Assessing the special education professional development needs of northern Malawian schoolteachers

Abstract

This research examines special needs education professional development needs among both general and special education schoolteachers in northern Malawi. A semi-structured questionnaire with open and close-ended questions was used for the research. Quantitative and thematic analyses were conducted to determine the extent to which teachers believe that students with disabilities should be educated together with students without disabilities, the importance of professional development for teaching students with disabilities, prioritised professional development needs regarding special education knowledge, and selfidentified needs for successful special education classrooms. Results indicate that teachers are generally in favour of inclusive practices and identify a high need for special education professional development. Participants identified training and resources to teach students with visual impairments or auditory impairments as a high priority. Participants noted a need for improved infrastructure, more educational materials, and recognition by the government for work in special education.

Interactive Apps Promote Learning of Basic Mathematics in Children With Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

“…Tablet technology could address this apparent inequality in access to high-equality educational instruction by embedding the technology intervention within community settings and providing a bridge between the home and school environment. Furthermore, the intervention does not require specialist teaching to implement successfully, so this might address the shortage of specialist teachers within the Malawi education system to some extent (Hughes et al, 2016 ), as non-specialist teachers should be able to implement this intervention with SEND pupils.…”

“…Within Malawi, barriers to quality education for children with SEND include poverty, large pupil-to-teacher ratios, distance from home to school—which for families of children with mobility difficulties can be particularly problematic as many do not have wheelchairs or other mobility aides, inadequate learning materials (Hughes et al, 2016 ), and discrimination within the community (Kelly et al, 2012 ). If parents of children with SEND are ashamed of their child's disability, or do not believe their child is capable of learning, and if there are few opportunities for employment of individuals with SEND upon completion of schooling, parents may opt to withdraw their child from the education system (Mutua and Dimitrov, 2001 ).…”

“…Although the Malawi government requires all teacher training colleges to include SEND training in their courses for pre-service trainee teachers, few institutions offer specialized SEND training programmes (Chitiyo et al, 2015 ). There are therefore currently insufficient specialist teachers to meet the growing number of pupils identified with SEND entering the school system (Hughes et al, 2016 ) and there is no specific curriculum for SEND pupils (Chitiyo et al, 2015 ). As a result, pupils with SEND face many challenges to learning in mainstream schools when there are no specialist teachers or materials to support their needs.…”

Special and Inclusive Education in Southern Africa

“…At the University of Botswana, the first three programs in special education included (a) a 2-year in-service diploma program in special education for teachers, (b) a 4-year pre-service degree program in special education for undergraduates, and(c) a 3-year in-service program in special education for holders of a Diploma or its equivalent from the University of Botswana or one of the colleges of education in Botswana. Despite numerous efforts directed towards SNE teacher training, recent research still shows deficits in teacher training and special education teachers' preparedness to address educational needs of students with disabilities (Habulezi et al, 2016;Mangope et al, 2018;Mukhopadhyay, 2009;Mukhopadhyay et al, 2012) In Malawi, it is not clear when exactly special needs teacher preparation started, but the provision of SNE started in 1950 courtesy of the Scottish and South African Evangelical Missionaries in Kasungu and Nsanje districts (Hughes et al, 2016). In 1968, the first formal school for SNE was started at Montfort Special Needs Education College in Chiradzulu district courtesy of the Catholic church (Itimu & Kopetz, 2008).…”

Investigating the Extent of Training Needs of Teachers of Students with Learning Disabilities: A Survey of Teachers’ Perspectives

“…Another advantage of training programs is that LD students achieve better learning outcomes (Abuhusain & Abdulrahman, 2016). However, LD teachers find it challenging to keep up with the rapid changes in curriculum standards, school district requirements, and contemporary educational technologies (Hughes et al, 2016).…”