CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
Special Education in the Philippines has only served 2% of the targeted 2.2 million children with disabilities in the country who live without access to a basic human right: the right to education. Most of these children live in rural and far-flung areas whose parents need to be aware of educational opportunities that these children should avail of (DepEd Order No. 72, Series of 2009).
The SPED Division of the Department of Education (2013) estimates that 12% of the children population in the country have special needs; 2% are gifted while 10% are those with disabilities. On the projected population of 43,303,145 children and youth (0-24 years old) for the year 2013, there were 5,196,377 children with special needs.
The fundamental principle of inclusive schools is that all children should learn together, whenever possible, regardless of any difficulties or differences they may have. The Department of Education in the Philippines has responded to this by institutionalizing Special Education as early as the 1960’s. The Special Education Division is tasked primarily to formulate policies, plans and programs for the preparation of instructional materials, and the evaluation of programs in special education; conduct researches and develop standards of programs and services for special learners; plan prototype in-service education programs to upgrade the competencies of all support staff directly or indirectly involved with the implementation of the programs; and establish linkages with agencies concerned with the education and welfare of children with special needs.
In response to challenges in educating children with disabilities, the Department of Education (DepEd) has been committed to creating schools that are more inclusive to the needs of these children. Specifically, an intensive training program for teachers on inclusive education strategies have been implemented with the aim of increasing their capacities in effectively accommodating children with disabilities (DepEd, 2012). On the other hand, certain organizations such as The Great Physician Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc. (GPRehab) has been leading the advocacy of the rights of children with disabilities in the Philippines by establishing inclusive education systems in identified elementary schools in the province. This has been concretized by implementing activities such as parents and teachers’ training, school-based awareness activities, and monitoring of the status and progress of children with disabilities.
Miles (2005) stresses that it is empowering to see teachers from developing countries innovating for inclusive education so that they can effectively work with children with disabilities. She adds that, indeed, teachers play an important role in making inclusive education a reality.
Education of children with disabilities in regular schools remains a major challenge not only in the Philippine context, but also around the world, it is important to add that in the international contexts, there is a massive literature exemplifying the educational management practices of teachers in schools for children with disabilities. However, these studies have been conducted in the contexts of developed countries such as the US, UK, and Australia. This immediately excludes developing countries in the picture. Baessa (2008) argues that there is a big need for studies in general to focus on developing countries so that there is an equal balance of perspectives about certain issues in terms of contexts.
An important question that needs to be raised here is, “how do school teachers in a developing country like Philippines employ education management strategies to children with disabilities amidst problems such as poor school facilities, overcrowded classrooms, and rigid curriculum”?
Therefore, it will be a significant endeavor to conduct a research study that would highlight teachers’ initiatives on employing education management strategies for children with disabilities especially in developing contexts. Specifically, this study will hope to heighten the level of awareness on how the education community in the Division of Caloocan North II perceives inclusion of children with disabilities in general.
Conceptual Framework
The League of Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In the field of education, Article 26 of the Declaration proclaims the right of every citizen to an appropriate education regardless of gender, race, color and religion. This right is also enshrined in the constitutions of all independent nations.
Modern teaching strategies are deeply rooted in theories of constructivism. According to constructivists, in order for learning to occur, people must independently discover and transform complex information for understanding (Brown, Collins & Duguid, 1989). Theories of constructivism proposed by Lev Vygotsky and Albert Bandura, have laid the foundation for teaching practices used in contemporary inclusive classrooms today.
Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist, is best known for proposing the sociocultural theory of cognitive development (Wang, 2009). Vygotsky’s theory states that interacting with others is an important key in the learning process because human minds develop through their interaction with society (2009). “Vygotsky considered cognitive growth as a collaborative process or the acquisition of knowledge through social interaction” (Henderson & Thompson, 2007). Hence, children learn and develop critical thinking skills through the inter-relationships that they build with others.
Vygotsky introduced the concept of the zone of proximal development from his research on sociocultural theory of cognitive development, which examined the effect of social interactions on children. The zone of proximal development is “the difference between what children can do with assistance and what they can do alone” (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2010). Vygotsky’s zone occurs in two levels. The first level of development is referred to as the real level of development. In the real level, children work independently to solve problems. The second level of development is referred to as the potential level of development, where children solve problems with support from adults or interactions with higher functioning peers (Wang, 2009).
Vygotsky believed that authentic learning occurs while children work within their zone of proximal development (Slavin, 2006). Wang suggests that Vygotsky’s theory of zone of proximal development may provide insight into special education based on the following: (a) cognitive development is shaped by social interactions; (b) aid and direction increases cognitive development; (c) consistent cognitive interaction is essential to identifying children’s potential; (d) cognitive assessment determines children’s initial learning level as well as their level of improvement from teaching; and (e) teaching provides students with material that inspires and is relevant to their learning level (2009).
Paradigm of the Study
The paradigm of the study was based on the IPO MODEL such as Input, Process and Output.
The input includes:
a. Profile of the respondents which include age, gender, civil status, number of years teaching and specialization.
b. Education Management of Children with Special Needs in Inclusive Setting of Pobcaran District in terms of: School Administration Support; Assessment; Instructional Materials; School/Classroom Facilities; Parental Involvement; and Teacher’s Training and Workshop
c. Problems encountered by the respondents in their teaching of special children in an inclusive setting.
d. Solutions done to address the problems encountered by the respondents in their teaching of special children in an inclusive setting.
