Same vision – different approaches? Special needs education in light of inclusion in Finland and Norway

Abstract

This article explores two aspects of special needs education (SNE) for pupils in compulsory schools in Finland and Norway, who according to official procedures, have been granted SNE. The two aspects are educational settings for the implementation of SNE and formal competence among those who implement the SNE to which the pupils have a right. The results are based on explorative studies of official laws and regulations, available statistical data and earlier research from both countries. The results indicate that a majority of the target pupil group in Finland receive their SNE, whether full or part time, in a special class, whereas in Norway, most of these pupils receive parttime SNE, provided in regular classes or smaller groups in mainstream school. Furthermore, the results indicate that in Finland, highly qualified special education teachers are frequently engaged in the implementation of SNE, while in Norway, teacher assistants-guided by a general teacher-often seem to have greater responsibility for implementing SNE. To conclude, a redirection of SNE in both countries is needed towards working methods that are more inclusive. In Finland, educational settings need a stronger focus, and in Norway, there is a need to invest more in teachers' competence in SNE.

The influence of teaching variables in the educational processes of students with rare diseases

“…There were also significant differences related to the type of job people did at their schools, with p < 0.001, the highest scores being from teachers who were part of school guidance services. This confirms how important these professionals are in delivering inclusive processes in schools (Nilsen et al, 2019;Sundqvist and Hannås, 2021). The amount of teaching experience was significant in two dimensions, Legislation and Diagnosis, with higher scores from teachers with 0-5 years' teaching experience.…”

“…Many studies have reported that teachers' have favorable attitudes toward the inclusion of students with educational needs (Álvarez-Castillo and Buenestado-Fernández, 2015;Sharma and Jacobs, 2016;Polo and Aparicio, 2018;Saloviita, 2020), but also that they demand greater teacher training to address the heterogeneity of educational needs in their classrooms (González-Gil et al, 2019;Florian and Camedda, 2020;Falla et al, 2022). School teaching staff includes professionals whose work is to meet students' educational needs, working with other teachers and families in inclusion (Nilsen et al, 2019;Sundqvist and Hannås, 2021). It is essential for all education professionals to participate to achieve the goal of inclusion, which will facilitate progress toward a social transformation that will become a reality from an inclusive perspective (Nilsen, 2017).…”

“…These have included including students with educational needs in ordinary schools, increased teacher training, the spread of educational professionals dedicated to dealing with students with educational needs, increased and updated teaching resources, the use of information and communication technologies in educational processes, the variety of groupings in the classroom, and the management of specific methodologies. Despite this, there is still a long way to go to achieve fully inclusive teaching and learning processes ( Nilsen et al, 2019 ; Sundqvist and Hannås, 2021 ). The breakneck pace of change in culture and society throws up new challenges and obstacles to achieving inclusive educational systems.…”

Equality in Content Coverage in the Nordic Countries?

“…However, as pointed out by Yang Hansen and Gustafsson (2014) substantial differences in achievement between classrooms exist in Finland based on TIMSS 2011 data. Furthermore, Finnish researchers showed in their TIMSS 2019 national report (Vainikainen & Harju-Luukkainen, 2020), that a big proportion of this variance can be explained by classes where most of a school's students with special needs are compiled together (Sundqvist & Hannås, 2021) and through selective classes with an emphasis on language, arts, or sports where intake is based on an aptitude test (Kosunen & Seppänen, 2015). The strong composition effects of SES on achievement therefore indicate that equal opportunities to learn are a myth in the case of Finland but that tracking within schools related to student SES 3 exists.…”

Learning Management of Inclusive Elementary School in Samarinda

“…Learning is conducted in the same class with students' diverse conditions in terms of their intellectual, behavioral, and social attitudes. (Sundqvist & Hannås, 2020) All students in inclusive schools can be served by making various adjustments, ranging from the curriculum, infrastructure, educators and education, learning systems to the assessment system. (Alasim, 2020;Crispel & Kasperski, 2019;Manrique et al, 2018;McKenna et al, 2019;Olsson et al, 2020;Suter et al, 2020) Through inclusive education, children with special needs will be allowed to learn together with normal children in regular classes.…”