In recent years, the concept of teachers as researchers in both special and mainstream school settings has become part of our everyday language. Whilst many educational practitioners will see the need for research within their setting, many may not be familiar with the technical elements they believe are required. "Creating Meaningful Inquiry in…

The purpose of this study was the program evaluation of a special education day school compared to a set of best practice standards for school programs for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. This evaluation will enable the organization to make decisions about which aspects of the program to continue, strengthen, or discontinue. …

In this study 20 beginning special education teachers were asked to describe their experiences in general education settings. To provide data, each teacher completed approximately three electronic reflective journals during a school year and also participated in a phone interview, which was aimed to give in-depth information regarding the…

The aim of this study is to describe the developmental, familial and educational characteristics of 91 children with a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), from one educational district of Athens, Greece. Records of the 91 children, aged 4-14 years old, were examined with respect to sex, age of diagnosis, type of ASDs, school…

The development of an inclusive community is underpinned by values that support an appreciation of diversity. This paper is based on a larger research project, "student leadership in a primary classroom", which developed different ways for students to interact with each other. The focus not only promoted full student participation in…

While there is an increased interest in describing attitudes of teachers, parents and peers towards students with special educational needs in regular education, there is a lack of knowledge about various variables relating to the attitudes of these three groups. The aims of this study are: (1) to examine which variables relate to the attitudes of…

Many children with speech, language and communication needs are educated in mainstream schools. Current policy and practice includes training for school staff in facilitating the development of speaking and listening skills. This study evaluates one such training package that focuses on supporting pupils' listening skills, delivered in a…

With teachers under pressure to meet curriculum targets, responsibility for including students with behavioural emotional and social difficulties (BESD) in mainstream schools falls heavily on non-teaching staff. In this article, semi-structured interviews were conducted with special educational needs coordinators (SENCos) and support staff in a…

The goal of any educational program is to help its students to maximize their fullest potential in inclusive environments. For many students with disabilities, having an inclusive environment seems to be an ideal policy. Ironically, this policy continues to be debatable and controversial. Sometimes, the controversy or debate dominates the real…

As a result of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 1990), public school districts are required to provide appropriate services to preschool students who are at risk or who are experiencing developmental delays. These services are frequently offered in preschool programs for children with disabilities (PPCDs). PPCDs are generally…

This study employed a randomized experimental design to investigate the effectiveness of a self-questioning strategy for improving student reading comprehension of grade-level social studies text material. Fifty-seven seventh grade students with a range of abilities, including English as second language learners and students with learning and…

This study addresses the support provided by class staff in order to facilitate social participation of pupils with Down syndrome and peers in regular classes, and how they experience the interaction between the pupils. Data were collected through field observations of six pupils with Down syndrome in their class in mainstream schools, their six…

The passage of IDEA and No Child Left Behind have highlighted the importance of all students having access to the general curriculum, and to learning in the least restrictive environment. Prior to IDEA and No Child Left Behind, students with intellectual disabilities were often excluded from instruction in the general education classroom, and were…

This study was designed to understand how high school educators perceive and implement inclusive education in the Republic of Korea. Specifically, the study included the educators' points of view on inclusive education and how these differed according to educators' roles (i.e., as general education teacher, special education teacher or school…

In comparison to international perspectives, the specific role of the school psychologist in Hong Kong will provide a case study of the tensions experienced by a system in transition between a very traditional, highly segregated education system, to one that is actively promoting a whole school approach to inclusion. Consideration will initially…