ERIC Number: EJ1239115
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Dec
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0952-3383
EISSN: N/A
Do Educational Practitioners Invest in Specialised Discourses of Autism? Professional Knowledge Landscapes of Teachers and Teaching Assistants in Mainstream Schools
British Journal of Special Education, v46 n4 p480-496 Dec 2019
A key metaphor used to describe the complexity of what teachers do is that of professional knowledge landscapes. This conveys the idea that effective practice should be explored in relation to how teachers perceive pupils, but also to how teachers see themselves and questions of professional identity. The research reported here was part of a larger study into inclusive pedagogy for autistic pupils. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was applied to transcripts of semi-structured interviews with mainstream practitioners (n = 8) to identify constructions about practice. Findings show that specialised knowledge about autism was welcomed, but effective practice was seen to be based wholly on ongoing interactions with pupils and did not differ from practices used with other pupils. Findings from this research contest the idea that mainstream practitioners simply fall short in adopting certain practices for autistic pupils and indicate they have practices of their own which are aligned with ideas about inclusive education.
Descriptors: Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Mainstreaming, Inclusion, Students with Disabilities, Teacher Student Relationship, Professional Identity, Teachers, Teacher Aides, Specialization, Teacher Effectiveness
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A

Peer reviewed
Direct link
