Browsing by Subject "inkluusio"

In the context of education, ADHD has already been studied quite a bit. However, the way that teachers understand the ADHD diagnosis and what kind of image they create in their speech about children diagnosed with ADHD has received less attention. The purpose of this thesis is to find out what kind of meanings teachers generate for the ADHD diagnosis and what kind of image teachers create about children diagnosed with ADHD. It is important to study the way teachers speak because the way they speak can have either a positive or negative impact on the well-being and learning of children diagnosed with ADHD. I have collected the material for my thesis through an e-form, which has been answered by 70 teachers working in early childhood education and basic education. Respondents to the form were found through social media. The form consisted of open-ended questions and the data was analyzed using discourse analysis methods. I identified a total of six interpretive repertoires for the diagnosis of ADHD: diagnosis as evidence of medical background, diagnosis as a provider of understanding, diagnosis as an explanation of behaviour, diagnosis as a provider of support, diagnosis as a possible label, and diagnosis as a questionable phenomenon. The diagnosis appeared to be mainly necessary and good in these interpretive repertoires, but the possible negative effects of the diagnosis were also brought up. A total of six subject positions were produced for a child diagnosed with ADHD: patient, different child, troublemaker, child in need of support, labelled child and ordinary child / misunderstood child. Teachers described children diagnosed with ADHD mainly through problems and challenges, but the writings also conveyed an empathic attitude towards the child. I hope this thesis will inspire teachers to reflect on their ways of speaking and to think about the origins and consequences of the meanings they have given to the diagnosis.

Aims. The goal of my thesis is to find out how teachers teaching in vocational education and training (VET) understand inclusion in their own practices and how, according to their under- standing, inclusion is realized in different learning environments. For a long time, efforts have been made to introduce the principle of inclusivity into the education system, which is used to try to dismantle the paradigm of special education. However, inclusion is most often studied in the context of basic education, and the discussion about inclusion in the context of VET is not as lively. However, the same international and national obligations also apply to VET, so research would be equally needed in this context as well. Methods. The research data is part of the Governance for Inclusive Vocational Excellence (GIVE) project. The target group of this partial study consisted of 13 teachers from VET, whose thematic interviews formed the data. The themes of the interviews included the definition of inclusion, its appearance in practices and as an object of evaluation, as well as in documents and strategies. The data was analysed using phenomenography and abductive analysis. Results and Conclusions. Teachers understood inclusion through the ideals presented in official documents and through the implementation of laws and degree structures. However, many inclusive practices were found in the teachers' descriptions, especially through the preparation of personal competence development plan (PCDP) and the provision of support. For the most part, the teachers did not know how to verbalize these practices as part of inclusion. This could possibly be because there is not enough discussion about inclusion in VET, or that inclusion is spoken of under some other name, such as personalisation, participation, accessibility or support and guidance. The teachers hoped for a joint time to develop and unify various inclusive practices in both educational institutions and workplaces in order to create a common operating culture and develop inclusive structures. This is also strongly related to the development of the teachers' own competence, for which more support and sharing of competence was hoped for, as well as a stronger link to practical work.

