The Lived Experiences of Teachers with Visual Impairments in the Inclusion of Students with Visual Impairments: A Phenomenological Study

Year 2022, Volume: 12 Issue: 2, 302 - 326, 15.08.2022

Hatice Şengül Erdem , Ayşe Dilşad Yakut

https://doi.org/10.19126/suje.1028588

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the lived experiences of teachers with visual impairments (VI) in the inclusion of students with VI. In this phenomenological study, data were collected from 8 teachers with VI through semi-structured interviews and analyzed by content analysis using a qualitative software program named MAXQDA20. The six themes identified from the content analysis were underlying issues in inclusion, personal guidance of teachers on students with VI, critical evaluation of inclusion, from diagnosis to the IEP implementation, the appropriate model of education for students with VI, and teachers' sense of inclusion. The findings revealed that teachers with VI contributed to the inclusion of students with VI. Furthermore, they emphasized system-related issues preventing inclusive practices and made critical evaluations concerning practices in inclusive settings. Based on the findings, inclusive classrooms and resource rooms should be equipped with educational tools (i.e., the braille alphabet, assistive technologies, tactile graphs and maps), teaching staff and their training should be enhanced, and school buildings should be designed as physically accessible and supervised by special education teachers who have expertise in VI or experience in working with students with VI.

Keywords

Inclusion, lived experience, phenomenological study, students with visual impairments, teachers with visual impairments

Görme Yetersizliği Olan Öğretmenlerin Görme Yetersizliği Olan Öğrencilerin Kaynaştırma Uygulamalarına Yönelik Deneyimleri: Fenomenoloji Çalışması

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı, görme yetersizliği (GY) olan öğretmenlerin, GY olan öğrencilerin kaynaştırma uygulamalarına ilişkin deneyimlerini ortaya çıkartmaktır. Fenomenolojik desenle yürütülen bu çalışmada veriler GY olan 8 öğretmenle yapılan yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yolu ile toplanmış ve MAXQDA nitel veri analiz programı kullanılarak içerik analizi yöntemi ile analiz edilmiştir. İçerik analizinde belirlenen altı tema; kaynaştırmanın temelindeki sorunlar, öğretmenlerin GY olan öğrenciler üzerindeki kişisel rehberliği, kaynaştırmanın kritik değerlendirilmesi, tanılamadan BEP uygulamalarına, GY olan öğrenciler için uygun eğitim modeli ve öğretmenlerin kaynaştırma algısıdır. Bulgular, GY olan öğretmenlerin GY olan öğrencilerin kaynaştırma uygulamalarına katkı sağladığını ortaya çıkartmıştır. Bununla birlikte, öğretmenler sistemsel sorunların etkili kaynaştırma uygulamalarının önüne geçtiğini vurgulamış ve kaynaştırma uygulamalarına yönelik kritik değerlendirmeler yapmışlardır. Bulgulardan yola çıkarak, kaynaştırma sınıflarının ve destek eğitim odalarının eğitsel araçlar (örn. brail alfabesi, yardımcı teknolojiler, dokunsal grafik ve haritalar) açısından donanımlandırılması, öğretim kadrosunun ve eğitimlerinin zenginleştirilmesi, okulların fiziksel açıdan erişilebilir olarak dizayn edilmesi ve GY konusunda uzman veya GY olan öğrencilerle çalışma deneyimi olan özel eğitim öğretmenleri tarafından diğer öğretmenlere süpervizyon verilmesi önerilmektedir. 

Keywords

Kaynaştırma, deneyim, fenomenoloji, görme yetersizliği olan öğrenciler, görme yetersizliği olan öğretmenler

