Time: Thursday, 29/Aug/2024: 15:45 - 17:15 Session Chair: Sverker Lindblad |
Location: Room 004 in ΧΩΔ 01 (Common Teaching Facilities [CTF01]) [Ground Floor] Cap: 40 |
Paper
Is There a Difference Between How School Children with and Without Special Needs Enjoy and Experience Inclusion in Physical Education?
1University College South; 2University College Absalon; 3University College North
Presenting Author:In European nations, the approaches to incorporating children with special needs into educational settings differ. Several countries, including Denmark, have adopted inclusive education to different extents. In this context, children with special needs participate in mainstream primary schools alongside their peers without similar requirements. Denmark stands out as a country where public schools accommodate children with special needs, and the option of attending a special school is reserved for situations demanding substantial support. Consequently, a considerable number of students with special needs are integrated into the mainstream environment of Danish public schools.
Nearly one in 10 students in Danish primary schools have special needs, which may manifest as autism, ADHD, depression, OCD, or anxiety (Children's Aid Foundation, 2022). Further, the proportion of students with psychiatric diagnoses has increased by 42% over the last 10 years (Kleding, 2023).
Many students with special needs require extra care or attention and participate less in physical education than their peers (Bentholm, 2017). Moreover, many physical education teachers report feeling that they lack the competencies needed to include these students in their classes (Andreasen et al., 2022). One-third of all students with special needs are exempt from one or more subjects in Danish school, and the subject most exempted is physical education (Disabled People’s Organisations Denmark, 2019). This is concerning, as research has also found that children on the autism spectrum are less physically active in school and leisure compared to children without diagnoses (Pan et al., 2016; Pilgaard et al., 2022). Additionally, children with special needs may face challenges with motor skills, attention, and social interaction, which could contribute to their lower levels of physical activity (Guthold et al., 2019; Pan et al., 2016). On the other hand, research also indicates that being physically active in school can contribute to strengthening students' self-esteem and well-being (Huang & Brittain, 2006).
The school is an ideal setting to work on strengthening and building students' relationships and communities through physical activities (Holt & Christiansen, 2017; Molbæk et al., 2015; Petersen, 2014). Furthermore, teachers in Danish primary schools are obligated to organize and conduct lessons where all students have the opportunity to thrive and develop within the social and academic communities of the school (Ministry of Children and Education, 2012).
The purpose of the present study is, to explore students' and physical education teachers' experiences in including students with special needs in physical education.
Pupils experiencing various degrees of disabilities or impairments (mental, social, or behavioral challenges), which pose a challenge for them in terms of participating in physical education on equal terms with their peers, are referred to as children with special needs.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used
This study uses mixed methods, where both the quantitative and qualitative methods were applied in both data collection and data analysis (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie & Turner, 2007). The study captures the perspectives of students' and teachers/social educators teaching physical education in Danish public school (children aged six to 16) (referred to as “PE teachers” in the study)
The quantitative data were collected by sending an electronic questionnaire to six public schools in Denmark, disseminated through our network, by social media, two podcast episodes targeting PE teachers, and through a conference targeting PE teachers. In total, 428 of 498 students completed the questionnaire. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics.
Informants for interviews were recruited through the questionnaire survey, where all informants were asked if they wished to participate in an interview; our networks, and through the before mentioned conference. All interviews were conducted online.
The interview study is based on interviews with 16 PE teachers and were conducted through group interviews. The interview guide included both open-ended questions and questions based on the results from the questionnaire survey. Data was analyzed using "framework analysis" (Ritchie & Spencer, 1994), coding was conducted within the framework of the interview guide, and the analytical findings were discussed and validated within the author group. Nvivo was used to facilitate the process of data analysis.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings
Results show that while the majority of pupils in general enjoy physical education, children with special needs have less enjoyment of physical education that children without special needs. Furthermore, in general, most children experience to be included in physical education class. However, for all six questions regarding inclusion in physical education class, fewer pupils with special needs than pupils without special needs agreed with the proposed questions. However, only responses to two of six questions were statistically significant.
Most teachers have experience teaching students with psychological, social, or behavioral difficulties in physical education, and this group of students is the predominant focus in the interviews. Teachers explained how students with autism, Asperger's syndrome, and ADHD face challenges in ignoring and interpreting sensory impressions in physical education. These students struggle to decode social rules and need predictability, clear guidelines, and adult support in physical education. Further, teachers regularly face students who require various special considerations, which they actively take into account in their teaching. Many teachers in the upper grades experience that a significant number of teenage students struggle with having physical contact with each other, for example, during apparatus activities.
