Global Issues in Education, Research Paper Example

Abstract

This paper examines the subject of inclusion as applicable to students with disabilities and special needs in the classroom environment. This is examined from the perspective of two different countries, namely the USA and the Netherlands. The paper is split into four distinct parts. Part 1 provides an Introduction that provides a background to the research and defines the concept of inclusion in the classroom environment. Part 2 deals specifically with the concept of inclusion in the United States of America. Part 3 provides comparative analysis by looking at the subject of inclusion in the Netherlands. The conclusion re-examines the theses statement and provides a summary of the key points.

Introduction

There are no legal definitions of ‘inclusion’ in the context of education. In general terms it has been accepted that the term refers to the treatment of those students with disabilities and how these are supported, in accordance with age group, in either a home or school setting. It is aimed at assuring such students have equitable opportunities and receive the special treatment that they need in order to complete their education. This is examined from the perspective of the education core curriculum and general educational facilities.

Inclusion differentiates from the other subject matters of ‘integration’ and ‘mainstreamimg’. The latter aims at how disabled students are moved from special education facilities to that of general classroom settings. Integration is classified as a partial form of inclusion where the disabled or disadvantaged student is prevented from joining a class on a fulltime basis. In a study carried out in Florida in 2002, based upon 3 years of research at the teaching elementary level, it was found that the self-esteem in disadvantaged students increased relative to abilities and accomplishments. (Florida Development Disabilities Council, 2002).

It was the University of Minnesota that provided a paper that defined the key characteristics that are required for disadvantaged students to obtain improved learning outcomes. These included important points of : (i) having a clear vision and sense of purpose (ii) maintaining an active leadership profile (iii) having high expectations of all students (iv) having innovative practices and inclusion of the teaching staff at schools and (v) continued professional development in making inclusion work within the school. This including the use of collaborative teaching models that are geared towards meeting the educational needs of a diverse student community. (Eric, E.C., 1993).

The paper provides a comparative analysis between that of the US inclusion scheme and that conducted in the Netherlands in Europe. The argument supports that the issues in inclusion are of a global nature and have different responses according to different educational environments. Not all systems are truly equitable and they require the support of multiple functions in order vto achieve the desired goals.

Inclusion in the United States

Dealing with children with special education needs

The concept of dealing with those children that have special education needs continues to remain a controversial subject in the USA. The reason for this is because it crosses educational boundaries into social values and a sense of individual worth i.e. self-esteem. Research illustrates that there are advocates on both sides of this debate. There are those like Kaufmann[1] who feel that the concept of inclusion in special education is both unrealistic and not cost effective. Kauffman further stated that he considered it to be divisive, coercive and discriminatory to categorise students as a special education class. (WEAC, 2012).

The other side of the argument finds those teachers that believe in inclusivity and that disadvantaged students deserve to be in the regular classroom. There should be an equitable system and students should not be discriminated against on the grounds of disability. There are also those teachers and parents that remain undecided. This is because that they are unaware of the legal considerations involved and the responsibility of the schools in order to deal with the education of the disabled and disadvantaged. This is particularly true where autistic children are concerned and the large problem that this has imposed upon the American Educational system.

The illness of autism is considered to be a mental illness often associated with genetic or neurological disorders. The illness has been on the increase in North America and research indicates that those with autism often have a degree of mental retardation. In general terms these people have a degree of normality that enables them to function alright. In the worst cases they feel a sense of isolation. The illness is treatable but not curable. The treatment involved includes behavioural therapy that is spanned out over many years. The treatment options have been the subject of a degree of controversy and in the last decade the public have not truly demonstrated a degree of sympathy for parents with autistic children

The problems and challenges with inclusion

A study was carried out in the USA with children in a classroom setting suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder and the challenges that this represented to the educators involved. The study identified the following key challenges:-

• Education and training of the educators;
• Acceptance of those with Attention Deficit Disorder;
• Flexibility in teaching methods;
• Classroom statistics
• Parental involvement
• Funding (Hariparsad, S.D. 2012)

It is important to have properly trained and skilled educators in order to meet the special needs requirements of disadvantaged / disabled children. Most teachers are not equipped with the special skills and education needed for teaching such children. This particularly relates to the sociological and psychology skills together with the cognitive component that equips them for dealing with special needs. Training needs to include the understanding of the disposition of the student and the recognition for dealing with specific needs.

