INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL OF MODERNIZATION IN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE

Abstract

AbstractThis qualitative study employing a phenomenological approach aimed to explore the lived experiences of teachers handling children with learning disabilities. Specifically, it focused on the positive and negative experiences of the teachers, the coping mechanisms employed in handling these students, and the insights that they learned from their experiences as teachers. The study involved seven teachers who underwent in-depth interviews in order to extract answers for the research questions provided. The interview transcripts were then subjected to thematic analysis. Results revealed that teachers experience value formation, professional development and struggles as they handle children with learning disabilities. Also, the coping mechanisms employed are empathy and the use of effective learning strategies. Lastly, teachers shared that engaging in special education gives a sense of fulfilment yet it is also acknowledged that teachers hold big responsibility towards children with learning disabilities.Keywords: learning disabilities, experiences, coping mechanisms, insights, phenomenology Introduction Teachers have always been known to be the biggest influencer in the life of every child. They perform significant roles that help in molding ones knowledge and capabilities and in this time, where inclusive education is predominantly pushed, teachers have also added handling children with learning disabilities on top of their priorities. True enough, this has addressed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. However, as educational reformers pushed for inclusivity, some issues have also arisen. In the study of Bin Nordin et al. (2019), handling special education classes has also brought numerous challenges such as demanding duties, special circumstances of students that need attention and focus, and teachers preparedness and readiness to take on these big responsibilities. Hence, this study is conducted in order to discover the experiences of these special education teachers in handling children with learning disabilities. To make this study meaningful, it includes the stories of teachers from different schools, so a wider perspective on the issue is explored. The results of this study can be used to inform schools and other organizations about the best ways to support children with learning disabilities and help them reach their full potential. The Department of Education (DepEd) in its Order No. 44 s. 2021 outlines the overall direction for Special Education Program to ensure educational services to learners with disabilities in both public and private educational institutions. It requires all public and private elementary and secondary schools to administer screening exams to their students to identify those who need special education services. It also requires individual development plans to be developed for students with special needs to monitor their progress over time and identify areas where they need additional support. Finally, it requires the training of teachers and other educators on the most effective strategies for teaching students with disabilities. The Department of Education is called to enhance the capacities and skills of teachers who deal with children having developmental disabilities and also create awareness in society to accept these children with special educational needs. This can be accomplished through ongoing training for teachers and ensuring that children with special needs are provided with appropriate services and learning opportunities to ensure that they can achieve their full potential in life. Locally, it has become evident that issues regarding special education have prevalently concerns the educational communities as a whole. Hence, provisions of policies and guidelines particularly in special education rose in the Philippine educational system. Schools started to offer special education to open doors for learners with special needs. One of the pioneering special education centers in Region I is the San Fernando City SPED Integrated School, formerly known as La Union SPED Center. The school started their operation on July 1997. Since then, the school catered to different types of exceptionalities from hearing impairment, visual impairment, intellectual disability, and autism spectrum disorder. Being a special education teacher gives a lot of responsibilities. These responsibilities vary from the learners academic needs, social needs, and communication needs. Thus, a special education teacher should provide academic intervention and support to help learners with special needs succeed in any future challenges they face. Kaur (2013) stated that being a special education teacher is very important. It takes special skills and knowledge to handle learners who are differently abled. Giving of extra love and affection is a pre-requisite for such teachers. Furthermore, special education teachers are flexible because they can handle all situations where kids can be very unpredictable. These teachers are the key players in ensuring that they meet the needs of the child with special needs (SETI, 2018). Aside from the development of proactive strategies, special educators also deal with the challenges of different behaviors of learners with special needs. Promoting effective teaching and learning requires special educators to be equipped with effective skills and responses for those where difficult behavior occurs (Park, 2012). In the classroom, special education teachers consistently report dealing with student behavior to be the most challenging issue they face (Westling, 2010). Common misbehaviors in the classroom often consume more than 80% of instructional time of teachers (Simonsen, 2010). According to Shah (2010), special education is an area that is very challenging. Hence, it is a must for special education teachers to practice teacher management and leadership for successful classroom management. In the United States, its Education Department (2006) noted that approximately 80% of students with disabilities receive special education support in the mainstream classroom. Due to this increase, general education teachers are often required to differentiate their instruction for students with documented disabilities and to share their classroom with special education staff. These changes have generated varying attitudes and beliefs among general and special education teachers regarding the implementation of inclusion (Murawski, 2005; Kalyva, Gojkovc, & Tsakinis, 2007; Haider, 2008). Meanwhile, in the study of Friend (2007), he defined inclusion as the integration of students with disabilities into the general education setting with special education supports which then aid students access to the general education curriculum. Inclusion reform was forged primarily by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1994. This requires all students regardless of their disability be educated in the least restrictive environment. However, there were some research studies that indicate lack of clarity in relation to the roles and responsibilities of both general and special education teachers who provide instruction in the inclusion setting (Ernst & Rogers, 2009). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of special education teachers who have taught learners with disabilities and how those lived experiences influenced their attitudes and beliefs. This study will help fill the research gap in understanding the daily lived experiences of the research participants. Furthermore, the endpoint of this paper is to create a school policy recommendation on home to school partnership for the improvement of special education programs and policies.

Paper File to download :