Thus, our findings indicate that many teachers encounter students with psychological, social, or behavioral difficulties, as well as mild or severe motor difficulties, or visual and hearing impairments in physical education. We also observe indications that some teachers: may not find it possible to include these students in physical education; lack the necessary skills and teaching materials and experience a lack of sufficient resources.
To successfully include students with special needs in physical education, it may require both local prioritization within schools and a consideration of structural aspects at the political level, such as responsibility distribution, organization, and resource allocation within the physical education domain.
References
Andreasen, A.G., Rangvid, B.S. & Lindeberg, N. H. (2022). Støtte, støttebehov og elevresultater - Delrapport 1. Inkluderende læringsmiljøer og specialpædagogisk bistand VIVE. The Danish Center for Social Science Research.
Bentholm, A. (2017). Du må ikke løbe uden for banen. En processociologisk undersøgelse af inklusion af elever med autisme og ADHD i skoleidrætten. University of Copenhagen.
Ministry of Children and Education (2012). Regler om inklusion. Tilgået 12. maj 2023:
Children's Aid Foundation. (2022). Børn med særlige behov trives dårligere i skolen end deres klassekammerater. Accessed January 29th 2024.
Disabled People’s Organisations Denmark (2020). Undersøgelse om inklusion i grundskolen. Accessed January 29th 2024.
Guldager, J.D., Andersen, M.F., Christensen, A.B., Bertelsen, K. & Christiansen, L.B. (2023). Status på IdrætsFaget 2022. Idrætsundervisernes oplevelse af idrætsfaget og udviklingen af faget gennem årene. Research and Implementation Centre for Human Movement and Learning (FIIBL).
Guthold, R., Stevens, G.A., Riley, L.M. & Bull, F.C. (2019). Global trends in insufficient physical activity among adolescents: A pooled analysis of 298 population-based surveys with 1.6 million participants. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. 4(1), 23–35
Holt, A-D. & Christiansen, L. B. (2017). Inklusion og eksklusion i skolens bevægelsesfællesskaber. MOV:E special edition 2017. Research and Implementation Centre for Human Movement and Learning (FIIBL).
Huang, C. & Brittain, I. (2006). Negotiating identities through Disability Sport. Sociology of Sport Journal. 23(4), 352-375.
Johnson R.B., Onwuegbuzie, A.J. & Turner, L.A. (2007). Toward a Definition of Mixed Methods Research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research. 1(2)112-133.
Kleding, E. (2023). Stigningen fortsætter: Flere og flere elever ender i specialtilbud. Momentum. 03, 15. årgang, KL.
Molbæk, M., Quvang, C. & Sørensen, H. L. (2015). Deltagelse og forskellighed - en grundbog om inklusion og specialpædagogik i lærerpraksis. Hans Reitzels Forlag.
Pan, C-Y, Tsai, C-L, Chu, C-H, Sung, M-C, Ma, W-Y, Huang, C-Y. (2016). Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Health-Related Physical Fitness in Secondary School-Aged Male Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Physical Therapy. 96(4), 511-520.
Petersen, K. R. (2014). Inklusion: En guide til inkluderende praksis i skolen. Hans Reitzels Forlag.
Pilgaard, M., Elmose-Østerlund, K., Engell, Z., Bilberg, L. & Toftgård, N. A. (2022). Idræt for mennesker for funktionsnedsættelse i Danmark. Litteraturreview og analyser fra Danmark i Bevægelse. Idrættens Analyseinstitut.
Ritchie, J & Spencer, L. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis for Applied Policy Research. In: B. Bryman & R. Burgess (red.), Analyzing qualitative data (p. 173–194). Routledge.
Paper
Transforming Professional Identities in Uncertain Contexts - Using Manipulatives as Methodological Tools to Explore the Professional Development of Kazakh Teacher Educators
1University of Sussex, United Kingdom; 2Kazakh National Women's Teacher Training University, Kazakhstan
Presenting Author:Over the last ten years there has been increasing global interest in the evolution and re-conceptualisation of the role of teacher educators (Ben Peretz, 2012; Tatto and Menter, 2019; Mayer et al, 2021), although little has been captured on their developing role in Kazakhstan . This paper will present the use of an innovative research tool, the use of Lego Serious Play as a manipulative, to capture and represent the professional development experiences of teacher educators in a women's pedagogic university in Kazakhstan.
