Literature review: Issues arising from parents’ perspective
Regarding special service provisions.
Introduction
The reason why there is a Parents-Teachers Associations among all schools is to meet the children’s growth and education. The parents, who play an important part in the lives of their children, are considered to be the first educators, since it is at home where children mostly reside. The teachers, considered to be the second parents, are the ones taking over the role of the parent and somehow get the larger responsibility to shape the children’s academic aspect.
And it is in the collaboration of responsibilities of the parents and teachers that the education of the children is more effectively developed.
Unfortunately, the parents are often underemphasized in the component of educational decision-making. Long years of observation have convinced hat the role of many parents in the child’s educational development has been minimal. That is to say parents have been content, generally, to put the responsibility for this development entirely in the hands of the school. For example, the matter of discipline, especially in recent years, has fallen to the teachers and the principal often with little or no help from parents (6/14/1997). And true enough, generally, parents are comfortably secured enough that while they send their kids in the school they think all is well.
Such negligence has led to numerous problems for the school. It is difficult, for instance, for teachers to hold the attention of students in the classroom when there are disruptive students present. Parents have not taught them to respect fellow students, teachers, and themselves and have not emphasized the importance of an education in today’s society. As a result, some students not only are inattentive but also are doing things that divert the attention of those who desire to learn (6/14/1997).
Education and Special Education
Education is defined to be any process, either formal or informal, that shapes the potential of a maturing organism. Informal education results from the constant effect of environment and its strength in shaping values and habits can not be overestimated. Formal education is a conscious effort by human society to impart the skills and modes of thought considered essential for social functioning (2004).
Today, education is effectively translated to academic institutions. Young people are molded through schools with different degrees.
On the other hand, the term “inclusion” refers to a process whereby students with disabilities receive their education, with necessary special education support, primarily in general classrooms alongside students without special education designations (, 1992). Further on, the term “inclusion” is more philosophically loaded, prescribing that the appropriate placement for students with disabilities is almost always the general classroom. This means that they are to be considered as full-fledged members of, not visitors to, the general classroom and are to be educated in that setting to the fullest extent possible with necessary supports. Occasional removal from the general classroom, while not ruled out, requires justification in terms of practicality or feasibility considerations (, 1996).
A study conducted by (2000) states that the new millennium faces new roles and new opportunities (such as schools becoming more diverse, diversified collaboration, increase in accountability for the academic gains of students, and the philosophy of service delivery becoming a larger purposeful issue for all involved parties) to continue and better the needs of learners who may be marginalised by any existing educational arrangements (, 2000). In Australia, much of the debate lies to change the set curriculum and the segregated approach still existing in some special needs schools especially for severe learning difficulties (SLD) and profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) (2002). Indeed, special education is an important development of education.
Parents Perspective on Special Education
It’s every parent’s dream to have their disabled child to live normally. Thus Special Education is the proper leeway to have these kids to live and go to school normally like any other kids. These parents hope that availing the services of special education would make certain that their children will have an environment that would not remind them they are different, but an environment that teaches them to face the fact and move forward. Also there will be quite a strong and adequate knowledge being provided. After all, the point of having people go to school is to prepare them to grow and face the real world. What, then, would be the real world of these disabled children but a world we are living now. An examination of three dimensions of perceptions assessed found that parents were more positive regarding the impact of inclusion on mutual social benefits, acceptance, and treatment of their child and more apprehensive regarding the impact of inclusion on the quality of educational services their child receives. Discussion includes how these findings may offer insight into reasoning used by some parents when considering the benefits of more inclusive educational placements for their own children ( (1998)). One reason why parents support for inclusion is because of the chance for improvement in the included child’s social skills, the benefits of having their child attend a neighborhood school, and the view that classrooms should not be segregated, but rather be representative of the larger society.
However, parents are concerned of their children for some other reasons. Parents see adequate teacher preparation as one of the most important components for a special needs child to successfully integrate in an inclusive programme. Studies have shown that these parents feel the self-esteem of their children is negatively affected. These parents sometimes think general educators lacked understanding of learning disabilities (, 1990; 1989). Moreover, another study examining the perceptions of parents of children with abilities ranging from gifted/talented to regular with learning problems indicated that parents feel inclusion is detrimental in meeting the needs of all students (1995). Most parental concerns focus around the following: 1) gifted students are bored and unchallenged; 2) average children receive a “watered” down curriculum and resent adaptations made for students with disabilities; 3) regular students are frustrated by seeing other children doing less work and receiving the same or better grades; and 4) teachers spend “too much time” on disciplining and managing students with behavior problems or working with slower students (, 1995). Finally, a national study on inclusion states that “some general education parents report the positive social and academic benefits for their children due to involvement with persons with disabilities and the increase in instructional supports in the classroom” (1995, page 5).
