This study examines whether participation in a 13-week undergraduate inclusive education course covaried with an improvement in the self-efficacy of preservice elementary education teachers. We sought to determine whether self-efficacy was influenced differentially by the type of field-based placement experienced by students in the course. The…

This article presents an analysis of the different perspectives and ideologies within the evolving field of special education research. This examination has claimed that Imre Lakatos' notion of "research programmes", which allows for a plurality of directions of research, provides a valuable guide for understanding the development and current…

This study aims to identify the family characteristics that promote the development of social skills in children with physical disabilities. Parents and teachers completed a range of questionnaires in an Australia-wide study of 212 parents of children (5-12 years of age) with physical disabilities who attend mainstream schools. The relationships…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not adapted physical education (APE) teachers had job-related concerns associated with teaching students with disabilities in an urban public school district. The participants were six experienced, itinerant APE teachers, who taught in urban public schools in a midwestern state in the United…

Beliefs about learning and physical difficulties were explored in 50 younger children (M = 5.6, SD = 1.0 years) and 50 older children (M = 9.5, SD = 1.1 years). Participants were asked why they thought some children had learning or physical difficulties and whether children with these difficulties would always have them. The majority of older…

A growing body of research demonstrates that the nature of the relationship between parents and professionals and parents' judgements of their feelings of empowerment are closely linked. This article focuses on one component of this relationship--partnerships--and reports on the association between parent-professional partnership and both parent…

This study explores meanings of family care held by seven families that include a middle-aged adult with intellectually disability. In-depth interviews were conducted with members of each family--the person with intellectual disability, parents, siblings, and sibling spouses. Participants described care as simply getting on with their lives, as…

Partnerships between professionals and parents of children with disabilities can be valuable ingredients in efforts to design and implement strategies of intervention and support. In this article, we provide a rationale in support of parent-professional partnerships and describe research and programmes that exemplify such partnership practices. We…

The first contact parents may have with a professional in relation to their child with a disability is often at the point of diagnosis. From that moment onwards, parents embark on a journey that generally involves the formation of many relationships with professionals working in the field. These relationships have the potential to facilitate…

Identifying low-progress readers easily and quickly is an essential prerequisite for effective literacy intervention in schools. In this study, teacher judgment of reading performance is compared with a curriculum-based measurement procedure. This study involved 33 teachers and their Year 3 to Year 5 classes. Twelve students were randomly selected…

This investigation compared the attitudes of teachers toward integration of students with disabilities in Haiti and the United States. A sample of 152 high school teachers in Haiti and 216 high school teachers in the United States was asked to complete a background questionnaire and the Opinions Relative to the Integration of Students with…

This study provides insights into the benefits of phoneme awareness intervention for children with complex communication needs (CCN). The specific aims of the study were: (1) to determine whether phoneme awareness skills can be successfully trained in children with CCN; and (2) to observe any transfer effects to phoneme awareness tasks not…

Inclusion has occupied the centre of attention in education in many countries for the past few decades, and it is the same in South Korea. Although most researchers and educators agree that inclusion is necessary for equal educational opportunities and social participation of students with disabilities, there are debates about the most effective…

Most children who are congenitally deafblind are severely delayed in their communication development and many will not achieve symbolic understanding and expression. This article discusses developmental markers cited in the research literature as predictive of or facilitative of the development of symbolism. These markers include the growth toward…

There is a general acceptance that inclusion is morally and ethically the most appropriate form of education. However, more research needs to focus on how best to accommodate and support the educational needs of all students, including those with physical disabilities. Listening to young people with physical disabilities talk about their…