Much established research on teacher educators emphasises the complexity of the work and multiple skills needed, but equally also identifies a range of issues and tensions faced by teacher educators. For example the dual transition that teacher educators make into university life and lack of induction into new roles. Often teacher educators move into universities after teaching in schools, so they have to make the transition from school to university and a further transition from a predominantly teaching role to a wider academic role which includes research. Swennen et al. (2010) identify four main roles or sub-identities which teacher educators adopt: schoolteacher, teacher in higher education, teacher of teachers and researcher. They argue that, in many cases, teacher educators have to transform themselves in order to take on certain identities, especially the researcher role. Such transformations and landmarks undertaken by teacher educators are the focus of this study.
Research questions and objectives
This research builds on an earlier study in the UK (Griffiths and Thompson, 2010) which investigated the transition of early career teacher educators into higher education and research. This research investigates similar themes but in the context of Kazakh teacher preparation and examines a cohort of early to mid-career teacher educators using Lego Serious Play as a methdologial tool to stimulate reflection, discussion and exploration. Research questions included:
- What are the key landmarks in teacher educators’ professional and academic development?
- How effective are manipulatives as a methodological tool to illuminate teacher educators’ experiences and development?
The objectives of the study were to analyse and compare the career experiences of teacher educators; in particular, to identify stages of development, landmark events and critical incidents and contextual factors affecting professional learning and academic identities.
Theoretical framework
The overarching theoretical framework used in the study is socio-cultural learning, in recognition that the specific context in which teacher educators work and their relationships within this are of vital importance in the process of learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991). Eraut’s (2007) research on contextual and learning factors in the workplace is used to identify key factors affecting teacher educators’ professional learning and any differences between the contexts. Lave and Wenger's (1991) model of legitimate peripheral participation was useful for studying teacher educators' induction and development over time. Whilst emerging studies on the use of Lego Serious Play (James 2013; Mc Cusker, 2020) as a research tool provide the foundation for its methodological use in this work.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used
Research methods
Creative research methods are a rapidly developing area of social enquiry and are informing an evolving visual culture in research (Deaney & Wilson, 2011, Kara, 2021) ).The use of Lego Serious Play (Roos and Victor, 2018) as a research method alongside qualitative interviews was adapted from a teaching and learning strategy often used in business contexts. Models were created by participants (6 teacher educators) using prompt questions and specially selected Lego bricks to explore critical incidents, aspirations, challenges and contexts.
An embedded case study approach (Cohen et al., 2007; Yin, 2002) was used with purposive sampling to identify six early and mid-career teacher educators . Participants were asked to explore their professional biographies, academic and research landmarks and barriers and successes using the Lego sets. These were then used as a basis for discussion and exploration in the interviews. Participants were asked to reflect on the use of manipulative as a research tool. Confidentiality was assured and all names have been removed from examples and interview extracts to protect anonymity and, where used, photographs of models do not include the identity of the participant. .
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings
Research findings
Significant and transformational landmarks have been initially identified after the first set of workshops with Lego Serious Play, with development in teaching seen as largely positive, while research development (and associated identities) as much more varied. Teacher educators who were further on in their careers saw research development as transformative personally as well as academically. In analysing findings, we continue to draw particularly on Swennen et al.’s (2010) identification of teacher educators’ sub-identities. Lego Serious Play is found to be a rich data source to identify and explore landmarks, positive features and barriers to development. Enhanced verbal input resulted from using manipulatives to represent highs and lows of experience, including the visual representation of emotion and challenge. Questions have arisen about the most effective use of the models. This is a useful research tool and we argue that it is particularly suitable for researching teacher educators’ identities, but it needs further clarification and earlier guidelines for use. The findings make a strong contribution to the growing body of European research on teacher educators’ professional development both in general and in the specific case of those working in pedagogical contexts in Kazakhstan.
References
Bagnoli, A (2009) Beyond the standard interview: the use of graphic elicitation and arts-based methods. Qualitative Research, 9(5) 547-540
Ben-Peretez, M (2012), Teacher Educators as Members of an Evolving Profession, P & L Education
Griffiths, V., Thompson, S. and Hyrniewicz, L. (2014) Living Graphs As A Methodological Tool: Representing Landmarks In The Professional Development Of Teacher Educators, Teacher Education Advancement Network Journal, (6:1)
James, A. (2013) “Lego Serious Play: a three-dimensional approach to learning
development.” Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 6.
