Towards an Ethics of “Research Programmes” in Special Education

This article presents an analysis of the different perspectives and ideologies within the evolving field of special education research. This examination has claimed that Imre Lakatos’ notion of “research programmes”, which allows for a plurality of directions of research, provides a valuable guide for understanding the development and current state of special education. Furthermore, the idea of research programmes has an ethical dimension that can be effectively applied to special education. The concept of research programmes reminds special educationists that they are faced with fundamental choices when they commit themselves to a particular research programme within the field. Even after the original choice of a programme has been made, researchers must continue to exercise vigilance to ensure that their programme remains, or at the very least eventually becomes, progressive. Finally, this article has suggested a general direction to follow for the establishment of a common ethical standard across all research programmes in special education.     

多元视角下特殊儿童心理健康教育模式初探

结合近十年我国特殊儿童心理健康教育研究成果与实践经验,用多元视角观察思考解决特殊儿童心理问题的方法与路径,并视心理健康教育模式为心理健康教育理论与实践相结合的规模化产物。在分析我国目前特殊儿童心理健康教育五种基本模式的基础上,探讨了特殊儿童心理健康教育模式多元整合的总体趋向。     

Aristotelian action research: its value for studying character education in schools

This article explores what it means for teachers to engage in and evaluate students’ character education, by examining the connections between action research and Aristotelian virtue ethics. These connections are explored in two ways. Firstly, the article examines what perspective action research has on how moral education, understood in an Aristotelian way, can be implemented and evaluated. While character education may be hot in educational theory, academic advances have not always reached teachers, heads of school, policy-makers and politicians. Secondly, a specifically Aristotelian approach to action research is explored that may help teachers to understand how action research about character education in schools can best be conducted. After a comparison of the three major action research paradigms, ‘Aristotelian action research’ is described as a kind of dialogical enquiry that contributes to the growth of teachers’ practical wisdom, which, in turn, has an effect on children’s character development. The article ends with suggestions as to how research about character education could be improved if we shift our attention from making character programmes more ‘effective’ to extending and refining teachers’ own practical wisdom and virtue.     

论陈鹤琴特殊儿童教育观

陈鹤琴关于我国特殊儿童教育的主要观点有:对我国发展特殊儿童教育事业的意义提出前瞻性见解;坚持借鉴与本土行动研究相结合的主张;提出特殊儿童教育的基本原则;呼吁政府构建完整的特殊儿童教育体系。     

特殊教育师资专业化培养的问题与对策

在教师专业化思潮的推动下,特殊教育教师专业化问题不容回避。本文在综合教师专业化一般概念和特殊教育特点的基础上,提出特殊教育教师专业化内涵:包括掌握科学系统的知识,有效解决实际问题,有充分的专业自主权、恪守职业道德四个方面。从专业化的角度审视当今我国特教师资培养的目标、模式和课程设置存在的问题,并提出相应的对策:完善培养目标,实行课程分层和分流,增强课程实用性,力求课程综合化,加强行动研究能力的培养等。     

Co‐Teaching in Middle School Classrooms Under Routine Conditions: Does the Instructional Experience Differ for Students with Disabilities in Co‐Taught and Solo‐Taught Classes?

Co‐teaching is a popular strategy for implementing the inclusion of students with disabilities within secondary general education classrooms. However, we have little data regarding its effectiveness under routine conditions of educational practice. This study examined whether there was an “additive effect” of the special education teacher on the instructional experiences of students with disabilities as compared with the experiences of the same students taught by only the general education teacher under routine conditions. Observers used time sampling methods to document how students with disabilities spent their time in 11 middle school co‐taught classes. Statistically significant differences were found for targeted students in terms of general education teacher interaction and individual instruction. General education teachers spent significantly less time with students with disabilities when the special education teacher was present. In addition, students with disabilities received significantly more individual instruction when the special education teacher was present. However, these differences were of limited practical significance.     

