This study was conducted in order to assess the level of assistive technology knowledge and skills among general education majors in a southwestern university. Eighty-five pre-service teachers were recruited for the study. These consisted of student teachers, practicum students, and individuals working toward licensure. A questionnaire was…

Effective teacher preparation programs in higher education are crucial to the development and retention of future professionals. Therefore, these programs must offer learning experiences that reflect the relationship between theory and practice. This study evaluated the significance of self-esteem as a framework to assess the theory and practice…

The passage of legislation such as The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 and the more recent No Child Left Behind Act mandated that special needs students be placed into the general education population whenever possible. This process of placement is known as inclusion. Many general education classroom teachers are being asked to…

School leaders are charged with responding to the challenges presented by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the education of students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. The idea of least restrictive environment moves schools from educating students with disabilities in special education to regular education…

This quasi-experimental quantitative study examines whether six general inclusion classrooms teachers treated students receiving IDEA services in the same manner as they treated general, non-IDEA students through an analysis of teacher-student interactions of praise and desisting. The study took place in six separate self-contained classrooms that…

Inclusive community recreation is an optimal environment for the development of recreation and sports skills and social relationships between people with and without disabilities. Although we know much about best practices for inclusion, little systemic change in recreation agencies has transpired. Diffusion of Innovation Theory is proposed as a…

Matrix training is a generative approach to instruction in which words are arranged in a matrix so that some multiword phrases are taught and others emerge without direct teaching. We taught 4 preschoolers with autism to follow instructions to perform action-picture combinations (e.g., circle the pepper, underline the deer). Each matrix contained…

This paper uses Positioning Theory, a theoretical framework within Discursive Psychology, to explore the positioning of children with special educational needs in the legislation of Britain, New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland. In terms of positioning the child with special educational needs as a person, the human rights legislation in all…

Inclusive education is one of the most important issues in education in Hong Kong, China. Because the role of teachers is critical to the success of inclusive education, this study investigated some of the elements that determine the success of implementing inclusive education. Teachers' perceived definition of inclusive education, the…

Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) are agents of change, charged with the responsibility to facilitate paradigm shift from traditional to inclusive models of educational theory and practice. With seven years experience in an RTLB role I have come to the realisation that if there is congruence between a practitioner's value and belief…

Pre-1994, South Africa was a country riddled with inequality and discrimination stemming from the policy of "apartheid". Since 1994, there have been considerable efforts made to enable the country to move toward becoming non-racial and democratic, with a culture of human rights and social justice. One of the primary tasks of the new…

International organisations make ambitious attempts to improve education for students with special needs. The article indicates that such global ambitions are tempered by recent educational developments and by comparative research that underscores the importance of locality by showing the unique character and antecedents of educational practices,…

This volume contains selected papers submitted to the 17th Annual International Conference of the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society (BCES) held in June 2019 in Pomorie, Bulgaria. The 17th BCES Conference theme is "Glocal Education in Practice: Teaching, Researching, and Citizenship." Some selected papers submitted to the…

Collaborative professional development of science and special educators leads to improved access and inclusion of students with disabilities. Yet, despite poor science achievement of students with disabilities, their increasing presence in general education science classrooms, and research that demonstrates effective teaching strategies for…

The rise of technology within educational settings has allowed for a substantial shift in the way in which educators teach learners of all ages. In order to implement these new learning tools, school administrators and teachers alike must seek new research outlining the latest innovations in the field. "Educational Technology Use and Design…