Dealing with Handicaps, using the example given of Attention Deficit Disorder, it is necessary for the teacher to have a certain understanding of the handicap or illness concerned. In this instance it would be an understanding of behavioural considerations, dealing with self-control and the scope of intellectual retardation. In this case normal behaviour for these children relates to that of hyperactivity, impulsive behaviour and non-attention. The teacher needs to be aware of these issues and how to properly respond to individual needs. This becomes of paramount importance where the student is part of a larger class group of normal children.

The teacher needs to retain a flexible teaching approach and this will need to be modified according to the specific situation. For example effective listening skills, empathy skills, tolerance in approach, commitment and behavioural management would form an integral part of the teacher skill sets required.

A knowledge of inclusion and the challenges this represents. This includes the formal integration of dealing with disadvantaged children in normal class settings. It is important to have parental involvement in the inclusion and to make them an integral part of the solution when scoping out the teaching approach and special needs. This helps towards an increased support system for the student. (Hariparsad, 2012).

Approach to Education and Inclusivity

Experience and research shows that there are many different approaches to dealing with inclusion in an educational setting. Ainslow, Booth and Dyson produced a paper that examined the concept of inclusion from the perspective of policy makers, local authorities and teaching staff. This enabled a more integrated and holistic view in terms of the general approaches offered. It is important to note that approaches do vary in accordance with the size and the complexity of special educational needs. (Ainslow, M. 2006).

Ainslow and colleagues disliked the concept of ‘labeling’ disabled or disadvantaged students as ‘special needs students’ and they felt the concept of inclusivity should be more closely aligned with mainstreaming the students into primary and secondary schools. They felt that this was essential to get the students to more fully participate in the general lessons as opposed to focusing in on the ‘special needs component’. Education therefore needs to be focused towards integral participation as opposed to barriers of learning. The argument is therefore against child segregation unless such a case is severe and would cause potential major disruption to the remainder of the class. (M.Ainslow, 2006).

Research studies carried out in the USA illustrated positive outcomes for special needs students when they are formally integrated into general classroom settings. Their rate of production was considerably enhanced and levels of self-esteem increased. As such their chances of academic competence greatly improved by working alongside more able bodied students. (Curcic, S. 2009).

Warming conducted research on the pedagogical challenges of inclusion and the problems faced in teaching children with special needs. The research examined a number of different scenarios. The research emphasised the importance of the children having good supporting parents together with an environment of care that supports the child. Those children having this background were more receptive to the teaching requirements. (Warming, H. 2011). The inadequate upbringing of children can complicate both sociological and psychological considerations and as such create further teaching difficulties. It is this implication that can make inclusivity in mainstream education difficult.

Anticipated Outcomes

Preliminary research in the USA has shown that those students who are segregated because of special needs requirements tend to fall further behind. Research has shown that inclusion offers the special needs student with a number of important benefits:-

• The special needs student benefits from the social interaction with normal students and this has no real deficit to the normal student;
• The special needs student gains the friendship of other students in terms of feeling cared for and loved. This helps the teacher in the nurturing process;
• Interaction creates improved social and behavioural skills and this helps in the development of the students ethical and moral principles;
• Normal students have said that it has increased their comfort levels and awareness of those with special needs and inclusion has provided them with the benefit of increased understanding and tolerance; a quality that is required later in life. ( Sheared, V. 2001).

