Browsing by Subject "työnohjaus"

The purpose of this study is to examine supervision experiences of special education teachers and how supervising affects their ability to carry on in their duties and how their pro-fessional development. The main reason for this subject was the lack of previous studies on the matter and also my own history in the field of supervision.Working as a teacher in special education is often very taxing and for the employees because the work itself requires buil-ding individual relationships with students in a work environment as hectic and yet bureauc-ratic as schools are. Special education teachers are taking care of students and children who are in the most vulnerable positions of society and need the most care and affection in their lives. But who cares for the teachers themselves? Professional supervision is the key in supporting special education professionals in their daily life both mentally and professionally. Regular and accessible supervision services should be viewed as the primary method to se-cure the well being of the special education teachers, which in turn would help to maintain a healthy workforce in the field. The study was conducted as online research through social media. The background survey and research invitations were conducted in the Erityisopettajat Facebook group. The actual study was then conducted in closed Facebook group called “Erityisopettajien pohdintaa” by interviews of the focus group of seven (7) special education teachers. The materials gathe-red from the studies were the analysed by using content analysis methods. The final results of the conducted research enforced my understanding that supervision should be instituted as a regular part of the support structure of special education professi-onals. Based on the results the study, the accessibility of supervision varies a lot between workplaces. The availability of supervision appears to depend mostly on the employers un-derstanding of its benefits for the employee and the work environment itself. The survey succeeded in covering both the good and the challenging parts of special education. The fi-nal conclusion from the study is that the teachers in special education felt that the supervisi-on as a direct impact on their well being and professional development.