Opettajat kohtaavat työssään päivittäin heterogeenisia ryhmiä, joiden oppilaat eroavat toisistaan niin tarpeiltaan kuin oppimistavoiltaan. Suomessa opettajiin ja heidän ammattitaitoonsa luotetaan, joka antaa opettajille mahdollisuuden toteuttaa työtään omalla tavallaan opetussuunnitelman puitteissa. Luokkahuoneessa tavoitteena on, että jokainen oppilas kehittyy. Jotta kehitystä tapahtuu, täytyy opettajien tuntea oppilaansa ja sitä kautta pystyttävä muokkaamaan työskentelytapojaan sekä materiaalejaan. Pedagogisia ratkaisuja, joita opettajat tekevät päivittäin luokkahuoneessa, kutsutaan eriyttämiseksi. Käytännössä eriyttämisellä tarkoitetaan opetuksen mukauttamista oppilaan taitotasoa vastaavaksi. Eriyttämisellä on kaksi suuntaa: ylöspäin ja alaspäin eriyttäminen. Ylöspäin eriyttämisellä tarkoitetaan opetusta, joka ottaa huomioon lahjakkaat ja nopeasti etenevät oppilaat, kun taas alaspäin eriyttämisellä viitataan opetukseen, joka ottaa huomioon esim. oppilaat, joilla on oppimisvaikeuksia tai tehostetun tuen tarve. Tämän tutkielman tavoitteena on kartoittaa peruskoulun ruotsinopettajien kokemuksia liittyen alaspäin eriyttämiseen. Tutkimuskysymykset ovat seuraavat: 1) Millaisia metodeja ruotsinopettajat käyttävät eriyttäessään opetustaan alaspäin?, 2) Millaisia materiaaleja ruotsinopettajan käyttävät eriyttäessään opetustaan alaspäin? ja 3) Millaisia haasteita ruotsinopettajat kohtaavat liittyen alaspäin eriyttämiseen?. Tutkimus toteutettiin lomaketutkimuksena ja vastaukset analysoitiin kvalitatiivisesti. Vastauksia tuli yhteensä 39 kappaletta. Keskeisimmät tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että ruotsinopettajat pitävät alaspäin eriyttämistä tärkeänä ja he toteuttavat sitä opetuksessaan päivittäin, jos ei jopa jokaisella oppitunnillaan. Metodit, joita opettajat käyttävät liittyvät suurimmaksi osaksi tehtäviin, joita tehdään sekä tunneilla että kotona, sekä kokeisiin. Tehtäviä ja kokeita muokataan siten, että oppilaat voivat työskennellä omalla tasollaan. Esim. säätämällä tehtävien määrää, vaikeusastetta tai aikaa, jota niiden tekemiseen käytetään, voivat oppilaat itse valita heille parhaiten sopivan työskentelytavan. Myös tietotekniikkaa, erilaisia pelejä ja leikkejä sekä visuaalisia keinoja hyödynnetään. Opettajat tekevät myös paljon omia materiaaleja täydentämään oppikirjan tarjoamia materiaaleja. Erot oppikirjasarjojen sekä etenkin A- ja B-ruotsin välillä voivat olla hyvinkin suuret. Suurimmaksi haasteeksi opettajat nimesivät ajan puutteen. Koska opettajat joutuvat itse tekemään ja muokkaamaan materiaaleja opetustaan varten, vaatii se heiltä motivaatiota, resursseja ja aikaa. Oppitunneilla opetukselta vie aikaa myös esim. työrauhan ylläpitäminen. Tuki, jota voi saada eriytyisopettajilta, koulunkäyntiavustajilta tai kollegoilta, vaihtelee koulun omien resurssien mukaan. Suurimmaksi osaksi opettajat joutuvat selviämään yksin suurienkin ryhmien kanssa. Myös aineenopettajien koulutuksen toivottiin olevan kattavampi, jotta esim. erilaiset oppimisvaikeudet tulisivat tutuiksi jo ennen työelämään astumista.

Integration and inclusion have been key topics in the discussion of special education for a long time. In Finland the integration, i.e. the aim of merging special education into general education, began in the 1970s. Inclusion became strongly involved in the discussions in the 1990s from an initiative of the UN. The purpose of this literature review is to determine the theoretical background of inclusion and integration and the way they should be seen and implemented in the selection of school, and schooling overall, for pupils receiving special support. In addition, the purpose is to look at the laws, regulations and guidelines, which are currently valid at Finnish comprehensive school, guiding the arrangement of special education. The aim is to obtain a better understanding of the subject and to understand which things in Finland determine the selection of school and schooling overall for special needs´ pupils. This thesis is divided into two parts. In the first part the theoretical background of segregation, integration and inclusion are clarified, and the concepts of special needs´ pupil and special education are described. In the second part, the key documents, as well as laws and regulations of how and where the special needs´ pupils can complete their basic education in Finland are collected. The thesis discusses additionally the National Core Curriculum coming into force next autumn, as well as the concepts of three-tier support and the local school principle. The Basic Education Act (628/1998), the modifications for it (642/2010), the Basic Education Regulation (852/1998), Special Needs Education Strategy (2007) and the National Core Curriculum (2014), all support execution of the local school principle. On the other hand, all of the above documents state that teaching can also be arranged in any other appropriate place. Municipalities are given a full responsibility for the allocation of a school place, as long as the choice is justified. On my future master's thesis, I will examine how the inclusion appears in schools´ and teachers´ everyday life, and whether support is adequate from teachers’ point of view.