安徽省特殊教育教师专业发展现状调查

采用问卷与访谈相结合的方式就安徽省特殊教育教师专业发展现状进行了初步的调查研究,发现目前安徽省特殊教育教师存在学历水平偏低,特殊教育专业修养不够;参加培训机会较少且针对性不强;科研意识和能力欠缺;专业认同感不足等现象.建议通过开设特殊教育本科专业,实施特殊教育教师资格制度,构建特殊教育培训体系,加大特殊教育科研力度,建立长效激励机制等途径促进特殊教育教师专业发展,推动安徽省特殊教育事业不断向前.     

我国特殊教育硕士研究生招生与培养问题探讨

采用文献法对现阶段我国仅有的14所招收特殊教育硕士研究生高校的地域分布、教学和科研实力分布、招生和培养体系、专业研究方向等现状进行分析;并就交流特殊教育硕士培养经验、规范招生政策、加强招生高校自身建设和重视非全日制在职硕士的培养等方面进行探讨,从而有效培养具有较强科研能力、实践能力和创新能力的高层次特殊教育人才。     

黑龙江省随班就读教师专业发展现状及需求调查

文章采用问卷方式就黑龙江省随班就读教师专业发展现状及需求进行了调查研究,发现目前黑龙江省随班就读教师专业发展基础较好,但在特殊教育知识与技能方面存在明显不足,专业发展需求强烈;参加随班就读专项培训机会较少,且针对性不强;对随班就读工作的认同感较差,社会和学校的支持力度不够,存在比较严重的矛盾心理,希望通过专项培训和自主研修等途径获得专业发展。     

Associations of self-perceived competence,well-being and sense of belonging among pre- and in-service teachers encountering children with diverse needs

ABSTRACT

In this article, we sought to determine the extent to which pre-service and in-service teachers’ self-perceived competence is associated with sense of belonging and well-being during special education teacher studies, as well as determine whether there are differences among these factors between pre-service and in-service teachers. These are areas in which there is currently a shortage of research. Our data were collected using a survey with close-ended questions. The respondents consisted of 58 in-service and 29 pre-service teachers, aged 21–56 years. Data were analysed utilising quantitative methods. The findings revealed that the respondents demonstrated generally high levels of engagement and low to moderate levels of burnout. The results further indicated that the respondents reported themselves to be most competent when dealing with children of drug-related family abuse and less competent in working with children with severe disabilities. Although well-being and self-perceived competence were associated, we could not find any association between these factors and the sense of belonging. Given the theoretical and empirical evidence, a deeper understanding of the factors relating to teachers’ ability to encounter diverse needs is unquestionably needed. The key findings are discussed in detail, and practical implications for teacher education are given.     

论案例教学在电大法学教育中的应用

传统法学教育的共性,电大法学教育的特殊性和新发展决定了案例教学在电大法学教育中的突出地位。据此,本文提出了电大法学教育应引入案例教学思想,阐述了电大具体实施案例教学可以采用的几种形式,并指出了应注意的相关问题。     

Identities of special needs education in the discourse of Finnish professors of the field

This article examines both the discourses upon which Finnish special needs education professors draw when speaking about their field, and the consequent identities for it. The research material consists of theme interviews with 10 professors of special needs education and is analysed from a socio-constructionist, discourse analytical perspective. The results show that the professors defined special needs education from two separate viewpoints: on the basis of their own personal views, or on the basis of the classical definitions of special needs education. The professors spoke about the field through five different discourses: professional, emancipatory, relativistic, autonomous and critical. The majority of these discourses constructed special needs education as an important part of the science field, although the relativistic discourse problematised its position as an independent discipline.     

The Kantian idea of hope – Bridging the gap between our imperfection and our duty to perfect ourselves

Abstract

This journal recently published a special issue on Kant, evil, moral perfection and education. The essays included in the special issue discussed the vulnerably and imperfection of human beings and the role of education as facilitating such beings in their pursuit of moral perfection. The contribution of this article is to put forward a Kantian idea of hope as a response to the difficulty of holding imperfect agents to an impossibly high standard (perfect virtue). Hope plays an enabling role for human agents, mediating the seemingly unstable relationship between imperfect moral agents, characterised by radical evil, and their duty to elevate themselves to the idea of moral perfection in an uncertain world. As such, hope can be seen as a response to the editors’ call to bring attention to the need to work with the vulnerabilities and imperfections of human beings through education and social change. One practical way in which education can accomplish this task is through role modelling. A further contribution of this article is to advocate a Kantian idea of impure role modelling (the role model as imperfect but hopeful).     

Considering Social Validity in Special Education Research

This article is part of a special LDRP research-to-practice series introducing key concepts to enable special education practitioners and other nonresearchers to be more informed research consumers. In the article, we explore how social validity is assessed in special education research and how to interpret social validity assessments. Rather than focusing on measuring intervention effects, social validity involves assessing the social importance of the goals, procedures, and outcomes of interventions and programs. We define social validity, provide questions to consider when examining assessments of social validity in research papers, review approaches commonly used to assess social validity with examples from the research literature, and make recommendations for reconciling findings of positive intervention effects on targeted outcomes but absent or negative findings related to social validity in a study. Our take-home message is that considering social validity assessments helps research consumers interpret study findings and informs how to apply findings in practice.     

“It enables me to realise my fantasies regarding the practicum”: A preliminary study of an academia–school partnership in Israel

Models of collaboration between teacher training institutions and Professional Development Schools have become commonplace in general teacher education. These partnerships are less well documented when it comes to special education teacher training, and are particularly scarce with regard to models of collaboration with special education schools. This article presents an exploratory study of a 10-year-old partnership between a special education department at a Teacher Training College in Israel and a special school for children with developmental disabilities. The partnership is analysed utilising criteria that characterise successful Professional Development Schools. Strengths and weaknesses of the model are discussed and recommendations for future directions and research are presented.     

特殊教育课程理论研究的缺失与回归

特殊教育课程理论研究的缺失是一个现实的问题,主要表现为简单移植普通教育的课程理论研究成果,没有自身特色,也没有实质性的特殊教育课程实践研究作支撑。必须通过转换研究范式、研究特殊教育课程的特殊性、特殊学校教师参与课程研究等途径走出理论研究缺失的困境。     

Changing policy,legislation and its effects on inclusive and special education: a perspective from Wales

This article, by Jean Ware of Bangor University School of Education, examines policy developments in education in Wales since devolution, and their implications for inclusive and special education. This is set in the context of the demographics of Wales, which, it is argued, have a significant influence on policy and on the nature of educational provision as a whole. The discussion initially focuses on issues related to the Welsh language. The article then discusses four policy initiatives (the Foundation Phase, the Literacy and Numeracy Framework, the Masters in Educational Practice and the proposed reform of initial teacher education and training), intended to respond to Wales's poor performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment, and their potential impact, as well as the White Paper on reforming the special educational needs system in Wales. It is too soon to discuss the impact of these special educational needs‐specific reforms, but the differences from the English special educational needs reforms highlight the inherent tensions in special educational needs systems. It is argued that the Tabberer Report's critique of the teacher education system in Wales, which emphasises the need for teacher education to be strongly connected to relevant research, provides an opportunity to improve the quality of education in Wales for all children; but that considerable investment, and a willingness to address the potential tensions between the different initiatives, is necessary to achieve such an outcome.     

法学专业多元式课程实践模式的探讨

课程实践是整个法学专业教学过程的重要组成部分．旨在培养学生的创新意识和实践能力．是实现专业培养目标的重要环节。本文分析了法学专业开展课程实践的必要性，提出了法学专业多元式课程实践模式基本框架，列举了进行课程实践的具体方式．如开展模拟法庭、法院旁听、案例讨论、专题讨论、社会调查、法律宣传、法律咨询等丰富多彩、形式多样的课程实践活动。认为实践教学能够使学生的实务处理能力、团队合作能力、学习技能、自主学习能力得到提高。