Suzanne Carrington

Perceptions of School by Two Teenage Boys with Asperger Syndrome and their Mothers: A Qualitative Study:

This qualitative study aimed to develop an understanding of the challenges faced by teenage boys with Asperger syndrome and their mothers. A case study approach was used to collect data from two 13-year-old boys who have Asperger syndrome and their mothers in Queensland, Australia. Data were collected through the use of semi- structured interviews. The words of the boys and their mothers provide a valuable insight into the personal experiences and feelings of the participants. An inductive approach to data analysis identified four themes: (1) developmental differences; (2) problems associated with the general characteristics of Asperger syndrome (i.e. communication and social difficulties, restricted range of interests, a need for routine); (3) stress; and (4) ‘masquerading’. The first three themes relate strongly to the current literature, but the emergence of masquerading is of particular interest in developing a fuller understanding of the experiences of individuals with Asperger syndrome at school.

Adolescents With Asperger Syndrome and Perceptions of Friendship

This qualitative study investigated the perceptions of friendship faced by teenagers diagnosed With Asperger syndrome. This research aimed to provide teachers With an insight into the social World of Asperger syndrome from a student perspective. A multiple—case study approach Was used to collect data from 5 secondary school students in Australia. Data Were collected through the use of semistructured intervieWs. An inductive approach to data analysis resulted in a number of broad themes in the data: (a) understanding of concepts or language regarding friendships, (b) description of What is a friend, (c) description of What is not a friend, (d) description of an acquaintance, and (e) using masquerading to cope With social deficits. The insights provided by the participants in this study are valuable for teachers, parents, and anyone else involved in inclusive education.

Inclusive school community : why is it so complex?

This paper addresses the question: why is it so hard for school communities to respond to diversity in learners, staff and parents in inclusive ways? The authors draw on theory and recent professional experience in Queensland, Australia, to offer four guiding principles that address traditional assumptions about learning that result in inequality of opportunity and outcomes for students. The authors suggest these principles to support the development of a more inclusive school community: (1) develop a learning community incorporating a critical friend; (2) value and collaborate with parents and the broader community; (3) engage students as citizens in school review and development; and (4) support teachers’ critical engagement with inclusive ideals and practices. The authors describe how the principles can work in concert in a school community.

Critical social theory and transformative learning: evidence in pre-service teachers' service-learning reflection logs

This paper reports on the opportunities for transformational learning experienced by a group of pre‐service teachers who were engaged in service‐learning as a pedagogical process with a focus on reflection. Critical social theory informed the design of the reflection process as it enabled a move away from knowledge transmission toward knowledge transformation. The structured reflection log was designed to illustrate the critical social theory expectations of quality learning that teach students to think critically: ideology critique and utopian critique. Butin’s lenses and a reflection framework informed by the work of Bain, Ballantyne, Mills and Lester were used in the design of the service‐learning reflection log. Reported data provide evidence of transformational learning and highlight how the students critique their world and imagine how they could contribute to a better world in their work as a beginning teacher.

Professional development for inclusive schooling

Professional development aims to impact upon teacher knowledge, teacher practice and thus change student outcomes. Some of the most effective examples of professional development have focussed on active involvement of staff and administration in the process and have been extensive and progressive in nature. In this paper, we report on the implementation of a model of professional development in which school reculturing, collaboration between teaching professionals and opportunities for individual teacher learning are core themes. This study, undertaken at a disadvantaged primary school in Queensland, Australia, was a collaborative effort between the school and a university. The case study data were collected within the context of a larger research project. Analysis of the data, collected from focus group interviews with 11 teachers at the school and reflective notes taken from the second author’s research journal, revealed four major themes which focus on reflections of the process of professional develop...

Opportunities for authentic experience and reflection: a teaching programme designed to change attitudes towards disability for pre-service teachers

Teachers increasingly need to manage and interact effectively with a broad range of students, including those with disabilities. Positive interactions require positive attitudes towards children with disabilities. In this qualitative study from Australia, Joanne Brownlee and Suzanne Carrington investigate the beliefs and attitudes towards people with disabilities of 11 pre-service teachers. The results of this study have implications for the structure of teacher education programmes in generic teacher education courses.

The rate and extent of improvement with therapy from the different types of aphasia in the first year after stroke

Objective: To examine the rate and extent of improvement from the different types of aphasia in the first year after stroke. Design: A prospective longitudinal study. Setting: A specialist stroke unit. Participants: Seventy-five aphasic patients with first-ever stroke. Intervention: The type of aphasia was classified according to the criteria of the Western Aphasia Battery. The Western Aphasia Battery aphasia quotient was used to measure the initial severity and the rate and extent of improvement from aphasia. Assessments were made at baseline and 4, 8, 12 and 24 weeks later. Results: The median percentage increase in the Western Aphasia Battery aphasia quotient was statistically higher in patients with Brocas aphasia than in the other groups at all weeks. Patients with Wernickes aphasia had a significantly greater median percentage increase in their aphasia quotient than those with conduction and anomic aphasia at weeks 12 and 24, but less than patients with global aphasia at week 24. Conclusions: Patients with Brocas aphasia appear to have the best prognosis for improvement of language function in the first year of stroke. The extent of improvement in patients with global aphasia is better than that of patients with Wernickes aphasia.

High scores on the Western Aphasia Battery correlate with good functional communication skills (as measured with the Communicative Effectiveness Index) in aphasic stroke patients

Objective. To examine the correlation between an impairment-level and a functional-level assessment scale of aphasia. Design. Prospective, longitudinal study. Setting. A stroke rehabilitation unit. Subjects. Sixty-seven aphasic acute stroke patients who were undergoing a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation programme, including conventional speech and language therapy (SLT). Intervention. Patients were assessed on study entry and 4, 8, 12 and 24 weeks after the start of SLT. The language impairment was assessed with the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) and the communicative functional limitation associated with aphasia was measured with the Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI). Results. There was a statistically significant correlation between the two scales for all assessment periods (Pearsons r = 0.71; P < 0.01). Conclusion. The study suggests that in the acute and subacute stages of stroke the scores of WAB and CETI can be surmised from one another.

Taking a ‘reality’ check: Expanding pre-service teachers' views on pedagogy and diversity

The outcomes of a two-pronged ‘real-world’ learning project, which aimed to expand the views of pre-service teachers about learning, pedagogy and diversity, will be discussed in this paper. Seventy-two fourth-year and 22 first-year students, enrolled in a Bachelor of Education degree in Queensland, Australia, were engaged in community sites outside of university lectures, and separate from their practicum. Using Butins conceptual framework for service learning, we show evidence that this approach can enable pre-service teachers to see new realities about the dilemmas and ambiguities of performing as learners and as teachers. We contend that when such ‘real-world’ experiences have different foci at different times in their four-year degree, pre-service teachers have more opportunities to develop sophisticated understandings of pedagogy in diverse contexts for diverse learners.

Comparison of a traditional and an inclusive secondary school culture

Qualitative research methods were used to conduct case studies of two secondary schools in Australia, focusing on the provision of support for students with different learning needs. Interview data were used to report differences in collective beliefs, values and descriptions of school practice that foster two contrasting school cultures. One of these school cultures is described as more inclusive and the other as more traditional. The study used an inductive approach to analysing interview data to reveal differences between the schools using three main categories: (1) model of support and the role of the special educator; (2) student focused or content-focused culture; and (3) beliefs and attitudes relating to inclusiveschooling and teacher responsibility for catering for diverse learning needs. The findings of this study have implications for development of inclusive schooling.