Program Literacy Status of Special Education Teachers

Abstract

Introduction: Special education curricula are different from other curricula. For special education teachers to be able to prepare and implement individualized education programs for their students, it is important for them to know and understand the curricula at special education level and to have curriculum literacy. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between curriculum literacy, self-efficacy beliefs and curriculum commitment levels of special education teachers. In addition, the study also analyzed how teachers' curriculum literacy, self-efficacy beliefs and curriculum commitment levels change according to various demographic variables. Method: In this study, we used a descriptive-correlational research model. We obtained the research data using scales developed for this purpose. We collected data from 402 (female: 213, male: 189) special education teachers in different geographical regions of Turkey and analyzed it using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 26 data analysis program. Findings: The study found that special education teachers had good levels of curriculum literacy, self-efficacy beliefs, and commitment to the curriculum. The results showed that curriculum literacy and self-efficacy belief levels did not differ according to gender, while the level of commitment to the curriculum differed in favor of women. The findings indicated that the level of curriculum literacy and curriculum commitment did not differ according to educational status, while the level of self-efficacy beliefs differed in favor of teachers with graduate degrees. Program literacy, self-efficacy belief, and program commitment levels differed significantly according to the field of graduation. The analysis revealed that curriculum literacy, self-efficacy beliefs, and curriculum commitment levels were highly correlated with each other. Finally, the study determined that teacher self-efficacy beliefs and curriculum commitment levels were predictors of curriculum literacy. Discussion: According to the findings, we concluded that special education teachers have high levels of curriculum literacy, curriculum commitment, and self-efficacy beliefs, and we presented recommendations in this context.