Xiaoxia A. Newton, John W. McKenna, Frederick J. Brigham
{"title":"A mediation model analysis of inclusive instructional practices for students with emotional disturbance","authors":"Xiaoxia A. Newton, John W. McKenna, Frederick J. Brigham","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.12731","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12731","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The relationships among teachers' knowledge, use, and perceived effectiveness of inclusive instructional practices for students with emotional disturbance (ED) has implications for the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). We unpacked these nuanced relationships through mediation analysis. Data for our study came from a broader survey investigation of inclusive instruction for students with ED in one of the northeastern states in the United States. The sample consisted of 176 teachers who were mostly female (85%) with an average of 12 years of teaching experiences. We found that (a) the relationship between teachers' reported knowledge and use of inclusive instructional practices was bidirectional, (b) special education teachers were far more likely to implement specialized instructional practices such as behavioural support and differentiation than general education teachers and (c) there were no reported differences in instructional practices (i.e. general practices) and classroom management between special education and general education teachers. Implications for pre-service teacher training, professional development and teacher support are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"25 2","pages":"368-378"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.12731","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143793907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"‘It's something that people don't have the knowledge of’: Perceived participation of pupils with Prader-Willi syndrome in specialist schools and staff preparedness","authors":"Madeleine Rawlinson, Susana Castro-Kemp","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.12728","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12728","url":null,"abstract":"<p>There is an abundance of literature on health-related outcomes for children and young people with Prader-Willi syndrome and on their lived experiences as well as on their caregivers'. However, little is known about the experiences of education practitioners when providing for them. This study gathered in-depth evidence of the lived experience of school staff in two secondary specialist schools, on (1) perceptions of functioning and participation of young people with Prader-Willi syndrome in the setting and (2) how prepared they felt to support them in achieving full participation, including challenges faced. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six school staff and transcripts were analysed both deductively (using the ICF classification system) and inductively. School staff perceive the needs of these pupils as mostly related to their body functions, in alignment with a medicalised understanding of disability. However, they recognise the key role of environmental modifications to address these. Staff feel mostly unprepared and perceive their training as limited. Despite wide recognition of the need to conceive disability holistically, medicalised understandings are still present. Training from a biopsychosocial perspective is needed. Future research should address the development of core sets of ICF codes for people with Prader-Willi syndrome.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"25 2","pages":"341-354"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.12728","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143793767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"General and special education teachers' attitudes towards evidence-based practice","authors":"Lea Rüger, David Scheer","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.12727","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12727","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In the context of special and inclusive education, applying evidence-based practice (EBP) is important for providing equal access to effective and efficient education for students, regardless of their ability status. However, there is a relevant research-practice gap in this area. To better understand how teachers can be supported using evidence-based interventions and to identify training and development needs, we developed a questionnaire on attitudes towards EBP and piloted it with a sample of 809 teachers in Germany. The factor structure was determined using categorical exploratory factor analysis in half of the sample and then confirmed using categorical confirmatory factor analysis in the other half. Good model fit and factor reliability were observed. The instrument is measurement-invariant between general and special education teachers. As expected, we found more positive attitudes towards EBP among special education teachers. No significant differences were observed between the different age groups. Based on these findings, it can be assumed that the measurement instrument is suitable for use in implementation research, as well as in the evaluation of initial and in-service teacher training programmes. Further studies on convergent, divergent and prognostic validities are necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"25 2","pages":"323-340"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.12727","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143793429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Teachers' non-response bias in questionnaires about their attitude towards inclusive education","authors":"Françoise Guillemot, Florence Lacroix, Isabelle Nocus","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.12726","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12726","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The attitude of teachers towards inclusive education is a key issue for the success of inclusive education. Many studies have been designed to assess teachers' attitudes, but none have looked at the bias caused by teachers' non-response to questionnaires on their attitudes. Non-response biases are difficult to identify because it is impossible to access the responses of individuals who do not wish to reply. It is therefore necessary to use other data. This article examines the non-response biases of teachers in questionnaires about their attitude towards inclusive education by cross-checking the responses of parents of children with a disability (<i>N</i> = 382) regarding the quality of their child's inclusion and the responses or non-responses of teachers to questionnaires about their attitude (<i>N</i> = 48 responses). This study shows that the non-responses of teachers are not random and are associated with poorer well-being and social inclusion at school, a lower sense of belonging and higher levels of bullying. This significant non-response bias of teachers leads us to question the existence of a potential positivity bias in previous studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"25 2","pages":"312-322"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.12726","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143793926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Digital storytelling: An educational approach for enhancing dyslexic children's writing skills, critical and cultural learning","authors":"Kalliopi Kritsotaki, Susana Castro–Kemp, Leda Kamenopoulou","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.12722","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12722","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper reports an exploratory pilot study- which is part of a larger study- examining the impact of an innovative approach to enhancing the writing skills of primary school students with dyslexia, digital storytelling (DST), linked to critical and cultural learning. The study adopted a single-subject design with a pre-experimental approach (A-B) to explore connections between the use of digital storytelling, and children's writing skills, as well as cultural and critical dimensions of learning. A socio-cultural framework, drawing on Green's 3D model, and the Not-So Simple View of Writing, informed the methodology adopted. A dual perspective aligning with the socio-cultural theory was adopted, delving into both product and process of digital storytelling. The results revealed significant improvements in writing skills, cultural and critical behaviours, pre and post intervention, with large effect sizes, suggesting this may be a promising classroom approach to improve literacy and learning in children with dyslexia.