to shifts in policy paradigms. The effects of policy changes throughout the years are discussed in the context of issues facing special education today. Identifiable areas of improvements are organised into eight themes: (1) provision of education for students with special needs and the degree to which they are inclusive; (2) encouragement of diversity within highly structured education systems; (3) the importance of funding; (4) restructuring pre‐service teacher preparation; (5) multidisciplinary support and collaboration; (6) programme outcomes; (7) provision of related services; and (8) epidemiological data.     

Reforming special education in Scotland: tensions between discourses of professionalism and rights

In 2001, the (then) Scottish Executive embarked on a process of reform of the SEN framework in Scotland. This paper analyses negotiations between different social actors, principally local authority staff and parents, in the formation of the legislation and its subsequent enactment. Data are drawn from an analysis of responses to consultations, official statistics and parent and local authority staff perceptions of the reforms as revealed in questionnaire surveys. It is argued that policy frameworks based on professionalism and bureaucracy have tended to dominate in Scotland, with a rights framework emerging much more recently. The legislation attempts to strike a balance between the different actors, although, in implementing the legislation, local authorities have sought to neutralise aspects which they felt tipped the balance of power too far in favour of parents. Parents have responded by campaigning as citizen‐consumers, and appear to be having a growing influence on Government.     

Excellence for all children false promises! The failure of current policy for inclusive education and implications for schooling in the 21st century

This paper argues that the claims of current UK education policy, for children with special educational needs (SEN) toprovide excellence and equality of opportunity, are false. Critically examined are issues of social justice and equity in relation to the work of disability theorists and this critique is then applied to recent policy in education, in particular the Green Paper Excellence for All Children; Meeting Special Educational Needs, to demonstrate that as long as the organization of schooling, the curriculum, and assessment and testing procedures remain unchallenged, equal educational opportunity will remain amyth. In conclusion, having shown that the central energy in educational change seems to be devoted to perpetuating the status quo, thus reinforcing inequality and discrimination and precluding excellence for all children, this paper attempts toset anew agendafor the 21st century that might possibly offer agenuine entitlement for all children to an equal educational opportunity. Although the paper is centrally concerned with a critique of policy in the UK, it is believed that the implications have international relevance as they are fundamental issues relating to human rights and equity.