Another factor why people are hesitant about inclusive school is because of lack of resources. Lack of resources is also a major concern to parents from special education provision. According to (2003) parents worry about lack of appropriate support and resources for their specialist children. Many parents believe that when there is a lack of support, teachers have to share their attention between few students with severe disabilities. Moreover, findings reveal that there is a shortage of special education professionals with the expertise required to work with special needs children, insufficient funds to develop and support programmes to provide specialist students requiring assistance and lack of resources to adequately accommodate special children. While these findings are based primarily on studies from America and Europe, it can also be linked to Australia where much is required to successfully deliver all aspects of special education programs.
Furthermore, parents believe that curricular emphasis found in programs for students with severe disabilities has historically shifted from remedial academic instruction and functional life skill development to the development of friendships or social skills between people with disabilities and their able peers (, 2002;, , 1992), and that those who advocate for the placement of all students into general education classrooms often view such social goals as their primary concern (, 1994). On the other hand, social integration is an issue for parents. Social integration issue refers to the lack of time spent by disabled children with other peers. Parents observed this by simply placing children in the same – it did not ensure positive interactions between disabled children and their peers (, 2001;, 2001). Neither did social integration, in itself, foster the goals of cognitive and social growth on the part of the disabled children (2001). Hence, it can be said that for parents, if this will continue, the purpose of bringing their child to a special education institution will not be met. Furthermore, handling diversity is the key issue at the classroom level. When dealing with differences in the classroom, class teachers need an extra pair of hands or extra support from either colleagues (or special education teachers) or other professionals (2003;, 2002). Basically, it leads to the challenges of co-teaching (classroom level), team teaching and the need for good co-operation between teachers, on the school level and co-ordination with professionals from other support services (, 2003).
Program of study
The promotion of curriculum standardization is a crucial component to the current education reform movement. (2002) states that a more desirable school curriculum accommodating special needs children is required in Australia. According to (2004) a more standardised curriculum can create problem for special education by hampering individualization in special classes. Furthermore, it can also affect the satisfaction of parents of those special children. For the parents, there is a tendency that their children would not be able to cope with such standardisation. (1994) also stressed that the successful participation of students with cognitive disabilities depends on states developing outcomes, which are wide-ranging and broad enough to be significant for the students. Furthermore, (1997) affirm that enough attention should be given to the specific curricular needs of students with disabilities. However, it should be noted that a successful participation of students with disabilities in the standards-based reform is determined based on the degree to which a set of content standards is appropriate to their valued educational outcomes and consistent with proven instructional practices.
(2001) found that parents are sceptical when it comes to secondary level inclusions. Furthermore, it was revealed that many parents believe there is heavy emphasis on content knowledge. For example to complete high school successfully, students must master a wide variety of content areas. Many students with disabilities find mastering such a wide domain of content knowledge daunting and overwhelming. To complicate the situation, many special education teachers are not experts in many of these content domains, which may limit their ability to facilitate student learning (, 20001996; 1997). Clearly, the complexities of secondary education interact with effective special education in a variety of ways, which are at present not fully stipulated (, 2000b). While most classroom adaptations comes under the theme of understanding the learning needs of student with disabilities, the special educator’s expertise can be most critical in this area.
(2002) conducted a survey in Canada asking three hundred and fifty parents to indicate their general satisfaction with the public schools program of study and if it was meeting their child’s needs, only 3% indicated the program fully met their needs. A full 61% felt the system poorly met or failed their child’s needs. A little more than a third (36%) felt that school adequately met their child’s needs. A full 77% of parents indicated that they had expressed concern about their child’s lack of progress, lack of services, and/or IEP in the past. Over half had expressed these concerns to principals or Vice-Principals. Less than half (47%) were satisfied with the results. Of the 53% who were not satisfied, a full 89% of them were not informed of their right to appeal. When asked if they had ever filed an appeal only 1% indicated they had. 38% stated they did not know about them, while 19% stated they felt an appeal would not change the outcome or that there would be negative consequences for their child. The parents believe that the funding provided by the government is woefully inadequate to provide children with special needs the appropriate services they require. Furthermore, the parents perceive that despite policies, the current system does not address this population’s needs. Parents are very dissatisfied with current services, lack of available assessment, lack of appropriate programs, and lack of support, poor teacher knowledge and preparedness, and response to their concerns. As discussed in the report there are many reasons for the above; however, the survey describes the general decline in services to this neglected population in public school system.
