Vocational special needs teachers promoting inclusion in Finnish vocational education and training

Abstract

The role of Finnish vocational special needs teachers has changed during the last decades according to work-life needs and inclusive ambitions in education. In addition to substance competence, teachers need pedagogical knowledge and special education skills. This study investigates descriptions by Finnish vocational special needs teachers of the interaction with students who receive intensive learning support, and the study traces their opportunities to support the students in vocational colleges, work life, and society, and thus inclusion. We ask: (RQ1) How do vocational special needs teachers describe students with special educational needs (SEN) and their interaction with them? (RQ2) What in the vocational special needs teachers’ descriptions promotes the students’ membership in the vocational education and training (VET) system, in the world of work, and society in general, thus inclusion? We interviewed nine vocational special needs teachers who work as class leaders in VET colleges which provide intensive special support for students. The analysis of the interview data followed the principles of qualitative content analysis, and a category analysis was applied as a methodological tool to elaborate on the teachers’ descriptions. The findings revealed three themes: (1) Students’ profiles; (2) Interaction with the students; (3) Students’ special needs. The participants of the study described the students and the interaction with them mainly in learning situations, but simultaneously they had a strong will to encourage the students’ interaction also in different situations and circumstances, and thus, support the students’ subjective and social growth. The study argues that to promote inclusion in VET it would be essential to acknowledge that the identity of vocational teachers is based not only on their identity as educational or vocational specialists but there is also a third domain which could be seen as a teacher agent’s role as they construct a bridge between the college and real world.

The vocational teacher, an inventor in special needs education: A study on Swedish vocational programmes

“…Ryökkynen et al (2002) found that interaction between teachers and students in Finnish vocational education takes place primarily in teaching situations, in personal dialogues in connection with the planning of students' individual development plans, and in informal meetings between teachers and students. The importance of interaction in SNE in VET is corroborated also by Ryökkynen and Räty (2022), who point to the importance of involving the entire learning environment in order to ensure a secure and including environment where students dare to ask questions and express their needs, which is also important in their future working life. In the research field of SEN in the Swedish upper secondary school, Yngve (2020) shows that there is a clear connection between high school absence, attending a vocational upper secondary school programme or having a neuropsychiatric diagnosis and students' perceived need for support in several school subjects.…”

“…This approach is also shown in the teachers' professional interaction with the students (cf. Ainscow, 1998Ainscow, , 2002Gidlund, 2020;Ryökkynen & Räty, 2022;Tangen, 2012) where they not only try to acquire knowledge about the students' varied needs, but also translate the knowledge into customised long-term sustainable solutions.…”

Measuring autonomy support in special needs teachers from a self-determination theory perspective: validation of the Italian version of the learning climate questionnaire

“…The new special needs teachers’ training in Italy ( Ianes et al, 2020 ; Toto and Limone, 2021 ) has opened new scenarios of psychological, pedagogical, and methodological reflection aimed at enhancing inclinations, skills, potential and needs of each student in a lifelong learning perspective ( Ryökkynen and Räty, 2022 ; Shank and Santiague, 2022 ; McKenzie et al, 2023 ). Promoting, strengthening, and extending the accessibility of opportunities for learning to special populations are essential prerogatives and development aims for ensuring children and adolescents’ inclusion in the school setting ( Van Mieghem et al, 2020 ).…”