Changing attitudes of school psychologists towards pupils with special educational needs in Turkey

Polat, Filiz

doi:10.1080/08856250150501806

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…This has relevance across specific policy and cultural contexts; the use of a valid cross-cultural tool could disentangle policy and personal factors. For example, in a study of school psychologists in Turkey, Polat (2001) found that school psychologists with previous experience of pupils with SEN had more positive attitudes towards people with SEN than did those who had had no such experience. It was beyond the scope of that study to explore why this was the case.…”

Section: Applicabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring Social Identity in the Professional Context of Provision for Pupils with Special Needs

Lewis

Crisp

2004

School Psychology International

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The educational inclusion of pupils with special or additional educational needs is being promoted internationally. One would expect that professionals for whom the group identity as 'special professional' is both important and perceived as being under threat, would only be supportive of inclusion if it could be orchestrated in a way which fosters that identity. This article provides a review of the research literature concerning social group identification and perceived threat with particular reference to derogation of the out-group, perception of group structure and in-group affirming behaviour. This article provides the context for findings from a scale about social identity (devised for this research) concerning an email group oriented to professionals working with children with special needs (n = 105). The survey identified three social identity factors (perceived typicality, public reference to the group and identification with prototypical group members). High (compared with low) email group message senders were less likely to see themselves as typical of workers in the field but more likely to identify with SEN as a group. The work has conceptual interest in that it supports recent theorizing in social identity in an area for which there is a need for a greater variety of studies having good ecological validity. The work also has considerable relevance as an example of the possible application of psychological theories to the special needs context of fostering effective change concerning inclusion and integration. 404

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Section: Applicabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring Social Identity in the Professional Context of Provision for Pupils with Special Needs

Lewis

Crisp

2004

School Psychology International

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“…Currently, class teachers are expected to include disabled students into lessons by developing and implementing appropriate curricular accommodations and teaching methods. School counsellors actively engage in the identification process, make decisions concerning the placement of disabled students and undertake follow-up evaluations in cooperation with assessment units and families (Polat 2001;Sucuoglu, Akalin, and Pinar-Sazak 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From thinking to practice: school staff views on disability inclusion in Turkey

Sakız

Woods

2014

European Journal of Special Needs Education

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This paper presents outcomes of a qualitative interview study conducted in four Turkish primary schools that had been identified by the Ministry of Education as engaging in the inclusion of disabled students. The main purpose of the study was to examine school staff views on inclusion in their schools. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with four class teachers and four school counsellors. Findings from the thematic analysis of the interview transcripts suggested that: (a) school staff held positive beliefs towards educating disabled students in regular schools and believed in the contribution of this to both disabled students and their non-disabled peers; (b) special educational paradigms existed in mainstream schools and shaped professional practice; (c) there was a lack of conceptual and methodological knowledge of inclusion among stakeholders, indicating a need for awareness raising and development; (d) disabled students were far from being fully included within classroom practice; (e) there was a lack of collaboration among school staff, inadequate family engagement and a strong need for effective school leadership in inclusion; and (f) there were individual efforts by the school staff to develop inclusive practices. Findings of this study will be useful in guiding current practice to support inclusion in contexts, like Turkey, where it is at an early stage of maturation. It is also filling a gap in providing first-hand accounts and perspectives of practitioners implementing reforms in difficult circumstances.

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“…However, the available evidence suggests that a complete understanding of the philosophy of inclusion has not yet been fully achieved and reflected in both public and professional opinions. Also, recent research findings have shown that strong positive attitudes towards the inclusion of students with disabilities are far from universal among the general public and among school staff in Turkey (Polat 2001;Rakap and Kaczmarek 2010). However, a considerable amount of literature underlines that the development of inclusive education systems is unlikely unless there are strong positive attitudes towards inclusion (Antonak and Larrivee 1995;Polat 2001;UNESCO 2001).…”

Section: Recent Developments In the Education And Inclusion Of Studenmentioning

confidence: 93%

Achieving inclusion of students with disabilities in Turkey: current challenges and future prospects

Sakız

Woods

2014

International Journal of Inclusive Education

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Developing inclusion in schools has been an objective for many countries in recent decades, giving rise to a variety of definitions, policy -making activities and school practices. This paper focuses on the attempts made towards inclusion of students with disabilities in Turkey. We start by introducing inclusive education and its parameters, and continue with recent trends in education in Turkey. Next, we discuss current progress in including students with disabilities within mainstream schools, and continue with the legislative attempts made to improve this position. After that, we discuss recent developments and challenges in the education and inclusion of students with disabilities, and conclude by noting several recommendations for realising their inclusion in Turkey. While the purpose of this paper is to investigate the inclusion of students with disabilities in the Turkish context, there is much of relevance to other international contexts going through similar developmental processes in terms of inclusion.

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Changing attitudes of school psychologists towards pupils with special educational needs in Turkey

Cited by 12 publications

References 10 publications

Measuring Social Identity in the Professional Context of Provision for Pupils with Special Needs

Measuring Social Identity in the Professional Context of Provision for Pupils with Special Needs

From thinking to practice: school staff views on disability inclusion in Turkey

Achieving inclusion of students with disabilities in Turkey: current challenges and future prospects

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