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of special needs teachers and classroom teachers in the integration of students with special needs into general education and the teachers' cooperation. The term integration is used from special needs students who studies partly in a general classroom with peers. The pre-integration form is segregation, where students are isolated from other students, and the post-integration form is inclusion, where the school adapts to the needs of the pupil. The aim of the study is to find out how integration is implemented in today's schools and how classroom teachers and special needs teachers perceive the benefits and challenges of integration in everyday school life, and thus the implementation of inclusion and related cooperation. The study was qualitative research. The interview was attended by three special classroom teacher and classroom teacher pairs who implemented integration. The data was collected as a semi-structured thematic interview and analyzed by theory-guided content analysis. According to the research teachers defined integration in more dimensions than in the previous definitions of integration. Integration was also thought as a transition from general education to special education. Teachers saw the benefits of integration as factors that can be utilized by the individual student in need of special support, while challenges were seen in organizing integration. According to the research as a benefit the teachers mentioned the increase in the pupil's social skills and as a challenge they mentioned physical learning spaces, as well as the teacher’s communication. Teachers attitudes for inclusion were mainly reserved as inclusion was seen as a means of saving. Some teachers felt that studying in general education was not suitable for everyone. Based on the results of the study, the teachers were pleased with their collaboration. The benefits of cooperation were mentioned more than the challenges. For integration or inclusion to take place, teachers should have a common understanding of teaching and a desire to develop their own activities. The school's resources also influence the organization of special needs education.

The purpose of my previous research (minor laudatur thesis, year 2005) was to clarify how the comprehensive school and the Steiner school approach the special education pupil as well as to examine what sorts of similarities and differences there are between the Steiner education and special education. Through my thesis I also attempt to examine how the ideologies/intellectual worlds and teachings of the Steiner school and the comprehensive school could be combined and brought closer to one another as well as how the best parts of both schools could be combined in order to take advantage of them in both schools. The research was implemented as a review of literature. At the beginning of my research the ideology and development of inclusion, integration and inclusive upbringing are examined as the basis for the next chapter, in which the concept of man is examined from the viewpoint of special education. I discuss the idea of man on the basis of four central principles. These principles are human dignity, integrity, the right of self-determination and participation in life and society. The fourth chapter provides a detailed introduction to the concept of man from the viewpoint of the Steiner education. First the points of departure and bases of value of the Steiner education are discussed, and then on the basis of these the idea of man and man's different aspects of being in the Steiner education are discussed, as well as the development rhythms and the seven year stages of the child. I examine the differences between these two educations by comparing their ideas of man. The Steiner education is based on Steiner's educational views and the concept of man, upon which these views are based. The concept of man guides the raising and education of the child and is thus also strongly connected to how the special education pupil is approached in the Steiner school. I consider the fourth chapter to be of particular importance for the reader because it is there that I discuss the concept of man of Steiner education as well as the development rhythms of the child, among other things. Without becoming acquainted with the concept of man of Steiner education it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to understand methods used in approaching the special education pupil, such as temperament training and form drawing. The concept of man of special education also creates the basis for how a pupil requiring special support is approached in the comprehensive school. The fifth chapter discusses methods used in approaching a pupil requiring special support in the Steiner school. The sixth chapter discusses methods used in approaching a pupil requiring special support in the comprehensive school. At the end of this research I attempt, on the basis of the comparison between these two educations, to disclose the similarities and differences of them in approaching the special education pupil. I complemented my minor laudatur thesis by taking in account the 3-phased support model.

Aims. The number of students with special needs in mainstream classes in Finland has been steadily rising in recent years. The purpose of this study was to determine how well the class teachers, subject teachers and special education teachers feel that they succeed in their work when dealing with students with special needs and what are the things that impact their level of competence. Particular attention was paid to how the special education studies and teaching experience affect teachers' skills in relation to teaching special need students.The research was carried out as a part of a project focused on clarifying the state of teaching students with special needs in Finland today, and later to take advantage of this knowledge to arrange further training and education for teachers. Methods. The study was conducted using quantitative research methods. The data was a random sample collected with a questionnaire from schools in a Finnish city. The questionnaire was responded by class teachers and subject teachers (N= 118), responses were analyzed using SPSS-software. Statistical parameters were used in describing the teachers' level of competence in different areas of teaching students with special needs. The impact of special education studies on teachers competences were tested using one-way variance analysis. The impact of general teaching experience on teachers' competences was examined with Mann-Whitneys U-test and the impact of special teaching experience on teachers' competences was examined with independent samples t-test. Results and conclusions. The results showed that teachers who had completed basic studies in special education or extensive special education studies, rated their skills significantly stronger than the teachers who had completed only the basic course in special education or who hadn't completed any special education studies at all. The mere completion of the special education basic course didn't seem to have almost any effect on teachers' competences when compared with the teachers' who hadn't completed any special education studies at all. The amount of general teaching experience had only little effect on teachers' competences. However special teaching experience had a significant impact on teachers' competences.

