Perspective taking in individuals with autism in the interactive context of drama education

The focus of this thesis is on perspective taking in individuals with autism and factors associated with it in the interactive context of drama education.\ud Studies have consistently shown that individuals with autism encounter difficulty with perspective taking. This manifests in qualitative differences in social interaction and communication, as outlined in standard diagnostic criteria. Findings from the research in this thesis demonstrate that the difficulty in perspective taking can be mitigated through particular types of interaction with others.\ud Using case study methodology within an interpretative paradigm, data were gathered about ten students aged 16 to 19 in one school for individuals with autism through observations, interviews, questionnaires and documentation. Data were coded and multimodal semiotic analysis was used to examine interactions in detail.\ud Findings from the research indicate that individuals with autism show perspective taking in the interactive context of drama education, and suggest that it maintains and develops over time and generalises to other contexts. A comparison with perspective taking in other curricular areas reveals that it is shown more often and in qualitatively different ways in drama. This suggests that social context influences perspective taking.\ud An interrogation of the social context locates factors associated with perspective taking in interactions with teachers and peers and draws out general approaches and detailed strategies within these interactions. A comparison with other curricular areas highlights particular opportunities presented by drama. These approaches and strategies are explained socioculturally enabling the research to illustrate both the relevance of sociocultural theory for individuals with autism and its practical application.\ud The research context, approach, findings and explanation contribute uniquely to research about and practice involving individuals with autism. Implications of this contribution are discussed with reference to avenues for future research. \u

Examining culturally responsive inclusive education practices in mainstream schools in the United Arab Emirates: A preliminary study to trial an evidence-based framework

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has adopted ambitious policies and strategic plans to enable inclusive education in mainstream schools across the country. With the largest population of immigrant students of all countries and an ethnically diverse teaching workforce, there is a need to explore the extent to which teaching practices are not only inclusive but also reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of students with special educational needs in schools. This preliminary study trials the use of the Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy (CRTSE) scale as a tool to benchmark culturally responsive teaching practices for students with special educational needs in the UAE and identify areas for development. Data were collected from 24 teachers through a survey and semi-structured group and individual interviews and analysed using descriptive statistics and a systematic qualitative analysis. The findings suggest that teachers are using culturally responsive teaching practices. Teachers report higher frequency in creating an enabling learning environment and developing positive relationships but lower frequency in practices that involve specific cultural knowledge such as knowing how to differentiate the curriculum, instruction and assessment and use a student’s native language to meet the linguistic and learning needs of students. The interviews corroborated these findings and enabled vital contextual insights into the nature of cultural and linguistic diversity in mainstream classrooms in the UAE as well as specific examples from practice about how cultural and linguistic diversity intersects with special educational needs. Implications for practice and further research are considered