School Support Services Model for Students With Disabilities in General Education Classrooms: Using Data From the Special Needs Education Longitudinal Study in Taiwan

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to establish a school support service model for students with disabilities in general classroom, and to explore the current status of school support services provided for students with disabilities in preschools, primary, and junior high schools. Therefore, this study used data from the Special Needs EducationLongitudinal Study in Taiwan, collected in the 2007-2008 academic year. There were 2,924 students with disabilities selected in the study who were placed in general classrooms; 855 were in preschool, 1,079 were in primary school and 990 were in junior high school. The questionnaires in the database were answered by their teachers. The results of this study are listed, as follows: In terms of the school support service model for students with disabilities in the three stages of education, adjustment in teaching accounts for 1~15% of the explanatory power regarding the overall model, while support services account for 63~85%, which peak in junior high schools.Secondly, itinerant teachers are found to be the most important human resource in preschools. For primary and junior high schools, parents and special education teachers are the more prevalent influences. The more common school support services are tuition refunds, itinerant services, adjustments in examinations, and scholarships.

Role of Educational Services in Promoting Inclusive Higher Education for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

“…Nevertheless, there may be a difference between the usage and provision of support services. The effectiveness of the services and whether or not students find the staff in support services to be helpful determine whether students use these services [11,12]. The best way to deliver these services to DHH students depends on their individual characteristics and needs [13][14][15].…”

“…One of the educational services that has been frequently employed to raise the achievement of DHH students is modification of classroom delivery. It is an application of the 1997 IDEA Law, which recommended making special accommodations for DHH students in the classroom [11,13,22]. These educational services consist of a set of adaptations to the normal classroom delivery, which include modification of the curriculum and lesson content, private tutors, speaking slowly and distinctly by faculty members, reduction in tasks and assignments, reduction in the amount of lessons, clarifying the language of the curriculum, modifying the language in textbooks, introducing new and visual methods and means to facilitate their education, language adjustment in exams, and additional tests when needed [10,16,23].…”

“…Over the past years, there have been many difficulties regarding inclusive education and inadequate expertise in special education is one of them [11]. Universities have been seen to face challenges that are in line with the recent trends in teaching DHH students, and these include the lack of experience of faculty members in teaching these students.…”

“…In addition, there are several educational strategies such as allowing more time for evaluation, choosing an alternative evaluation when needed, and slowing down the pace of instruction [31]. Sun and Huang indicated that teaching expertise as an independent variable has a direct effect on support services for students with disabilities in the classroom, such as modifications to the classroom environment and teaching methods [11]. Accordingly, faculty members who are teaching DHH students in universities should have a very high level of competencies, besides knowledge, skills, and abilities [47].…”

A Follow-Up Study on the Influence of Personal, Family, and School Factors on Learning Outcomes of Students with Disabilities in Senior High School

“…This is done in a comprehensive and longitudinal manner, facilitating investigations into the important issues for the education of individuals with disabilities. It also allows for related analysis of the teaching situation and educational achievements of students with disabilities [27,28].…”