Browsing by Author "Niemelä, Pepita"

Objectives. Basic education is performed according the inclusive principle, but the inadequate operationalization of the inclusion term leaves the performing of special education open to interception from arranging sources. Small class teaching in special education is mainly given in the municipal special education centres and they are seen as opposing to the local school policy. According the base literature, it is not always in the pupils’ best interest to get an education at the local school or regular education class so reviewing the research regarding small class special education is needed. The main objective of the thesis is to review the attitudes of school personnel and statistic data regarding Finnish small class taught special education and its effects. Methods. The thesis was performed as a descriptive literature review. The literature included ten research documents containing results regarding class size or small class special education and were published between years 2012 and 2019. Selection criteria were the publishing after amendment of basic education law in 2010 and relation to the Finnish school system. Results and conclusions. The statistics displayed that the amount of small class special education had decreased after the amendment of the law and the research results showed the school personnel’s concern and critique towards the way of interpreting the law. According the special education professionals the most effective pedagogical way of performing special education would be in regular classes with the condition of sufficient resources. Winding-down of small class special education drew critique and especially placing children with behavioural issues in regular classes was seen as problematic. The view is shared between all professions in education. Small class special education that is performed away from regular classes is seen as a safe place to study that gives the opportunity to hone the skills needed in regular classes. The results can be used as a base for empiric study of small class special educations’ effects on familiarity with students or pupils’ well-being at school.