Inclusion in the Netherlands

Dealing with children with special education needs

Brahm Norwich of the University of Exeter conducted research in both the UK and the Netherlands on inclusivity and special educational needs. (Norwich, B. 2009). A comprehensive research report on Inclusion and Special Education needs within the Netherlands was produced by Muskens and Peters in 2009. (Muskens, 2009). Policy makers in the Netherlands claim that the education system in that country is somewhat unique compared with other countries in Europe. The concept of inclusion into the mainstream education system was fashionable in the 1980’s and 1990’s but this has now somewhat diminished. The emphasis having shifted from ‘inclusive education’ to what has been termed as ‘appropriate eduction’. This being an educational measure that balances the needs of the pupil, school and parents.

This new approach shifts the balance of policy making power away from the Government to that of municipal authorities. This means that there is no standard education approach but sets of policies that vary between different municipalities. The level of children with special needs has grown significantly in the dutch primary system and in particular those children who have been diagnosed with Autism . The dutch system has been much more focused upon classification of individuals i.e. those classified as having severe physical handicap conditions or mental retardation are separated for routing to schools of special education. In this context this is segregation as opposed to inclusion. Children classified as having diminished intellectual capacity may be inclusive up to primary education level and then diverted to special schools to complete their education. This being in a marked contrast to the approach adopted in North America ( Canada and the USA). (Rujis, 2008).

The Dutch Government recognises the ongoing problems regarding special education needs in the Netherlands and they are embarked upon a set of progressive policy changes that they hope to have implemented by the end of 2012. These changes should embody three main sets of changes:-

• A parent should be able to locate a school that has all of the facilities and special needs to cope with their childs specific disability. Schools will be obliged to co-operate and make them an admission offer;
• An overall improvement of quality of education being offered to those children requiring special needs;
• More customised solutions to meet individial needs offering increased flexibility over the teaching methods being offered. (Muskens, 2009).

The problems and challenges

The problems in the Netherlands have been historically tied up with a central beurocratic system but this is being re-addressed. There was also a lack of any standard form of service offering but the movement towards increased flexibility and customized programmes was an attempt to make this a better solution for the individual and parents of the child. As the Netherlands has a large immigrant community the concept of segregation has been a widely adopted practice. This primarily between children of different ethnic backgrounds. As such this easily translated into similar approaches in those children with special needs.

The policies changed in the 1990’s when children with disabilities received more inclusion into the mainstream teaching policies. In 2012 statistics shown that of those attending school there was around 16% of the total pupils requiring special care education. School budgets have since been reorganised to reglect the requirements and expenditure needs for special care pupils.

It was in 2003 that the ‘backpack program’ scheme was introduced for pupils with special needs. This has been particularly useful for those pupils siffering from autism. This scheme provided for greater levels of inclusion and finding to support children with special needs. In February 2009 the following information was published:-

• Schools in both Prmary and Secondary education are now accepting more pupils who are disadvantaged or with physical disabilities. Schools reported that they were satidfied with the levels of inclusivity but not happy with the associated administrative burdens and additional costs involved;
• Schools were given the opportinity to select pupils in accordance with the ‘backpack’ program definitions. It was expected that the pupils had a certain cognitive capability and considered to be ‘partially normal’. This was criticised as not being fully inclusive but met general arrangements;
• Most parents were overall satisfied with the ‘backpack program’ and the treatment of their children;

Approach to Education and Inclusivity

The approach in the Netherlands is sharply contrasted to that of the USA system. In the Netherlands this has taken a couple of decades to evolve i.e. from the early 1980’s. This has been partly attributed the secularization of the lsarge immigrant community in that country. Hence a mould was established for segregation and classification of people, this combined with a sociological structure that craved for a sense of order. The country also suffered from a degree of insularity and a certain degree of racism within Europe. The country has since evolved and is now much more forward thinking as a member of the European Union. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go in terms of making ‘Inclusion’ a fully operational and viable system for the Netherlands. The USA equally has a large immigrant population but has a different attitude. There is an increased sense of community and social responsibility in the USA and the concept of multi-culturalism generally works better in the States.