The above findings affirm that there is a presence of considerable variability in parents view toward inclusive programmes service delivery. The multidimensionality of parent attitudes toward inclusive practices reveals the subjective and phenomenological nature of the reasoning process a parent undergoes when considering educational placement options. While interpreting various readings to write this literature, I have identified that parents can be expected to have varying views regarding inclusive placement options based on a broad range of interacting variables rather than on a singular determinant, such as the cognitive profile of their child.
As such, if schools are to meet the challenge of educating increased numbers of children with diverse needs, teachers must be well trained and must embrace instruction and curricula that engage and encourage all students. The importance should be placed on several interrelated educational strategies: heterogeneous student grouping; developmentally appropriate practice; an inclusive curriculum that emphasizes children’s strengths yet accommodates their needs; high expectations for all students; appropriate physical environment and materials; collaboration and instructional teaming with other teachers and professionals; support from administrators, families, and the community, and above all ongoing professional development (, 2002); 2001; 1994;, 1994).
Future Research
This paper is primarily linked to studies undertaken in America and Europe with some findings from Australian perspective. To accurately analyse what Australian parents perspective are regarding the service provision in the inclusive setting, it would be beneficial to carry out more studies that looks at various aspects of service delivery (teacher training, resource support, technical support etc) in Australia. Such studies will enable educators and other professional agencies to obtain a much broader aspect of what is been warranted and act accordingly. Furthermore, it is recommended more longitudinal studies that consider both the short and long-term effects of different models of service delivery be undertaken from Australian perspective. This will provide parents and educators with important information when considering the most appropriate program for a particular child and perhaps transform their (parent and/or educator) concerns positively.
Counterclaims
Among other claims that refute inclusive school for disabled students are the teacher’s perceptions’ that students who are in handicap should be placed in a special school. As any teacher knows, students with disabilities are labeled and removed from the general education classroom because, after the best efforts of the classroom teacher, the needs of the student are not being met. To return the student to the same classroom, under the same circumstances (e.g., same level of teacher support), is irresponsible and will not lead to a good instructional program for the student. Indeed, unless major changes occur in general education classrooms and schools, the likelihood is strong that students with disabilities who are placed back into these settings will not receive significant benefits (. (1996)). Many teachers would say that disabled kids should be placed in a segregated school in order for them to dwell on the same setting with other kids. These kids might not be able to catch up with other kids. One of the criticisms of inclusion in many schools is that too much is being made of the needs of one small group of students. We agree with this statement if inclusion benefits only students with disabilities (. (1996)).
Conclusion
The inclusion programs help these disabled children to live in the normal environment, wherein they co-exist with children who have normal conditions. The positive effect on this is that these “gifted” children are nourished to live the real society of which they will grow up with. They will be taught how to carry on themselves given this imperfect world, so when they grow up they would face the world head on. However, other claims that having these children are part of the inclusion could also mean other disadvantages like keeping up with the class and exemptions. A child having mental capacity problem might not be able to keep with the class pace. A child having physical disorder could not be part of physical education class. Parent perceptions of inclusive practices may be largely a function of the value placed on particular curricular skills and beliefs regarding where those skills can best be nurtured. As such, it is vital that education professionals understand the perspectives of the parents of the children whom they serve (, 2000a).
Moreover, the success of inclusion lies on the sacrifices among the parents, the children, and the teachers. The road to success may be paved with challenges, but it through understanding, open communication, effective intervention practices, and service delivery that meet the needs of the child. Education professionals and parents have a common goal – the best possible education for these children as such the educators, professional agencies and parents need to work collaboratively. Furthermore, the process of attaining a goal is greatly enhanced when all involved in determining a child inclusive programme to understand each other’s perspectives. No doubt, these changes are unlikely to happen without a substantial commitment of time, effort and money from all those concerned.
References
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment