Qualitative evaluation of an intervention programme fostering students’ social participation implemented by Greek and Portuguese elementary school teachers

This study investigates the perspectives of teachers in Greece and Portugal on the effectiveness of a newly developed programme (FRIEND-SHIP intervention) aiming at fostering students’ social participation. Sixteen elementary school teachers, ten from Greece and six from Portugal, who implemented the programme in their classes were interviewed before and after implementation. The thematic analysis performed indicates that the intervention was perceived as successful in improving the students’ social skills and the overall classroom climate. Specific benefits were noted for students with disabilities and for those from racial or ethnic minority backgrounds. Overall, the FRIEND-SHIP programme was viewed as an easy to implement intervention with a relevant structure and content and was valued as very promising in fostering all students’ social participation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The development of student teachers' views on pupil misbehaviour during an initial teacher training programme in England and Norway

This is a postprint of an article whose final and definitive form has been published in the Journal of Education for Teaching© 2007 Copyright Taylor & Francis; Journal of Education for Teaching is available online at http://www.informaworld.comA group of postgraduate (secondary school) student teachers attending a teacher training course in York (England) and Stavanger (Norway) completed a questionnaire at the start (N = 174) and at the end (N = 128) of their course which explored their views regarding the factors accounting for pupil misbehaviour, the frequency of pupil misbehaviour, the strategies for dealing with pupil misbehaviour, and their confidence that as a full-time teacher they will have the skills needed to keep pupils engaged in their work and to deal with pupil misbehaviour that occurs. Overall, the major factor accounting for pupil misbehaviour was reported to be 'parents who do not instil pro-school values in their children'; the most frequent pupil misbehaviour reported was 'talking out of turn (e.g. calling out, interrupting, inappropriate remarks or distracting chatter during the lesson)'; and the strategy rated most positively was 'establish clear and consistent school and classroom rules about the behaviours that are acceptable and that are unacceptable'. Both the York and Stavanger students grew in confidence over the year. The study also highlights areas where there appear to be shifts in students' views over the course of their training year and differences between the students across the two settings (York and Stavanger)

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

This is a postprint of an article whose final and definitive form has been published in the European Journal of Special Needs Education© 2007 Copyright Taylor & Francis; European Journal of Special Needs Education is available online at http://www.informaworld.comOn 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

Making reasonable adjustments for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities: pre-service teachers' perceptions of an online support research

The Equality Act called on British schools to ‘avoid as far as possible by reasonable means, the disadvantage which a disabled pupil experiences’. Teachers, therefore, must be creative and flexible in order to meet the needs and optimise the capabilities of all pupils. Using focus group interviews, this article explores the influence of an online resource on pre-service teachers’ perceptions of making reasonable adjustments for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Pre-service teachers appeared committed to making reasonable adjustments, with reports of the online resource being particularly influential on their planning and assessing progress. The influence of the resource was less significant on those pre-service teachers with previous experience of making reasonable adjustments

Teaching experiences of students with special educational needs in co-taught and non-co-taught classes

Co-teaching has gained considerable interest as a service delivery model for promoting the inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream classrooms. This study examines whether co-teaching has an effect on the teaching experiences of 12 students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 10 students with intellectual disability (ID) as compared with the experiences of the same students in non-co-taught classes. We implemented 264 structured observations in 22 classes to identify students with SEN grouping arrangements, level of engagement, interactions with teachers and peers, and the nature of the interactions. We also conducted 44 structured interviews with co-teachers to compound their perceptions with our observations.Observational results indicate that co-teaching has a strong effect on students' with SEN level of engagement and on the nature of interactions. The grouping arrangements for these students and their interactions with teachers and peers were slightly different between co-taught and non-co-taught classes. More statistically significant differences were identified between the two conditions for students with ASD than for students with ID. Also, co-teachers reported that co-teaching had a positive effect on students with SEN in all researched variables. Our study concludes that co-teaching has some positive effect on the teaching experiences of students with SEN; nevertheless, there is still scope for improving the employment of co-teaching in Greek mainstream classrooms. Implications of these findings for current practice are discussed

Befrienders to persons in the autistic spectrum in Greece: what support do they offer and what challenges they face?

The aim of this research was to examine the type of activities as well as the challenges faced by befrienders supporting persons with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Twenty-nine volunteers befriending an equal number of families with children with ASD participated in this study. Content analysis was applied on visit logs (n = 465) completed by befrienders during a nine month period, supplemented by thematically analysed evidence derived from semi-structured interviews with befrienders at the end of their volunteering experience. In agreement with our expectations, findings indicate a variation in the type, number and location of activities as well as the challenges of befrienders, depending on the level of ability of persons with ASD. Befrienders in both groups were mostly involved in leisure activities, had greater social interaction with the high functioning autistic group and carried out more structured 1:1 activities with individuas with low functioning autism. Interestingly, befrienders in both groups did not differ significantly on their reported challenges. The implications of this befriending service as a means of social support for families with persons with ASD are discussed

Communication and perspective-taking skills of pupils excluded or at risk of exclusion from school : an investigation into deficits in communication skill and implications for intervention

The research focuses on young people excluded from school, and those identified as being at risk of exclusion. It assesses their skills in communication, empathy / perspective taking, and incorporates information from staff at their schools relating to their perceptions of the participants’ communication skills and their risk of exclusion. This data, along with interviews with a smaller sample of the young people who have experienced permanent exclusion, is used to discuss implications for policy and intervention with regard to supporting pupils with language difficulties. The research is set out in two papers. Paper One describes the findings from an assessment of communication skill and empathy / perspective taking. Paper Two uses the findings from Paper One to compare the participants’ skills with the perceptions of their teachers regarding their communication ability and risk of exclusion, and also describes the findings from interviews with a selection of the participants. The research demonstrated significant communication difficulties in the sample groups. This has implications for their prospects, as the literature review highlights the difficulties that young people can experience if their language difficulties are not addressed. The questionnaire completed by staff showed that although many staff were aware of the pupils’ language difficulties, they often underestimated the extent of these difficulties.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Communication and perspective-taking skills of pupils excluded or at risk of exclusion from school : an investigation into deficits in communication skill and implications for intervention

The research focuses on young people excluded from school, and those identified as being at risk of exclusion. It assesses their skills in communication, empathy / perspective taking, and incorporates information from staff at their schools relating to their perceptions of the participants’ communication skills and their risk of exclusion. This data, along with interviews with a smaller sample of the young people who have experienced permanent exclusion, is used to discuss implications for policy and intervention with regard to supporting pupils with language difficulties. The research is set out in two papers. Paper One describes the findings from an assessment of communication skill and empathy / perspective taking. Paper Two uses the findings from Paper One to compare the participants’ skills with the perceptions of their teachers regarding their communication ability and risk of exclusion, and also describes the findings from interviews with a selection of the participants. The research demonstrated significant communication difficulties in the sample groups. This has implications for their prospects, as the literature review highlights the difficulties that young people can experience if their language difficulties are not addressed. The questionnaire completed by staff showed that although many staff were aware of the pupils’ language difficulties, they often underestimated the extent of these difficulties.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo