Elias Avramidis

Student teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of children with special educational needs in the ordinary school

Abstract Given that research has suggested that the successful implementation of any inclusive policy is largely dependent on educators being positive about it, a survey was undertaken into the attitudes of student teachers toward the inclusion of children with special needs in the ordinary school. The sample was comprised of 135 students who were completing their teacher training courses at a university School of Education. The analysis revealed that the respondents held positive attitudes toward the general concept of inclusion but their perceived competence dropped significantly according to the severity of childrens needs as identified by the UK “Code of Practice for the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs”. Moreover, children with emotional and behavioural difficulties were seen as potentially causing more concern and stress than those with other types of special needs. Finally, the survey raised issues about the breadth and quality of initial teacher training in the UK. Nevertheless, the recommendations provided at the end of this paper regarding teacher training are applicable beyond the UK context.

The influence of teaching experience and professional development on Greek teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion

On the assumption that the successful implementation of any inclusive policy is largely dependent on educators being positive about it, a survey was undertaken into the attitudes of Greek teachers to inclusion. The 155 respondents were general education primary teachers drawn from one region of Northern Greece, with a proportion deliberately selected from schools identified as actively implementing inclusive programmes. The analysis revealed positive attitudes towards the general concept of inclusion but variable views on the difficulty of accommodating different types of disabilities in mainstream classrooms. Teachers who had been actively involved in teaching pupils with SEN held significantly more positive attitudes than their counterparts with little or no such experience. The analysis also demonstrated the importance of substantive long‐term training in the formation of positive teacher attitudes towards inclusion. The paper concludes with recommendations for developing critical professional development courses that can result in attitudinal change and the formulation of genuinely inclusive practices.

Inclusion in action: an in-depth case study of an effective inclusive secondary school in the south-west of England

This paper represents the outcomes of an in-depth case study of a secondary school in the south-west of England, identified as inclusive by the local education authority (LEA). The study, which formed the second part of a ‘bricolage’ approach, utilized ethnographic research methods, with the aim of investigating inclusion in a holistic way, at the school level. Data were collected through interviewing of a variety of school constituencies and participant observation. The analysis suggested that: (a) the participants were enculturated into the integration model; (b) although there were strong perceived academic benefits for the included students, the evidence is contradictory regarding the social outcomes of inclusion; (c) successful implementation of inclusion requires restructuring of the physical environment, resources, organizational changes and instructional adaptations; and (d) there was a perceived need for ongoing professional development. The findings reported in this investigation may be used to illuminate current practice in the LEA and to provide directions for formulating policies to support ‘inclusive practice’ in ways which are acceptable to teachers, parents and students.

Pathways and possibilities in professional development: case studies of effective teachers of literacy

This article reports part of an empirical research project investigating the professional development, knowledge and beliefs of a number of teachers working in primary schools throughout England who were identified as effective at teaching literacy. The larger study employed a range of approaches, including a survey, interviews and observation of lessons. The article presents a detailed case study analysis of the literacy-related professional development experience of a subsample of the effective teachers of literacy. The case studies highlight the interwoven nature of experience gained within a range of professional contexts, including classroom, school, local education authority and national loci. The importance of meso-level support for professional learning and development, such as that provided by local education authority advisers, is highlighted. The case studies indicate the importance of the affective and personal dimensions within longer-term professional development, and also the creative interplay between autonomy and collegiality. The non-linear, and often long-term, nature of career development is also emphasised: particularly in relation to primary schools, where teachers may change subject or phase orientations over time. It is argued that the long-term nature of professional development poses particular challenges for policies that focus increasingly on measurable impact and outcomes.

Social Relationships of Pupils with Special Educational Needs in the Mainstream Primary Class: Peer Group Membership and Peer-Assessed Social Behaviour.

One of the major aims for the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) within the mainstream classroom is to reduce prejudice and increase social interaction among children. Nevertheless, research has consistently shown that pupils with SEN remain less accepted by and may experience greater loneliness than their non‐SEN peers. This study explores these issues using a rounded sociometric technique, social cognitive mapping (SCM), combined with peer‐assessed social behaviours to: (a) determine the degree of membership for pupils with SEN in peer clusters, (b) examine the nature of this participation, and (c) identify behavioural characteristics associated with group affiliation patterns. Participants were 566 pupils drawn from seven British primary schools. Contrary to previous studies, pupils with SEN in this study were found to be equally likely to be members of the friendship clusters of the class and occupied similar levels of network centrality as their non‐SEN peers. In keeping with earlier studies, pupils with SEN were more likely to be nominated on anti‐social indicators. Specifically, boys with SEN were more frequently perceived as ‘rule breakers’ while girls with SEN as ‘shy/withdrawn’. However, those pupils with the pro‐social characteristics of leadership and sportsmanship were well integrated in peer groups. The paper concludes by advocating the development of social interventions that foster such pro‐social characteristics thus promoting all children’s affiliation in peer groups.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MAJOR RESEARCH PARADIGMS AND THEIR METHODOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS RESEARCH