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"25 2","pages":"289-311"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.12722","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143793859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Serving students with special needs: Palpable lessons from University of Dar es Salaam's 40 years sustained experience","authors":"Fortunatha Mathias Matiba, Sarah Ezekiel Kisanga","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.12725","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12725","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This qualitative study investigated the support Students with Special Needs (SSN) receive and the challenges providers of such assistance face at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). The university has witnessed a significant increase in the number of SSN, and their effective learning depends heavily on the support available. This study was conducted at the UDSM—Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Mlimani campus through semi-structured interviews with 15 participants, and the collected data were analysed thematically. This study established that the UDSM's efforts to support SSN include establishing a dedicated centre, procuring modern assistive devices, recruiting specialist staff and personal assistants (PAs) to provide individualised and tailored assistance. Additionally, the university has developed comprehensive policies and guidelines to regulate the services provided to SSN. However, several challenges were reported, including lecturers' reluctance to submit examinations and lecture notes to SSN, reluctance of some students to disclose their disabilities, scarcity of experts and some SSN turning support services into income generating project. Despite the UDSM efforts to support SSN, further initiatives are imperative to enhance inclusive education in higher education.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"25 2","pages":"277-288"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143793856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Parents' lived experiences regarding the decision-making process on reasonable accommodations for their child with SEN—An IPA analysis","authors":"Laura Fluyt, S. Vandesande, S. Nijs","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.12724","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1471-3802.12724","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Reasonable accommodations (RA) for children with special educational needs (SEN) need to be decided in collaboration with all stakeholders. Even though parents play a crucial part in the inclusive school trajectory or their child with SEN, they often miss a clear role in this decision-making process. In this research, using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), six parents of children with SEN were questioned. The analysis showed that parents are bound to the decisive character of school professionals and find themselves along the spectrum of being actively involved to being followers. There are often opposite perspectives, and in many cases insufficient RA are decided upon according to parents. This resulted in diagnostic trajectories and a search for support outside the school environment. In many cases, parents perceived the decision-making process on RA for their child with SEN as a life-long journey and a never-ending process. In the end, enabling factors were expressed by parents that facilitated the decision-making process on RA.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"25 2","pages":"262-276"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142258732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Trends in instructional technologies used in education of people with special needs due to intellectual disability and autism","authors":"Fatih Kalemkuş","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.12723","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1471-3802.12723","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The purpose of this study is to analyse trends in articles on the use of instructional technologies in the education of individuals with special needs, specifically those with mental disabilities and autism. The research was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement, and the studies were analysed through content analysis. Between 2015 and 2023, 452 articles were retrieved from ScienceDirect, Web of Science, SpringerLink, ERIC, Google Scholar, SOBIAD, Taylor & Francis and SCOPUS databases on the use of instructional technologies in the education of students with intellectual disabilities or autism. The analysis included 128 articles that met the research criteria. The research indicates that publications on instructional technologies for individuals diagnosed with intellectual disabilities were mostly published in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Among these technologies, technology-supported learning and augmented reality were found to be the most preferred. These studies focused on the effects of instructional technologies on communication and social skills. They were mostly conducted on students aged 15–25. Publications for individuals diagnosed with autism were mostly published in 2022. These individuals have mostly preferred technology-supported learning, virtual reality and robot-assisted learning as instructional technologies. These studies focused on the effects of instructional technologies on communication and social skills in students aged 5–10.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"25 2","pages":"237-261"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.12723","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142258733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Teachers' relational competence towards students with neurodevelopmental symptoms: A microscopic relational analysis","authors":"Linda Plantin Ewe, Jonas Aspelin","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.12721","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1471-3802.12721","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Teacher–student relationships (TSRs) are key factors for at-risk students. However, little is known regarding how TSRs are built through interactions with students with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). This study provides an in-depth analysis of a teacher's relational competence in relation to a student with NDD symptoms. We used microscopic relational analysis to scrutinise a TSR, focusing on a brief classroom episode selected from a sample of seven video-recorded lessons set in an elementary school. Our findings demonstrate the critical role of teachers' relational competence in nurturing positive and supportive TSRs. Teachers' relational competence manifests through continuously reading, understanding, and empathising with students. Furthermore, teachers can promote mutual understanding and respect, regulate the degree of closeness and distance, and manage the emotional indicators of ongoing TSR. We propose that such microsocial artistry is an essential part of teachers' competencies when interacting with students with NDDs.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"25 2","pages":"225-236"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.12721","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142206322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Theory is inclusive, practice is integrative? Discourses on inclusion in the education community","authors":"Silvia Sierra-Martínez, Irene Crestar, Isabel Fernández-Menor, Ángeles Parrilla Latas","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.12720","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1471-3802.12720","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Defining educational inclusion is a complex task on which there is still no conceptual agreement among practitioners. Although the term inclusion has moved away from integration or disability, it has not yet been consolidated as the presence and participation of all students. Some of the reasons are lack of material and human resources, isolated curriculum or teacher training, among others. A qualitative research project was carried out with the aim of identifying the portraits that the different informant agents make of inclusion. The technique used to collect information was an open interview with 44 participants, representatives of different groups (head teachers, classroom teachers, specialists, counsellors, families, students, associations and politicians). The information was analysed using the content analysis model, supported by MAXQDA22 software. The results delve into (1) the dissonant issues with inclusion and (2) the rupture they perceive between legislation and daily practice, and (3) reveal five dominant discourses on the concept: as a legal measure, as a category, as an educational measure, as wealth and as participation. In conclusion, the vision of inclusion in this study remains confused, diffuse and utopian.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"25 1","pages":"209-221"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.12720","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142206292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}