A pilot study of factors affecting the process of integration in Greek nursery schools

Abstract

In the past ten years, the issue of inclusion has proved one of the biggest challenges facing special needs education planners and policy-makers in developed countries. Greek educational policy has given emphasis on two points: (a) the development of new organizational structures (i.e. resource rooms, support teachers), and (b) the implementation of administrative regulations that enable mainstreaming special and ordinary education into a unified educational system (inclusion). In doing so, the content of the curriculum and the pedagogical characteristics of the educational environment were ignored. This paper reports the results of a pilot study that aimed to explore the pedagogical aspects of inclusion and integration as implemented in Greek nursery schools. More specifically, the study investigated the way special needs children participate in the learning process and their relationship with the other members of the classroom. The following hypothesis guided the study: the process of school integration of a special needs child is regulated by (a) the degree and the quality of his/her participation in the learning process, and (b) the pupil's ability to comply with the main rules of the classroom. Data were gathered from two special needs children, their teachers and their parents through observations and interviews. Research findings seemed to reinforce the two criteria of the research hypothesis. As observation revealed, children's actions diverged from the desired joint activity. According to research in social groups, this diversion influences the meaning classroom members attribute to 'differences' and causes a negative effect on children's membership of the group. At the same time, the study points out crucial dimensions of the above criteria, particularly as regards the attitude of nursery teachers and of the other pupils towards children with special needs, an issue that needs to be further explored.

Early childhood teachers' understanding of inclusive education and associated practices: reflections from Greece

“…The accounts presented here suggest that children with disabilities often exhibited low attention, adopted passive roles and displayed behaviours unrelated to the goals of the tasks set. Such divergent behaviours were also reported in another Greek study by Barbas et al (2006) in which children with disabilities in regular preschools engaged minimally with the activities set. Nevertheless, the absence of any other rigorous studies in Greece on this issue means that such conclusions should be treated with caution.…”

Changing the attitudes of high school students towards intellectual disabilities: the contribution of a social coexistence programme

“…The type of typically developing students’ attitudes towards students with intellectual disabilities, which are developed in a school environment, seems to be shaped by a combination of factors. The significant factors are the functionality of the disabled student (De Laat, Freriksen and Vervloed, 2013), the age (De Boer, Pijl and Minnaert, 2012), the gender (Bossaert, Colpin, Pijl et al, 2011), the family culture of the typically developing students (Morton and Campbell, 2008; Vignes, Godeau, Sentenac et al, 2009), and the frequency and quality of the social interaction between typically developing students and students with disabilities as determined by peer culture (Barbas, Birbili, Stagiopoulos et al, 2006; Hess, 2010). Finally, the dominant school culture is deemed to be the most decisive factor in the development of attitudes towards students with intellectual disabilities by their peers.…”

Assessment of Quality for Inclusive Programs in Greek Preschool Classrooms

“…The researchers observed a lack of support services, while the staff had no training on issues related to special education and early intervention. In a more recent study (Barbas, Birbili, Stagiopoulos, & Tzivinikou, 2006), it was found that children with disabilities experienced significant difficulties in their interactions with peers during joint class activities. However, their degree of involvement in learning activities was influenced largely by their teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education as well as the type, nature, and quality of the strategies teachers used.…”