Process component involves a. data gathering trough questionnaire, unstructured interview, and observation; b. statistical treatment using percentage, Chi-square and weighted mean; and c. analysis and interpretation of data.
Output is the expected result in terms of effective education management of children with special needs in inclusive setting of Selected Schools in the Division of Caloocan South II.
Statement of the Problem
This study determined the education management of children with special needs in inclusive setting of selected schools in the Division of Caloocan South II.
Specifically, this research sought to answer the following:
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:
1.1. Age;
1.2. Gender;
1.3. Civil status;
1.4. Number of years Teaching; and
1.5. Specialization?
2. How effective is the education management of children with special needs in inclusive setting of Selected Schools in the Division of Caloocan North II in terms of:
2.1. School administration support;
2.2. Assessment;
2.3. Teaching strategies;
2.4. School/Classroom facilities;
2.5. Parental involvement;
2.6. Teacher’s training and workshop; and
2.7. School administration support
3. Is there a significant relationship between the demographic profile and the assessment of the respondents on how effective is the education management of children with special needs in inclusive setting of selected schools in the Division of Caloocan South II?
4. What are the problems encountered by the respondents in their teaching of special children in an inclusive setting?
5. What are the Solutions to address the problems encountered by the respondents in their teaching of special children in an inclusive setting?
Hypothesis
Null Hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between the demographic profile and the assessment of the respondents on how effective is the education management of children with special needs in inclusive setting of selected schools in the Division of Caloocan South II.
Significance of the Study
This study will be significant to the following:
School Administrators. They will be guided in the formulation of future modification of school policies, curriculum and strategies toward a more effective delivery of learning to special education students. To take necessary actions such as improvement and maintenance of facilities, laboratory tools / equipments needed by children with special needs. This will also help them provide directions on the improvement of the inclusion program.
Teachers. They with the findings of the study will enhance their education management of children with special needs in inclusive setting. As such, it is hoped that they could develop more effective methodologies in teaching their subject matter. To apply effective teaching methods through the use of tools such as computers and other multimedia.
Children with Special Needs. With the data of the study it will help create specific teaching and learning activities that will enhance their school performance. Academic and behavioral development of pupils can also be improved through this study.
Parents. They will be sensitized on their important role in providing optimum care to their children with special need. Through this research parents will realize the importance of collaboration with the school personnel for the maintenance of the inclusive education program.
Researcher. They will further understand the role of teachers in providing quality education for all pupils regardless of them belong to a regular class or in a special class. This study will also help the researcher in measuring the different aspects of the school life of a child with special needs.
Future Researchers. They will benefit from the results of the present study as it will guide them in coming up with research topics related to this study.
Scope and Limitations
This research determined the education management of children with special needs in inclusive setting of selected schools in the Division of Caloocan South II.
The study was conducted from October to January of 2017. The respondents of the study were one hundred (100) public school teachers handling children with special needs in inclusive setting during the academic year 2016-2017. Teachers supervising classes with no children with special needs were not be included in the study.
Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined operationally:
Children with Special Needs. These are elementary students with special needs enrolled in an inclusive setting for the School Year 2016-2017.
Education Management. This refers to the overall organization of handling the education of children with special needs focusing on the following aspects: School Administration Support; Assessment; Instructional Materials; School/Classroom Facilities; Parental Involvement; and Teacher’s Training and Workshop.
Inclusive Setting. These refer to elementary schools that admit all students, even children with special needs, providing and supporting all the students to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of the life.
Teachers. These refer to Public school teachers handling children with special needs
School administration support. This refer to the sustenance and backing of the administration in terms on pupils with special needs such as funding of in-service training intended for teachers’ handling such pupils.
Assessment. This refer to the valuation of the behavioural development, academic development, program implementation and others.
Instructional Materials. These refer to the use of suitable instructional teaching aides, tools, books, gadgets for the pupils with special needs.
School/Classroom facilities. These refer to the appropriate classroom facilities not only for the pupils with special needs but for the pupils in general.
Parental involvement. This refers to the participation of the parents on the program intended for pupils with special needs.
Teachers’ training workshop. This refers to the skills and knowledge development of the teachers in terms of management, handling capability and strategies application for pupils with special needs.
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
This chapter deals with the discussion of the related literature and studies to provide information relevant to the present research. The related literature and studies conducted by foreign and local authorities on the subject gave the researcher facts about the education management of children with special needs in inclusive setting.
LOCAL LITERATURE
According to the Department of Education (DepEd) in the Philippines, there are a total of 2105 schools offering SPED programs: 4 National Special Schools; 450 private special schools; 147 recognized Special Education Centers; and 1,504 Regular schools with SPED programs. The DepEd has estimated more than 5 million are children with special needs in the Philippines and only 2.6% or around 136,523 were provided with appropriate educational service while 97.4% or 5,059,854 did not receive appropriate educational services. Furthermore, of the 136,523 children with special needs enrolled in schools: 69,888 (51.19%) were mentally gifted/ fast learners and 66,635 (48.81%) had disabilities.
see PDF attachment for more information