The aim of this study was to investigate the development of children with special needs in the context of inclusive early childhood special education. In addition the other interest was to investigate the relationship between cognitive skills, behavioral and emotional skills and play behavior. The three research questions were: (1) How did the children´s cognitive and language skills, behavioral and emotional skills and play behavior develop over the course of one year? (2) How did the cognitive and language skills, behavioral and emotional skills and play behavior differ between the status groups? (3) What kind of relationship was there between the different skills? While little research has been done on the different settings of support in the Finnish early day care system, internationally several studies have been conducted about inclusive and exclusive special education. According to Rogow (1991) and Wong and Kasari (2012) children with special needs benefit social play with other kids without special needs. Previous research has highlighted the importance of play in children´s learning. Play is a way to learn cognitive and academic skills in early childhood (Bodrova, 2008). Data on 84 children attending inclusive day care in Helsinki was collected during 2016–2018. The children were supported in normal day care by an early childhood special needs teacher. The children’s special educational needs were divided into status groups: language disorder, self-regulation difficulties and severe disabilities. The data consisted of assessments of cognitive and language skills (Nepsy, WPPSI-III), behavioral and emotional skills (PreBers) and play behavior (PPBS) conducted by early childhood special education teachers. The data was analyzed by quantitative methods. The development of children was analyzed by the repeated measures ANOVA and The Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Differences between status groups were analyzed by Kruskall–Wallis H test and Mann-Whitney U –test. The relationships between variables were analyzed by Spearman’s correlation. The cognitive skills, behavioral and emotional skills and play behavior development of children were statistically significant. The language skills development was not statistically significant. There were statistically significant differences between status groups in many variables. Relations between different skills were high and statistically significant. Social communication had high relation between play behavior and emotional regulation. Relation between social communication and play in the childhood should be taken into account in early childhood settings.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to examine the development of cognitive, language and play skills of special needs children, who participate either in integrated special group or in a regular group receiving the help of early childhood education special needs teacher. The three research questions were: 1. What kind of differences appear when comparing the development of children with special needs in the integrated special day care group and children with special needs in a regular day care group with the support of early childhood education special needs teacher, with subquestions a) what were the differences between peer children, children in the integrated special day care group and regular day care group special needs children at the start of the study, b) what differences appear in the development of skills in different status groups? 2. What kind of differences appear between girls and boys? 3. How do the skills of peer children and special needs children advance? This study utilizes the Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969) to discuss children’s social attachment and the effect of peer interaction. This study is a part of LASSO-project. Methods. The study was conducted by combining two sections of the LASSO-project. The data consisted of parts of the WPPSI-III and NEPSY-II intelligence and neuropsychological tests and Play School Play Behavior Scale. These tests were used to measure children’s cognitive, language and play skills. The children were between three to seven years old during the study (N = 366). The data was analysed with repeated measures two-way ANOVA, non-parametric Friedman’s, Kruskall-Wallis -, Mann Whitney U -tests and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient with SPSS 25 -tool. Results and conclusions. The study revealed that there were differences in the development of different group forms and between status groups. The peer children were ahead in skill development when comparing them with group form or status group. The children who received the support of early childhood education special needs teacher had better skills comparing to the children in integrated special day care group. The children with severe disabilities had the lowest scores among status groups. There was a positive albeit mediocre correlation between cognitive and language skills as well as positive correlation between social play variable and cognitive and language skills. Based on the results it would seem that special needs children could benefit being in a regular day care group with the support of the early childhood education special needs teacher.

The aim of this master's thesis is to examine the formation of special in the speech of teachers. The theoretical framework is based on the stance that people try to make sense of the world by perspective of normal. However, to be normal is possible only if something is deviant from it. When it comes to schools, these lines between normal and deviant have been seen to be linked to the relation of mainstream education and special-education. The interest of this study is to analyse, how the special is formed in the speech of teachers when there is more and more students in special education and when the official direction is to bring mainstream education and special-education together by constructing teaching of all students in the same classroom. The research data is formed by interviewing special- and class-/subject-teachers. The interviews were constructed as groups, one included special -teachers and the other one class-/subject-teachers. There where total of seven interviewees. The interviews followed the rules of theme interview. I have analyzed the data by using discourse analysis. According to my results the special were formed as maladjustment, certain problems, imperfection and change. The lines between normal and special operated on the other hand between all students and on the other hand the lines were situated only between certain students, them being the students in the special education class and the students in the mainstream class. When it comes to the consequence of special it was the situation of the student that were concerned. The conclusions of this research suggest the persistence of some categories in schools and the place as an essential component for defining the lines between normal and special. Worth noticing is also the ways that showed the possibility of negotiation.