ERIC Number: EJ1029927
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1360-3116
EISSN: N/A
Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support) in Singapore's Mainstream Schools: First Steps towards Inclusivity?
Lim, Sirene May-Yin; Wong, Meng Ee; Tan, Denise
International Journal of Inclusive Education, v18 n2 p123-139 2014
It is arguable whether Singapore's mainstream schools are moving towards "inclusion" by providing support for students with mild to moderate disabilities through the provision of a newly created para-professional called the Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural) [AED(LBS)]. Since 2005, the government has provided an incremental supply of these trained para-professionals to offer both in-class support and withdrawal sessions. Many primary and secondary schools have one such para-professional catering to an unpredictable number of children with "and" without assessed learning needs. This paper draws upon data from a study investigating how a group of 30 newly qualified AED(LBS) para-professionals shaped their professional role during their first year in school. Data were generated through an online survey, interviews; and analysed through theories on identity and communities of practice. Findings focus on how the participants had learned to grow into their roles despite contradictory expectations; how they learn to work with student diversity they had never encountered; and how schools should be learning communities to embrace and include the new AED(LBS). The paper discusses the need to define "inclusivity" and the need for the education system to become more professionally inclusive towards AED(LBS).
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Inclusion, Disabilities, Paraprofessional School Personnel, Online Surveys, Interviews, Identification, Communities of Practice, Teacher Role, Student Diversity, Educational Trends, Student Surveys
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Singapore
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A

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