Anticipated Outcomes & US comparison

The Educational system in the Netherlands is hoping to make significant changes to the system that it hopes to implement by the end of 2012. This will improve the overall level of inclusivity in the schools and provide the parents with real options for disadvantaged children. Similar to the USA the Netherlands has a large problewm with the increase of autistic children and placement of them at school. They are developing a system that partially resolves the matter with inclusivity in mainstream education in the primary school years. This then changes to flexible options of special care centres for the secondary education period. It is this latter point which is a departure from inclusion and differs from the US model approach.

The current Netherlands Government is somewhat in a state of disarray, primarily due to the mounting financial pressures in Europe. They do however seem to have missed the point in terms of the overall abjectives and benefits that the concept of inclusion has to offer. In many regards the Dutch administrative system does lack the sense of compassion and sociological development skills that the US has. Nevertheless, progress does seem to be moving along in the Netherlands and they have evolved considerably since the 1990’s. The future direction does however remain unclear in terms of how the concept of ‘inclusion’ will develop in the years to come.

Conclusions

Research indicates that the issues in inclusion are of a global nature and have different responses according to different educational environments. Not all systems are truly equitable and they require the support of multiple functions in order to achieve the desired goals. This is evidenced in the different responses between the States and equally the different municipalities in the Netherlands. It is clear that a number of bodies have to work together in order to obtain the desired results for inclusion within special education needs. These primarily being the School Administration, Local Authorities, the Parents and Private sector support.

It is widely felt that the benefits of Inclusion outweigh the other approaches. Results show that disabled and disadvantaged persons respond better to being in mainstream education and overall progress is better owing to the advantages of social interaction, the love and care shown from other students and the ability to raise the self-esteem of these students. Segregation sets these people apart as a form of stigma and despite the efforts made in special care centres this shows a more uncaring response from society.

Research has proven that inclusion does not have an adverse impact on normal children. In many regards it has a positive impact from making them learn tolerance, social care skills and the need to integrate with all types of people in society. These elements are best learnt at an early age and provide a better foundation for adult working life. A number of parents have used this as an excuse in the protection of the normal child. Some people may not share the views or concepts of the caring society but the vast majority do.

Inclusion is likely to continue as a developing model both in the USA and abroad. This will represent a challenge for teachers to acquire those additional skills in order to implement the special education needs within the context of mainstream education. In the USA the increase in autistic children and those with attention deficit problems is on the rise. As such the teachers will need to acquire improved training in the sociological, psychological and administration requirements in order to address these needs within the classroom setting.

References

Curcic, S. (2009). Inclusion in PK-12: an international perspective. International Journal of inclusive education Vol 3 (5), 517-538.

E.C., E. (1993). Clearinghouse on disabilities and gifted education. Educational Digest No E521.

Florida Development Disabilities Council. (2002). What is Inclusion? Miami FL: Florida State University.

Hariparsad, S. (2012, 4 24). Challenges facing educators’ in the inclusion ofAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disordered (ADHD. Retrieved from University of Zululand, South Africa: http://uzspace.uzulu.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10530/629/Challenges%20facing%20educators%E2%80%99%20in.pdf?sequence=1

M.Ainslow, T. B. (2006). Improving schools and developing inclusion. New York: Routledge.

Muskens, G. a. (2009). Inclusion and Education in European Countries. Lepelstraat, NL: INTMEAS.

Norwich, B. (2009). Dilemmas of difference and the identification of special educational needs/disability: international perspectives. British Educational Research Journal Vol 35(3), 447-467.

Rujis, N. T. (2008). Effects of inclusion on students with and without special needs reviewed. Science Direct.

Vanessa Sheared, P. A. (2001). Making Space: Merging Theory and Practice in Adult Education. Westport CT: Bergin and Garvey.

Warming, H. (2011). Inclusive discourses in early childhood education. International journal of inclusive education, 233-247.

WEAC. (2012, 4 24). Special Education Inclusion. Retrieved from Wisconsin Education Association Council: http://www.weac.org/Issues_Advocacy/Resource_Pages_On_Issues_one/Special_Education/special_education_inclusion.aspx

[1] James Kauffman Professor at the University of West Virginia