Browsing by Author "Dammert, Hanna"

The idea of integration grew stronger in Finland during the seventies. It was based on normalization principle. The basic idea was that every child including ones with disabilities had the right to study in their local school. The basic concepts of inclusion were outlined in Salamanca Statement (1994). The foundation was that every child regardless their special needs should participate in general education classes at their local school. In the amendments to the Basic Education Act in 2010 the three-tier model of support for learning and studying was included in the spirit of the Salamanca Statement. The main goal of this thesis is to demonstrate changes in studying arrangements of children with special needs in one selected primary school. Theoretical framework is education policies of Finland, specially the impact of integration and inclusion models of education to these policies and amendments to Basic Education Act in 2010. What kind of support teachers and headteachers wish to achieve goals set by inclusion model and to fulfil requirements of Basic Education act in best possible manner? This thesis is a case study. Data was collected using thematic interviews which is a qualitative study method. The interview material was collected from one headteacher and two teacher of a single primary school in 2012. The aim was to have dialogue between the material collected and research literature on the subject. The subjects of the interviews didn't advocate full integration of all students to general classes. Inclusion was regarded as ideological model and ideal rather than concrete way to work in everyday school environment. The amendments to Basic Education Act was apparent in everyday work only as a slight increase in amount of bureaucracy and as a increase in a level of quality requirements. The subjects of interviews perceived part-time special needs education teachers, increasing the amount of simultaneous teaching, schools own models of support and increasing communication between teachers as preconditions of making a smooth shift of a child with special needs from a special class to a general class.