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Different agendas? The views of different occupational groups on special needs education
Dalarna University, School of Education, Health and Social Studies, Education.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4793-871X
Dalarna University, School of Education, Health and Social Studies, Education.
2011 (English)In: European Journal of Special Needs Education, ISSN 0885-6257, E-ISSN 1469-591X, Vol. 26, no 2, p. 143-157Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The purpose of the present paper is to investigate how different occupational groups explain why children have problems in school, how they believe schools should help these children and the role they believe that special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) should have in such work. A questionnaire was distributed to all teaching and support staff in a Swedish municipality (N=1297). As a result, 938 persons (72.5%) answered the questionnaire. The answers given by (a) preschool teachers (b) teacher assistants (c) SENCOs (d) special teachers (e) class teachers and (f) subject teachers were compared. Several interesting patterns emerged from the data indicating that the occupational groups to a large extent have different ideas concerning how the school should work with children in need of special support. The SENCOs were, for example, the only group that believed that they should be involved in school development. The outcome of the study is discussed in relation to the notion of inclusive education.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
London: Routledge , 2011. Vol. 26, no 2, p. 143-157
Keywords [en]
Special needs; inclusive education; occupational groups; views; collaboration; professional roles
National Category
Pedagogy
Research subject
Education and Learning, Fokus på arbetet kring barn i behov av stöd i en kommun
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:du-5545DOI: 10.1080/08856257.2011.563604Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-79956260110OAI: oai:dalea.du.se:5545DiVA, id: diva2:520365
Available from: 2011-06-05 Created: 2011-06-05 Last updated: 2021-11-12Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Who Should do What to Whom?: Occupational Groups´Views on Special Needs
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Who Should do What to Whom?: Occupational Groups´Views on Special Needs
2013 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The overall aim of this thesis is to increase our knowledge of different occupational groups´ views on work with children in need of special support. This is explored in four separate studies.

The first study investigates the views of occupational groups in preschools and schools in one municipality. A questionnaire was handed out to all personnel (N=1297) in the municipality in 2008 (72.5 % response rate). The second study explores the views of educational leaders (N=45) in the same municipality. Questionnaire # 2 was distributed in 2009. All the educational leaders responded to the questionnaire. The third study describes the views of different occupational groups concerning special educational needs coordinators´ (SENCOs) role and work. This was highlighted by comparing responses from questionnaire #1 and # 2. Responses concerning SENCOs´ work were also added using a third questionnaire. This questionnaire was handed out in 2006 to chief education officers (N=290) in all municipalities in Sweden. The response rate was 90.3%. Finally, the fourth study presents five head teachers´ descriptions of their work with special needs issues. Study four was a follow-up study of questionnaire # 2. These head teachers were selected because of their inclusive values and because they seemed to be effective according to certain criteria. They were interviewed in January 2012.

The results reveal a number of interesting findings. For example, there are both similar and different views among the occupational groups concerning work with children in need of special support. A majority of the respondents in all groups state that children´s individual deficiencies is one common reason why children need special support in preschools/schools. Differences between the occupational groups become especially visible regarding their views of SENCOs‟ work.

Critical pragmatism (Cherryholmes, 1988) is applied as a theoretical point of departure. Skrtic´s (1991) critical reading and analysis of special education relative to general education is specifically used to interpret and discuss the outcome of the studies. Additionally, Abbott´s (1988) reasoning concerning the “division of expert labor” is used to discuss the occupational groups´ replies concerning “who should do what to whom”.

The findings in the studies are contextualized and theoretically interpreted in the separate articles. However in the first part of this thesis (in Swedish: Kappa), the theoretical interpretations of the empirical outcome are discussed in more detail and the results are further contextualized and synthesised. Inclusion and premises for inclusive education are also discussed in more depth in the first part of the present thesis.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Jönköping: School of Education and Communication Jönköping University, 2013. p. 248
Series
Dissertation. School of Education and Communication, ISSN 1652-7933 ; 22
Keywords
Occupational groups, children in need of special support, views, special needs, inclusion, SENCOs, educational leaders, preschools and schools
National Category
Social Sciences Educational Sciences
Research subject
Research Profiles 2009-2020, Education and Learning
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-13397 (URN)978-91-628-8863-3 (ISBN)
Public defence
2013-12-13, Föreläsningssal 6, Högskolan Dalarna, Falun, 13:00 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2013-12-04 Created: 2013-12-02 Last updated: 2021-11-12Bibliographically approved

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Lindqvist, Gunilla

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