Assessing the special education professional development needs of northern Malawian schoolteachers

This research examines special needs education professional development needs among both general and special education schoolteachers in northern Malawi. A semi‐structured questionnaire with open and close‐ended questions was used for the research. Quantitative and thematic analyses were conducted to determine the extent to which teachers believe that students with disabilities should be educated together with students without disabilities, the importance of professional development for teaching students with disabilities, prioritised professional development needs regarding special education knowledge, and self‐identified needs for successful special education classrooms. Results indicate that teachers are generally in favour of inclusive practices and identify a high need for special education professional development. Participants identified training and resources to teach students with visual impairments or auditory impairments as a high priority. Participants noted a need for improved infrastructure, more educational materials, and recognition by the government for work in special education.     

Adapting Active Support Interactive Training to a special school context to upskill classroom staff and increase engagement in pupils

Research indicates that engagement acts as an important precursor for learning, yet sustaining the engagement of pupils with special educational needs can be a challenge for classroom staff. An Active Support staff training package, Interactive Training, has been demonstrated as an effective way of increasing engagement in adults accessing learning disability services. In theory the logic of Active Support Interactive Training could extend to a school environment, with the aim of achieving similar outcomes. The current study evaluated a special school-adapted version of Active Support Interactive Training with the aim of increasing engagement in pupils during group-based learning. Findings showed an increase in engagement in pupils for all three settings (classrooms) immediately after intervention, which continued to either increase or stabilise at three-month follow-up. Further research could test the engagement behaviour of staff pre- and post- training intervention and explore practice leadership within the school leadership team to address maintenance.     

Examples of Good Practice when Dealing with Bullying in a Further/Higher Education College

This qualitative study, conducted via interviews, focuses on the strategies used by tutors and support staff in dealing with bullying in an FE/HE college. This area is under researched and yet studies have shown that 10 per cent of students in FE experience bullying (McDougall, 1999). It was found that bullying was being dealt with effectively using a range of approaches. The examples of good practice found in this study correspond with the more extensive work into primary and secondary schools by Byrne (1994), Tattum and Herbert (1993) and Sharp and Smith (1993). All respondents treated the issue seriously and relationships built up between tutors/support staff and the students were the crucial factor.     

Balancing Cultural Diversity and Social Cohesion in Education: The Potential of Shared Education in Divided Contexts

This article considers how the education systems of divided societies have been shaped in response to the experience of ethnic and religious conflict. The analysis identifies two competing priorities in such contexts – the development of social cohesion and the protection of cultural, ethnic and religious identities – and explores how these may be reconciled through a model of ‘shared education’. Drawing on research evidence and recent experience of shared education in Northern Ireland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Cyprus, we reflect on the advantages and challenges of this model in areas experiencing conflict and division.     

Longitudinal Effects of Teacher and Student Perceptions of Teacher-Student Relationship Qualities on Academic Adjustment

The shared and unique effects of teacher and student reports of teacher student relationship quality (TSRQ) in second and third grade on academic self views, behavioral engagement, and achievement the following year were investigated in a sample of 714 academically at-risk students. Teacher and student reports of teacher-student support and conflict showed low correspondence. As a block, teacher and student reports of TSRQ predicted all outcomes, above prior performance on that outcome and background variables. Student reports uniquely predicted school belonging, perceived academic competence, and math achievement. Teacher reports uniquely predicted behavioral engagement and child perceived academic competence. Teacher and student reports of the teacher-student relationship assess largely different constructs that predict different outcomes. Implications of findings for practice and research are discussed.     

On the Nonsmooth,Nonconstant Velocity of Braille Reading and Reversals

Relative to print reading, braille-reading finger movements are held to be of more constant speed, with continuous and exhaustive contact with all words. However, the continuity of movements is intermittent in two distinct ways: (a) readers reverse direction and reread material already encountered and (b) the continual fluctuations of velocity between phases of acceleration and deceleration. We analyze recordings of experienced readers’ encounters with ambiguous sentences predicted to encourage more reversals, and we undertake comparative kinematic analyses of the finger movements during such reading. The data suggest that when reversals are initiated and where they are targeted reflect language-processing demands. However, their kinematic properties are not qualitatively different from those of forward reading. We conclude that how readers of braille move the reading finger—both forward and in reverse—is primarily influenced by the control properties of low-velocity movements and only secondarily by language properties.