Kara H, (2021), Creative Research Methods in Education: Principles and Practices, Policy Press
Lave,J. & Wenger,E. (1991) Situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Mayer, D., Goodwin, A. L., & Mockler, N. (2021). Teacher education policy: Future research, teaching in contexts of super-diversity and early career teaching. In D. Mayer (Ed.), Teacher education policy and research: Global perspectives (pp. 209–223). Springer
McCusker, Sean (2020) Everybody’s monkey is important: LEGO® Serious Play®
as a methodology for enabling equality of voice within diverse groups. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 43 (2).
Swennen, A., Jones,K. & Volman,M. (2010) Teacher educators, their identities, sub-identities and implications for professional development. Professional Development in Education 36(1-2)
Tatto, M and I Menter, (2019), Knowledge, Policy and Practice in Teacher Education, A Cross-National Study, Bloomsbury Academic
Paper
Affordances, Constraints and Tensions Experienced by Teachers in Chile When Mentoring Pre Service Teachers
Pontificia Universidad Ca, Chile
Presenting Author:Across many jurisdictions, educational policies have intensified the practicum component of initial teacher education (ITE), and school teachers are called to work with preservice teachers (PST) in a mentoring capacity. In that capacity, classroom teachers are asked to become teacher educators as they engage in institutionalized interactions with preservice teachers to contribute to their professional learning (Nesje and Lejonberg, 2022). The objective of this study is to examine the work of teachers in Chile who mentor preservice teachers (PST) who are placed in their classrooms as part of a practicum course. Using the conceptual framework describing seven domains of quality mentoring developed by Ellis and collaborators (2020), qualitative data analysis seeks to identify affordances, constraints, and tensions in mentoring work identified by 62 mentor elementary and secondary teachers distributed in 11 schools.
In Chile, accreditation requirements specify that initial teacher education (ITE) programs must develop partnerships with schools to implement a sequence of early and progressive practicum courses. A university-based faculty assigned to the practicum course is typically responsible for monitoring and supporting PSTs and their mentor teachers (Barahona, 2019). This faculty is expected to act as a boundary broker, introducing elements of the ITE program and the specific practicum requirements into the work of mentor teachers and their classrooms (Author, 2015).
Ellis et al. (2020) proposed a 7-domain typology of high-quality mentoring and mentors of preservice teachers. This typology was developed based on a literature review including 70 articles examining mentoring relationships. Domain 1 refers to the characteristics of a productive collaboration between the university and mentor teachers. Domain 2 refers to the motivational factors that mobilize mentor teachers' interactions with PSTs and their preparation and experiences to enact the role flexibly. Domain 3 refers to the relational dimension of mentoring that allows for reflective conversations. Domain 4 addresses the instrumental aspects or tools through which mentors support PSTs’ learning, such as providing feedback on lesson plans or observing PSTs delivering a lesson. Domain 5 involves modeling effective teaching, helping PSTs connect theory and practice, and developing a shared language and expectations by framing practice in the context of professional standards. Domain 6 relates to maintaining a welcoming socio-professional context and providing emotional support to PSTs. Mentors help PSTs negotiate conflicts and establish professional relations with other school personnel, supporting organizational socialization. Domain 7 refers to adopting a progressive mindset and mentor’s openness to new ideas concerning curricula, instruction, and assessment practices that PST might want to try out in the classroom.
The tasks of mentoring represent demands, and mentor teachers (as well as PST) recognize and respond to them by using “cultural (e.g., ideas, values, beliefs), structural (e.g., relationships, roles, power, trust), or material (e.g., resources, physical environment) conditions” (Schaap et al., 2019, p. 815). These affordances affect classroom teachers’ participation in mentoring activities as they perceive, interpret, and actively shape such affordances. When negotiating demands and constraints, tensions may arise due to unclear expectations, incomplete information, or conflicting roles and values. According to Schaap et al., these tensions are usually associated with negative emotions.
Research questions
- What affordances (i.e., enablers) do mentor teachers report when enacting activities associated with the seven domains of quality mentoring proposed by Ellis et al. (2020)?
- What constraints (i.e., barriers) do mentor teachers report when enacting activities associated with the seven domains of quality mentoring proposed by Ellis et al. (2020)?
