Examining the Expectations of Early Years Teachers in the UAE Regarding a Successful Start to School for Children With and Without Special Educational Needs

Starting school has been shown to correlate with later school outcomes. The success of the transition of special educational needs (SEN) pupils depends on the child’s adaptation to the new environment and on the teachers and school supports to facilitate learning. Previous research indicates that expectations of teachers toward pupils with SEN have been low. The aim of this study was to examine Early Years teachers’ expectations with respect to the transition experience of children with Downs Syndrome and those without SEN in the U.A.E. Teachers working in the U.A.E. in Early Years’ education completed a questionnaire twice, once thinking about their expectations of a child without any SEN and once thinking about a child with Downs Syndrome. Findings demonstrated a different pattern of expectations depending on whether the child had Downs Syndrome or no SEN, indicating, in general, a lower set of academic expectations for children with Downs Syndrome

Teachers’ expectations of children with Down Syndrome starting school in the United Arab Emirates or United Kingdom

Starting school has been shown to correlate with later school outcomes. Teachers working in early years’ settings either the UAE or the UK completed a questionnaire taken from Dockett and Perry (2004), asking them to rate the importance of 20 statements in answer to the question “How important are the following for deciding whether a child with Down Syndrome has had a successful first two terms of school?” Findings demonstrated a different pattern of expectations depending on where the teacher was working. Specifically, teachers in the UK placed more importance on academic performance and the relationship with the family. Some similarities in the rankings of the scales were also obtained. Teachers, regardless of the location, placed most importance on children’s happiness and knowledge of school routines in successfully starting school. Implications for children with Down Syndrome starting school in the UAE and the UK are discussed

The pedagogic beliefs of Indonesian teachers in inclusive schools

This research explores, for the first time, the pedagogical orientations of Indonesian teachers in the context of inclusive education. A mixed-method approach was used for an analysis of questionnaire data from 140 teachers and qualitative interviews from 20 teachers in four inclusive schools. The findings suggest that, in general, the implicit orientation of teachers is social constructivist. This orientation is also reflected in their reported classroom practices. Although less common, more directive pedagogical approaches appear to have an impact upon the flexibility of roles within two teacher inclusive classrooms. Whilst the number of disabled pupils within each class was a significant issue for interviewees, no pupils were deemed unteachable in their classrooms. Furthermore, what is described by the teachers as a “special pedagogy” typically entailed additional teaching time and modified assessments, and consequently could be framed as “good teaching for all”. The questionnaires also contained responses from student and special school teachers and support the view that teachers’ beliefs about inclusive pedagogy are mediated by experience and occupation

Teachers’ perceptions of successful transition to school for children with and without Downs Syndrome in the UAE and England

The experience of transition into school has been shown to correlate with later school outcomes, with a successful experience resulting in later positive academic and social outcomes. Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) face more challenging transitions. Teacher attitudes and expectations of children with SEN play a key role in determining the quality of the transition. Early Years Foundation Stage teachers were recruited from the UK and from the UAE. They completed a questionnaire twice, rating the importance of factors in ensuring a successful transition to school for children with no SEN and with Downs Syndrome. Significant differences in the rating of factors were found for the two groups of children. Between-country differences were significant for Knowledge and for Academic factors. The implications of differences in expectations cross-culturally and for children with SEN are discussed

Teachers’ perceptions of diversity and ‘others’ in United Arab Emirates (UAE) Schools

This paper seeks to examine and unpack cultural diversity and ‘Others’ in United Arab Emirates schools through the lens of teachers and school leaders as Culturally Responsive Teachers (CRT). Such teachers discursively construct government and private schools, as not just heterogeneous because of students of Emirati and non-Emirati origins, but as very diverse along the overlapping lines of language, race and ethnicities, and socio-economic status. Biliterate and biracial students are discursively constructed as experiencing marginalisation because of their association with non-Emirati identities. For CRT to be genuinely effective and transformative, it is imperative for teachers to locate understandings of diversity and Others within specific configurations of language use, race and ethnicity and socio-economic status. CRT will succeed if teachers look at students as individuals with unique configurations of diversity, with many of them experiencing multiple layers of Othering

[In Press] Caregivers' accounts of school searches for children with cerebral palsy in a developing sub-Saharan African context

Objectives: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological condition caused by damage to the part of the brain known as the cerebral cortex and affecting the coordination and movement of individuals. The challenges faced by caregivers raising children with CP cannot be overemphasized. However, information regarding the accessibility of education for children with CP is scant or unreported. In this study, we investigated the experiences of parents in their efforts to enroll their children with CP in schools. Methods: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with a cohort of 40 parents with children with CP who were observed for 5 years. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Results: The results that emerged from the thematic analysis demonstrated the difficulties faced by parents in searching for a school for their children with CP. According to the study participants, both special and regular schools were inaccessible to children with CP, due to unfriendly school environments, transportation problems, and high costs, as well as a lack of resources, qualified staff, and human resources. Conclusions: The findings underscore the urgent need for policymakers in Ghana to consider or make provisions for the education of children with CP. Without this, children with CP and their families could be entrapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, deprivation, and dependence on others for their livelihoods