This article draws on postmodern research approaches and Michael Foucault's views of "discourse" to examine theoretical perspectives previously applied to collaboration, and argues for the value of further theoretical diversity and methodological plurality. It introduces discourse analysis as a tool for helping to understand the notion of…

A project provided weekly home visits to support two children at risk of struggling with literacy during their first year at school. Results found the two families in the project responded positively to the home visits and maintained their engagement, and that the intervention was effective. (Contains references.) (CR)

This article summarizes concerns expressed at the SENCo-Forum about the stress that the Key Stage 1 Standard Assessment Tasks procedures place on children with special needs. Concerns include effects on student confidence, forcing teachers into roles that run counter to their educational ethos, and the time given to test preparation. (CR)

The uses of insider epistemology are many. In Reidun Tangen's thought-provoking paper it is seen as a tentative foundation for educational research involving listening to children's voices. The author argues elsewhere that insider epistemology, from a philosophical viewpoint, is full of paradoxes, inconsistencies and unsolved problems. Its…

The study examined conflict and facilitation in work-family relations among working mothers of children with learning disorders (LD) or with typical development. The study also focused on three maternal personal resources (maternal anxious/avoidant attachment security, affect and sense of coherence) as antecedents of these work-family relations,…

Inclusion began in the United States and Europe as a special education initiative on behalf of students with disabilities as early as the 1980s. Now, more than two decades later, schools in these countries are changing as educators, parents, politicians and communities try to prepare for the new challenges and promises of the twenty-first century.…

This paper discusses various approaches to the phenomenon of disability in relation to special needs. Ever since disability researchers launched the social model of disability and criticised the field of special education for preserving an understanding of disability in accord with a medical model, the special education field has been in a state…

In this paper, the situation of special teacher education in Finland and Norway has been analysed from three perspectives: how the curricula of special teacher education differ between and within the countries; whether inclusion is included in special teacher education; and how the special teacher education curricula reflect the national…

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in children's experiences and perspectives of their own lives. This interest has been stimulated by legal and political initiatives (e.g., the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child), and by theoretical developments in education and social science disciplines. Children are no longer viewed…

The purpose of the study was to determine whether the application of a school intervention programme based on the theory of multiple intelligences improves the academic achievement of students with low intellectual capacity, and whether the intervention programme also improves their level of general intelligence. The assessment design is…

The purpose of this reply to Kvernbekk and Lewis's comments regarding the discussion on epistemological and ethical problems of listening to children's voices, is not to propose a coherent foundation free from any epistemological tensions. Rather, Tangen's intent is primarily to explore different perspectives in order to disclose some of their…

Reidun Tangen begins by reviewing interest in children's "voice" (encompassing the consumer driven, rights based, etc). The main body of her paper examines the philosophical underpinnings of child voice in the research context and, in particular, various interpretations of "the subject" (i.e., the knower) and what it is that is known (i.e., the…

Is the currently selective UK higher education (HE) system becoming more inclusive? Between 1998/99 and 2004/05, in relation to talented students with disabilities, has the UK government's HE policy implementation moved HE towards achieving two of the government's key HE objectives for 2010? These objectives are: (a) increasing HE participation…

To be able to offer children with developmental disorders adequate help, professionals working in special needs education must use a screening device to assess the specific psychiatric difficulties of the children. In this paper the psychometric properties of an easy-to-use parental rating scale to screen symptoms of major psychiatric disorders…

The aim of this study was to gather information on the tools used by special education teachers for the assessment of severely intellectually disabled students (SID), preparing an individual education plan, and about the methodology used for monitoring their learning progress. The survey included all Finnish special education teachers working with…