- What are the tensions reported when enacting activities associated with the seven domains of quality mentoring proposed by Ellis et al. (2020)?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used
Design
Data used to answer the research questions were drawn from the second stage of a more extensive study examining how school practitioners understood and participated in the practicum component of initial teacher preparation in Chile. The larger study involved a sequential mixed-method design. In the first stage, a survey was distributed to 91 schools serving as practicum sites, and in the second stage, group interviews were conducted with teachers in 11 of these schools.
Participants
A total of 62 mentor teachers participated in group interviews, 15 of whom were males. Slightly less than half (n=29) were taught in a public municipal school, 23 in a private school financed through a state voucher, and 10 in a private school fully funded by parents. They averaged ten years of teaching experience, ranging from three to 33 years. Over the last two years, they had mentored four PSTs on average. Among participants, 28 taught in secondary grades, and the remaining in elementary classrooms.
Instruments and procedures
A flexible interview protocol was developed to address the following topics and questions:
• Experiences with their mentor teacher when completing their ITE program.
• What is the main idea you want to convey to PSTs?
• Why do you want to convey that idea?
• Factors that facilitate or create obstacles to mentoring
• Mechanisms for coordination and alignment with the university
Group size ranged from three to eight teachers. Audio-taped interviews were conducted at the school and lasted about 90 minutes. All participants signed an informed consent approved by the researchers´ institutional ethics review board and were offered an incentive of a $5 gift certificate.
Data analysis
A thematic analysis of the transcripts was conducted following the steps proposed by Braun and Clarke (2006). A priori, theory-driven codes were defined addressing elements of the seven domains proposed by Ellis et al. (2020).Within each domain, these codes were grouped to address the themes of the research questions: (a) affordances, (b) constraints, and (c) tensions in mentoring. In the full paper, interview excerpts will be provided to illustrate these domains and themes.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings
Mentor teachers worked with pre-service teachers from different universities and completing different courses in the practicum component of ITE programs. They identified three main affordances. First, their teaching experiences and motivation to contribute to preparing the next generation of teachers. Second, engaging in joint work with the university-based practicum instructor was an essential support for the work entailed in mentoring. Learning from PST motivated mentors’ engagement.
The lack of collaboration and coordination with the university was a key constraint. Participants repeatedly provided examples expressing concerns and frustration about the absence of the university supervisor in their classrooms, restricted opportunities for joint work, and an absence of preparation that would inform them about their role and how to support PSTs’ learning to teach. Mentors noted a distance between the theories learned at the university and the practices that worked well with their pupils.
Tensions emerged when mentors had to negotiate their double responsibilities toward pupils’ and PSTs’ learning; which was most often resolved by prioritizing their teacher role over their mentor role (Jasper et al., 2014). Tensions also emerged when the feedback they provided to PST was ignored by the university and PST and when it was not received constructively by the PST, generating negative feelings. Results highlight the importance of strengthening these affordances through support groups where mentors, PSTs, and university supervisors reflect, encourage, and guide each other‘s practices (Stanulis and Russell, 2000). Joint work can also strengthen mentor teachers’ development of a teacher-educator identity (Andreasen et al., 2019).
References
Andreasen, J.K., Bjørndal, C.R.P., and Kovač, V.B. (2019). Being a teacher and teacher educator: The antecedents of teacher educator identity among mentor teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 85, 281 -291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.05.011
Author, 2015.
Barahona, M. (2019). What matters to supervisors and is this reflected in what they do? Analysing the work of university supervisors of the practicum. Journal of Education for Teaching, 45:3, 262–276.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3:2, 77–101.
Ellis, N. J., Alonzo, D., y Nguyen, H. T. M. (2020). Elements of a quality pre-service teacher mentor: A literature review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 92, 103072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103072
Jaspers, W. M., Meijer, P. C., Prins, F., & Wubbels, T. (2014). Mentor teachers: Their perceived possibilities and challenges as mentor and teacher. Teaching and Teacher Education, 44, 106–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.08.005
Nesje, K., & Lejonberg, E. (2022). Tools for the school-based mentoring of pre-service teachers: A scoping review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 111, 103609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103609
Schaap, H., Louws, M., Meirink, J., Oolbekkink-Marchand, H., Van Der Want, A., Zuiker, I., Zwart, R., & Meijer, P. (2019). Tensions experienced by teachers when participating in a professional learning community. Professional Development in Education, 45(5), 814–831. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2018.1547781
Stanulis, R. N., and Russell, D. (2000). “Jumping in’: Trust and communication in mentoring student teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education 16:1, 65–80.