Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemMauritius and inclusion : a study of teachers' attitudes toward the inclusion of students with special needs in regular primary schools( 2006)This study was undertaken to investigate the attitudes of regular education teachers toward the inclusion of students with Special Needs in regular education classrooms in Mauritius. In the context of Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behaviour, a survey and case studies were undertaken in Mauritius. The data was used to identify teachers' attitudes, to explore teachers' intentions and to investigate teachers' inclusive classroom practices in regards to the inclusion of students with Special Needs in their classrooms. A three-part self-completion questionnaire was used to collect the data. Part 1, the STATIC-MR scale, consisted of an expanded version of Cochran's (1997) Scale of Teachers' Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms. Part 2 collected background information about teachers. Part 3 gathered data regarding teacher training and professional development. In addition, the survey instrument included an open-ended question, which required respondents to comment on inclusion in Mauritius. Six hundred and seven regular education teachers from a non-proportionate, stratified sample of 62 primary schools took part in the survey and follow-up case studies of eleven teachers were carried out. SPSS and QUEST software were utilised to analyse the data. Results yielded high reliability for the STATIC-MR scale, (Cronbach alpha: .89) and each individual item had an alpha value above .88. Using a one-parameter Rasch model rating scale analysis, four bands of attitudes were identified. In the first band, 4.9% of the teachers were found to be very agreeable with inclusion. In the second band, 35% were found to be agreeable with inclusion. In the third band, 51.7% were not so agreeable with inclusion because certain conditions were not present; yet teachers in this band thought that students with Special Needs should not be placed in special schools. The fourth band revealed that 8.4% were opposed to inclusion. Responses to the open-ended question: 'What suggestions would you like to make about the inclusion of students with Special Needs in regular education classrooms in Mauritius?' indicated that teachers greatest concerns were logistical in nature (32.8%). Logistical concerns were about large class sizes, lack of space and time, unavailability of specialist support and lack of parent support. Teachers also had professional concerns (20.5%), philosophical concerns (11.3%), concern related to the advantages to the student with Special Needs (4%), concerns related to the disadvantages to students with and/or without Special Needs (7.5%). Other teachers expressed the need for parent involvement (2%), or favoured integration rather than inclusion (7%) or were categorically opposed to inclusion without a specified reason (15%). Descriptive analyses identified differences in attitudes between teachers in different school sectors, teachers of different grades, teachers with different class sizes, and teachers with different training and qualifications. The 572 respondents, teachers of 8,560 students, reported 3135 students with Special Needs (16.3%) in their classes. They identified students having health or physical differences (9 %), students with behaviour differences (24 %), students with learning differences (63%), and students with other differences (4%). Several major findings emerged from the study. The majority of teachers surveyed indicated that they had no Special Education Qualifications (93%), no in-service training related to inclusion or disability (91%), and yet were willing to be trained for inclusion (77%). Correlation and regression analyses revealed a strong correlation between teachers' intentions (willingness to be trained) and their attitude toward inclusion. Several background variables of teachers correlated with teachers' attitudes and with teachers' intentions. Primarily, class size appeared to have some effect on teachers' attitudes and teachers' experience with inclusion and in-service training an effect on teachers' intentions. Follow-up case studies of the eleven teachers explored the modifications and adaptations teachers made to accommodate students with Special Needs in their classes. Teachers' reports of modifications allowed for them to be placed along a spectrum ranging from 'preventive' to 'intervene traditionally' to 'traditional', similar to Stanovich and Jordan's (1998) spectrum. Results of the interviews with the eleven teachers indicated a strong association between teachers' attitudes and their behaviours. The more positive the teachers' attitudes, the more likely they were to address the needs of students in their classes. This study provided discussion of the implications of the findings and made recommendations for improving teachers' attitudes toward the inclusion of students with Special Needs in Mauritius.
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ItemIntroducing a computer corner in an early intervention setting for young children with speech-language concerns( 2000)This study investigates a process for introducing a computer corner, as an innovation, in an Early Intervention Centre catering for children with speech-language concerns. Parents attend the Centre with their children and play a major part in the teaching/learning process. This study documented the process of introducing the computer corner as one of the learning areas available to the children, and the parents were invited to participate in the research. As the process evolved through the stages of planning, initiation, implementation and reflection, parents were involved in ongoing recording of their observations of the children. It was facilitated for the parents to express their feelings and positions regarding the innovation through formal and informal discussions. The parents were asked to complete a set of questionnaires early in the initiation phase of the process and these were repeated towards the end of the implementation stage in order to note changes in the parents' perspectives and use of the innovation. Seventeen parent participants completed the questionnaires and the implementation process. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), (Hall, Wallace and Dossett, 1973) was used to assess progress that participants made as they implemented the innovation. The process investigated was found to be successful as a model for introducing an innovation. All participants showed changes in their acceptance of the computer corner, and in the way that they progressed through stages of concern about and their levels of use of the computer. The computer corner was very popular with the children. Over fifty percent of the parents and children together accessed the computer with a medium to high frequency. Computer literacy levels were well enhanced as both parents and children contributed to the process.