SCoTENS Research Project
Investigation into the professional development requirements of post primary teachers who have a specific remit to work with students who have special educational needs.
Project Description:
The purpose of this research project was to investigate the professional development requirements of those second level (post primary) teachers who have a specific remit to work with students who have special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream school settings in both Northern and Southern Ireland.
With the inclusion of many more students with additional needs and disabilities in mainstream classes, teachers at second level face ever increasing challenges as they work to meet the needs of the students on a daily basis. Second level teachers are now working in a variety of roles within schools as they strive to meet these various needs.
This research drew on the experiences of current, second level practitioners whose remit is to work with students with special and additional needs both North and South, to establish their professional development requirements across a variety of school-based roles.
Duration:
Completed 2009
The Research Team:
Elizabeth O’Gorman, UCD; Sheelagh Drudy, UCD; Eileen Winter, ICEP Europe; Ron Smith, QUB; Mairin Barry, UCD.
Funding:
Funded by SCoTENS (Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South)
Research Objectives:
- To identify the professional development requirements, north and south, of post primary teachers working in the area of special educational needs in mainstream schools
- To identify the roles and functions, north and south, of post-primary teachers working in the area of special educational needs in mainstream schools
- To develop recommendations for continuous professional development programmes, north and south, in the area of special educational needs
- To strengthen best practice currently in operation in the training of special needs teachers, north and south.