Recently in special needs research qualitative methods have been advocated and utilised. Unfortunately, confusion exists concerning the methods of investigation and the researchers’ paradigmatic assumptions. We argue that it is the paradigmatic lens of the researcher which guide the whole research process rather than the methods employed. In this paper the three major paradigms currently operating in educational research will be described and the distinction between “method” and “paradigm” will be clarified. Although the issues raised here are applicable to all strands of educational research, the purpose of this paper is to guide special needs researchers in identifying their own assumptions and examining for themselves the implications of choices about research methodology based on those assumptions.

Self-concept, social position and social participation of pupils with SEN in mainstream primary schools

Drawing on a recent research project, this paper questions the literature’s dominant representation of children with special educational needs (SEN) as holding negative perceptions of themselves and being socially isolated. The study examined dimensions of pupils’ self-concept and their social position in their class network. Contrary to previous research, pupils with SEN were found to hold positive perceptions in all assessed domains of self-concept and, notably, they felt good about their academic performance, and they felt socially accepted by their classmates. With regard to their social position, children with SEN were found to be less popular and to have fewer friends than their non-SEN peers. Nevertheless, they had formed some positive relationships, they were equally likely to be members of a social cluster, and they were no more likely to be isolated than their non-SEN peers. This evidence is supplemented with teacher accounts that provide a greater understanding of the nature of social interaction and quality of friendships in their classes. Finally, the paper concludes that experiencing SEN alone is not a determining factor of social isolation and argues that schools should aim at enhancing the self-image and reducing the marginalisation of all pupils regardless of their SEN or non-SEN classification.

Evaluating the Social Impacts of Inclusion through a Multi-Method Research Design.

Although the development of policy towards inclusive education in the UK is well advanced, very little is known about the social outcomes of existing inclusive arrangements in primary settings. A recent study sought to fill this gap by systematically investigating the social impacts of inclusion on children accredited with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and their mainstream peers, while also identifying those educational practices contributing to increased social interaction and the development of friendships. Following a brief review of earlier research efforts and theoretical understandings that informed the design of our study, we present the mixed methodology employed which combined sociometric and psychometric techniques with more ecological qualitative methods. The ways in which these diverse methods complemented each other are discussed alongside wider methodological challenges germane to the research. We conclude by advocating the utilisation of interconnected methods, within a coherent research design of the sort described here.

Reappraising learning support in higher education

Abstract With the increasing number of disabled students entering the higher education sector, much research work has focused on the support services arena and the elimination of barriers that the disabled students have encountered. While producing useful advice on meeting the needs of disabled students, this line of research has done little to locate disability issues within the mainstream learning and teaching debate. By adopting a socio-educational model of ‘learning difficulty’, the study upon which this article draws examined through a survey the issue of ‘learning support’ for the whole student population of one university. The survey employed the Learning for All Questionnaire (LfAQ), a newly developed instrument that aimed to operationalise a holistic view of learning support. The analysis of the collected data provided directions for developing university policies and practices through a significant reformulation of the existing support provision. The article concludes by exploring the concept of ‘institutional habitus’ as a tool for understanding institutional practices, and effecting change to enhance learning and promote inclusion. The implications of current funding arrangements (the Disabled Students’ Allowance) for a mainstream model of learning support are also discussed.

Social pedagogy in schools: student teacher attitudes in England and Norway

This study explored the views of student teachers in England and Norway regarding the extent to which they felt the school should take the lead role (in comparison to the roles played by parents and other professional agencies) in addressing the needs of pupils identified by the school as experiencing a problem. A questionnaire comprising 30 problem areas was developed and distributed to student teachers at two universities in England and at two universities in Norway. A total of 542 student teachers participated in the study. The findings indicated that the ratings by student teachers in both countries of these problem areas fell broadly into four main groupings (in terms of the strength of feeling that the school should take the lead role): these concerned poor basic core attainment, disaffection, anti-social behaviour, and unhealthy lifestyles, respectively, except for one very important caveat: concerns regarding bullying received a high rating and were located in the first grouping. These findings are interpreted in the context of whether schools might be ready to adopt a social pedagogical approach to offering targeted support to pupils experiencing such problems and the implications this may have for inclusive education and initial teacher education.