References

• Alghazo, E.M., & E.E. Naggar Gaad (2004). General education teachers in the United Arab Emirates and their acceptance of the inclusion of students with disabilities. British Journal of Special Education, 31(2), 94–9. doi:10.1111/j.0952-3383.2004.00335.x
• Asamoah, E., Ofori-Dua, K., Cudjoe, E., Abdullah, A., & Nyarko, J. A. (2018). Inclusive education: Perception of visually impaired students, students without disability, and teachers in Ghana. SAGE Open, 8(4), 1-11. doi:10.1177/2158244018807791
• Avramidis, E. & Norwich, R. (2002). Teachers' attitudes towards integration / inclusion: a review of the literature. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 17(2), 129- 147. doi:10.1080/08856250210129056
• Bengtsson, M. (2016). How to plan and perform a qualitative study using content analysis. NursingPlus Open, 2, 8–14. doi:10.1016/j.npls.2016.01.001
• Brantlinger, E., Jimenez, R., Klingner, J., Pugach, M., & Richardson, V. (2005). Qualitative studies in special education. Exceptional Children, 71(2), 195–207. doi:10.1177/001440290507100205
• Creswell, J. W., & Miller, D. L. (2000). Determining validity in qualitative inquiry. Theory into Practice, 39(3), 124-130. doi:10.1207/s15430421tip3903_2
• Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Pearson.
• Cox, P. R., & Dykes, M. K. (2001). Effective Classroom Adaptations for Students with Visual Impairments. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 33(6), 68–74. doi:10.1177/004005990103300609
• De Boer, A., Jan Pijl, S., & Minnaert, A. (2011). Regular primary schoolteachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education: a review of the literature. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 15(3), 331-353. doi:10.1080/13603110903030089
• Disability and Ageing Statistical Bulletin [Engelli ve Yaşlı İstatistik Bülteni] (2020). Retrieved from https://www.ailevecalisma.gov.tr/media/51832/mayis-istatistik-bulteni.pdf
• Dvir, N. (2015). Does physical disability affect the construction of professional identity? Narratives of student teachers with physical disabilities. Teaching and Teacher Education, 52, 56-65. dx.doi:10.1016/j.tate.2015.09.001
• Glaubman, R., & H. Lifshitz. 2001. Ultra-orthodox Jewish teachers’ self-efficacy and willingness for inclusion of pupils with special needs. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 16(3), 207–23. doi:10.1080/08856250110074373
• Hess, I. (2010). Visually impaired pupils in mainstream schools in Israel: Quality of life and other associated factors. British Journal of Visual Impairment, 28(1), 19–33. doi:10.1177/0264619609347242
• Jessup, G., Bundy, A. C., Broom, A., & Hancock, N. (2017). The Social experiences of high school students with visual impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 111(1), 5–19. doi:10.1177/0145482X1711100102
• Kalloniatis, M., & Johnston, A. W. (1994). Visual environmental adaptation problems of partially sighted children. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 88(3), 234–243. doi:10.1177/0145482X9408800308
• Kesiktaş, A. D., & Akcamete, A. G. (2011). The relationship of personnel preparation to the competence of teachers of students with visual impairments in Turkey. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 105(2), 108–124. doi:10.1177/0145482X1110500208
• Klingenberg, O.G., Holkesvik, A.H., & Augestad, L. (2019). Research evidence for mathematics education for students with visual impairment: A systematic review. Cogent Education, 6(1). doi:10.1080/2331186X.2019.1626322
• Koehler, K., & Wild, T. (2019). Students with visual impairments’ access and participation in the science curriculum: Views of teachers of students with visual impairments. Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, 22(1), 1–17.
• Lewis, S., Corn, A. L., Erin, J. N., & Holbrook, M. C. (2003). Strategies used by visually impaired teachers of students with visual impairments to manage the visual demands of their professional role. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 97(3), 157-168. doi:10.1177/0145482X0309700304
• Lifshitz, H., Glaubman, R., & Issawi, R. (2004). Attitudes towards inclusion: The case of Israeli and Palestinian regular and special education teachers. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 19, 171–90. doi:10.1080/08856250410001678478
• Miyauchi H. A. (2020). Systematic review on inclusive education of students with visual impairment. Education Sciences, 10(11), 346. doi:10.3390/educsci10110346
• Mushoriwa, T. (2001). A study of the attitudes of primary school teachers in Harare towards the inclusion of blind children in regular classes. British Journal of Special Education 28(3), 142–7. doi:10.1111/1467-8527.00214
• National Education Statistics Formal Education 2019/2020 [Milli Egitim Istatistikleri Orgun Egitim 2019/2020]. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from http://sgb.meb.gov.tr/www/icerik_goruntule.php?KNO=396
• Okungu, P. A., Griffin-Shirley, N., & Pogrund, R. L. (2019). Accommodation needs for teachers who are blind and teach students with visual impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 113(3), 248–259. doi:10.1177/0145482X19854902
• Opie, J. L., & Southcott, J. (2018). Inclusion for a student with vision impairment: “They accept me, like, as in I am there, but they just won’t talk to me.”. The Qualitative Report, 23(8), 1889-1904. doi:10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3198
• Opie, J., Deppeler, J., & Southcott, J. (2017). ‘You have to be like everyone else’: Support for students with vision impairment in mainstream secondary schools. Support for Learning. British Journal for Learning Support, 32(3), 267-287. doi: 10.1111/1467-9604.12169
• Ravenscroft, J., Davis, J., Bilgin, M., & Wazni, K. (2019). Factors that influence elementary school teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of visually impaired children in Turkey. Disability & Society, 34(4), 629–656. doi:10.1080/09687599.2018.1561355
• Rule, A. C., Stefanich, G. P., Boody, R. M., & Peiffer, B. (2011). Impact of adaptive materials on teachers and their students with visual impairments in secondary science and mathematics classes. International Journal of Science Education, 33(6), 865–887. doi:10.1080/09500693.2010.506619
• Special Education Services Regulation [Ozel Egitim Hizmetleri Yonetmeligi] (2018) 7.7.2018 date and proclamation no: 30471 of the Official Gazette. Retrieved from https://orgm.meb.gov.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/2020_06/24163215_ozel_eYitim_yonetmeliYi_son_hali.pdf
• Sakız, H., & Woods, C. (2015) Achieving inclusion of students with disabilities in Turkey: Current challenges and future prospects. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 19(1), 21-35. doi:10.1080/13603116.2014.902122
• Teke, D., & Sozbilir, M. (2019). Teaching energy in living systems to a blind student in an inclusive classroom environment. Chemistry Education Research and Practice 20(4), 890-901. doi:10.1039/C9RP00002J
• The Decree Law No 573 [Kanun Hükmünde Kararname] (1997). 6.6.1997 date and proclamation no: 23011 of the Official Gazette. Retrieved from https://orgm.meb.gov.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/2012_10/10111011_ozel_egitim_kanun_hukmunda_kararname.pdf
• Wall, R. (2002). Teachers’ exposure to people with visual impairments and the effect on attitudes toward Inclusion. RE: view, 34(4), 111–119.
• Ward, J., Center, Y., & Boncher, S. (1994). A question of attitudes: integrating children with disabilities into regular classrooms? British Journal of Special Education, 21(1), 34–39. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8578.1994.tb00081.x
• West, J., Houghton, S.,Taylor, M., & Ling, P.K. (2004). The perspectives of Singapore secondary school students with vision impairments towards their inclusion in mainstream education. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 28(1), 18–27. doi:10.1017/S1030011200025100
• Whittemore, R., Chase, S. K., & Mandle, C. L. (2001). Validity in qualitative esearch. Qualitative Health Research, 11(4), 522–537. doi:10.1177/104973201129119299