Implementation of child-friendly inclusive schools for early childhood education in the city of Semarang

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN-CRC) states that all children in the world have the right to the right to survive; the right to develop (right to be educated); and the right to protection. One of the points of the UN-CRC is the fulfillment of the rights of children with special needs. This study aims to identify the Implementation of Child-Friendly Inclusive Schools for Early Childhood Education in the Semarang City area. This research uses a case study quantitative approach. The data collection technique is done through questionnaires, interviews, observation, and documentation. While the data analysis technique starts from data display, data reduction, to drawing conclusions. The results of the study indicate that: In the implementation of Student Management, Curriculum Management Implementation, the implementation of education staff management, and in the implementation of facilities and infrastructure management, there is still a need for improvement and assistance from the department.

Challenges and Dilemmas in the Education of Children With Special Needs in Romania

Educating children with special needs is a difficult challenge for both families and society. The newest trends in education for these children in Romania are represented by their inclusion in inclusive classes or inclusive schools. It is a beginning of the road both from a legislative point of view and from the point of view of analyzing the efficiency of the system. The issue of the resources dedicated to special education is concerned, this aspect being related both to the level of material resources and to the human resources, their availability, and the level of their training. The analysis of the progresses and the challenges that the Romanian-integrated education is encountering is an important step in identifying possible solutions for increasing the quality of special education in Romania.

Meeting the Need for Inclusive Educators Online

The purpose of this chapter is to detail how online courses and programs influence teacher education for both preservice and inservice inclusive educators. Specifically, this chapter will examine how online courses and programs that are focused on inclusive special education and dual certification in general and special education have the potential to address teacher shortages in special education, expand teacher competence, and provide pathways for career development. Teacher education programs have the opportunity and the civic responsibility to create courses and programs in inclusive education that are accessible, relevant to the career development needs of both preservice and inservice teachers, and promote meaningful and just education for all students in inclusive schools and classrooms.

Deaf Culture in Inclusive Schools

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the culture of students who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing within the broader context of inclusive schools, specifically as demonstrated though their learning experiences, socialization, and identity issues in such an environment. The chapter will include qualitative data in the form of observations and in-depth student interviews to allow the reader insight into the shared cultural model of students who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing. The goal is to provide a holistic picture of cultural phenomena through the points of view of d/Deaf and hard of hearing students themselves. The description of the culture of this group of students may prove useful in shaping effective inclusive environments for students who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing.

Enhancing the Pedagogical Competence of Inclusive School Teachers in Handling Children with Special Needs

This study aimed to: 1) analyze the level of pedagogic competence of inclusive school teachers in dealing with children with special needs; 2) carry out activities to increase this competence; and 3) investigate the impact of these activities. An action research design was used. Data were collected through pretest and posttest questionnaire instruments and interviews. Two cycles of activities to increase the level of pedagogic competence were carried out: cycle 1 involved training and cycle 2 involved a workshop. The results showed that the training and workshops were effective in improving the pedagogic competence of inclusive school teachers in dealing with children with special needs and in improving the skills of teachers in preparing learning tools according to the learning needs of students, and this effect was significant. Keywords: teacher pedagogical competencies, inclusive schools, children with special needs

The Implementation of Special Needs School Programs as Resource Center for Inclusive Education in Indonesia

This research is on the Implementation of special needs schools as Resources Center for Inclusive Education in Jakarta, Indonesia. This study aims to determine the implementation of special needs schools as organizers of inclusive educational resource centers. This research was conducted in a special needs school designated as an inclusive education resource center numbering 18 schools in Jakarta. This research uses a qualitative approach. Implementing the special needs schools' program as a resource center for inclusive education illustrates that the condition of inclusive education has not been maximized because there is still a lack of means to support the activities of inclusive educational resource centers. In addition, the need for training on inclusive education for teachers and education personnel becomes important for inclusive schools to do.

FRIENDSHIP FORMATION BETWEEN VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND NON-VISUALLY IMPAIRED PUPILS IN SELECTED INCLUSIVE BASIC SCHOOLS IN GHANA

<p>The purpose of the study was to describe the nature of friendships formations that exists between pupils with visual impairment and their non-visually impaired peers in 3 inclusive schools in Ghana. I adopted a phenomenology research design in recruiting 14 pupils with visual impairment in this study. One-on-one interviews were used to collect data for the study. Using thematic analysis, data from the one-on-one interviews were manually analyzed via themes that emerged from the data. Results from the study showed that there existed some levels of friendships between the non-visually impaired and non-non-visually impaired pupils in the schools and this friendship formations centred on assistance provided by the non-visually impaired. While some of the pupils noted that they mutually engaged in positive relationship with non-visually impaired, some thought otherwise and yet others described it as only perfunctory. I recommended that educational authorities in Ghana should put in place, a policy in schools that will solely focus on the formation of friendship between pupils who are visually impaired and the non-visually impaired. Teachers should help develop the capacity of both pupils with and without visual impairments to make and maintain stable and satisfying friendships through play and group activities.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0976/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Experiences and Perceived Self-Efficacy in Distance Learning Among Teachers of Students With Special Educational Needs

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on school learning so far, creating a new and potentially stressful situation during school closures for teachers and students. The sudden switch to distance learning might have been especially hard to cope with for students with special educational needs (SEN). Teachers of student with SEN might thus face greater obstacles when establishing and dealing with distance learning. Teachers' self-efficacy (TSE) is a well-known factor for students' academic achievement and motivation. Little is yet known about TSE in distance learning, especially not with students with SEN. The present study aimed to investigate the experiences and the perceived TSE in distance learning of teachers teaching students with SEN at special schools and inclusive schools during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany during June 2020 and January 2021. N = 96 teachers from both special schools and inclusive schools were involved in the study and were asked to complete a self-report online questionnaire. The study follows an exploratory design to give a first overview of the experiences of teachers of students with SEN and their TSE during the school closures and distance learning. Results showed that no major difference in overall teaching experiences could be found between teachers teaching at special schools or inclusive schools. The identification of difficulties in reading at distance and the support of students with difficulties in reading at distance was perceived by the teachers as most difficult. Difficulties in writing was being rated significantly less easy to identify at distance than difficulties in mathematics. Further, the support of students with difficulties in mathematics was perceived as being significant more challenging than the identification of difficulties in mathematics. TSE in distance learning was rather low, regardless if the teachers taught at a special school or inclusive school in this time period. TSE correlated positively with the perceived goodness of identification of difficulties and support of students with difficulties in reading, writing, and mathematics. Possible reasons and implications are discussed as well as implications of the overall results for distance learning of students with SEN.