Country Studied: Cyprus
Area of Focus: Implementation of ‘inclusive’ teaching and learning practices for the students with mild learning difficulties.
Type of learning difficulty the Case Study is supporting:
- General or specific learning difficulties.
Aims and objectives of Case Study
–This research study aims to explore ‘inclusive’ mainstream classroom teaching and learning practices in Cypriot secondary schools, exploring how teachers tend to support the needs of students with mild learning difficulties in the mainstream classroom along with those of their classmates.
-For educational practitioners to acknowledge that all learners could learn in their own way and at their own pace and be willing to support their learning and abilities in the mainstream classroom.
-Explores teachers’ perceptions and the experience of students with mild learning difficulties about the withdrawal model of ‘inclusive education’ in Cypriot public mainstream secondary schools.
-To indicate teachers’ and students’ perceptions of how the language learning needs of students with learning difficulties might be better met within the mainstream classroom.
-Find what changes might be necessary in order to best support the educational needs of students with mild learning difficulties within mainstream classrooms in Cyprus.
Short description of Case Study
– This study investigates the implementation and effectiveness of inclusive education for students with mild learning difficulties in Cypriot secondary schools. Through an ethnographic case study approach, multiple data collection methods were employed, including classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with teachers and students, and questionnaires.
– Eleven teachers of Modern Greek and three coordinators were questioned and individually interviewed. Twenty-nine students with mild learning difficulties aged from twelve to fifteen years old, were also interviewed. The participants were also observed over a series of lessons in the mainstream classroom (including language learning) and the resource room.
3 Key learning Principles that were used in this Case Study to support learners with LD
- The teachers aimed to summarize and repeat many times the main points of their teaching materials. Most teachers differentiated their teaching practices and learning materials in terms of difficulty and quantity.
- They used to be more systematic in orally explaining (simplifying) their students’ classroom and homework activities, and they also used examples from students’ everyday lives to help their students consolidate the lesson. They were also enthusiastic in involving their students in mini projects. They were in favor of using ICT and audiovisual materials
- The students also indicated the need for more systematic and frequent classroom adaptations. They asked for explicit feedback and more guidance on how they could revise for their tests
Strategies used as part of Case Study
- Adapting instruction to various learning styles.
- Individualized Learning Plans.
- Strategies for modifying or creating teaching materials to suit different abilities.
- Creating a positive and supportive classroom environment.
Results and impact
-The teachers identified themselves as being in need of training in how to manage skilfully the challenging behaviour of these students and at the same time to address successfully the educational needs of a mixedability group of students in the mainstream classroom.
-Teachers also acknowledged that it was the stigma of the labels of special needs education which obscured the students’ support in the resource room. Hence, they aimed to support these students emotionally in the resource room in order to develop higher academic self-esteem and thus to avoid feeling stigmatized.
-Students were directly discriminated against by their classmates, who used to laugh at them or tease them for the help they received from their teachers with answering their exercises or taking tests. These students were also afraid of being discriminated against during the learning process of the mainstream classroom.
Why can this Case Study be useful for the project research?
This study contributes to our understanding of the perspectives of teachers and students with mild learning difficulties regarding inclusive teaching and language learning practices. It also contributes to our understanding of teachers’ presumptions and dilemmas which affect the design and implementation of inclusive teaching and learning practices in mainstream classrooms.
Transferability
– Challenges and Barriers: The challenges faced in the design and implementation of inclusive interventions, such as teacher attitudes, resource constraints, and the stigma associated with learning difficulties, are common across different educational contexts.
– Teacher and Student Perceptions: The study highlights the importance of considering both teacher and student perspectives in the development of inclusive education strategies.
– Analytical Generalizations: According to Yin (2013), even a single case study can enable analytical generalizations to other cases that represent similar theoretical conditions. The thorough exploration of inclusive education practices in Cypriot secondary schools provides insights that could inform similar efforts in other contexts where the educational environment and challenges are comparable.
Resources used as part of Case Study
- Observation of Lessons.
- Interviews and Questionnaires.
- Research Diary: The researcher maintained a diary to document reflections and observations during the study.
- Data Management Tools: Data collected were stored and organized using N-Vivo software, facilitating systematic analysis through coding and thematic categorization.
Critical issues
- The main challenges methodologically seemed to be the interviews with students who are diagnosed as having mild learning difficulties and the observation series, which took place both in the mainstream and the resource room classrooms for over a limited of time.
- Other challenges have to do with the fact that the tape-recording of the interviewee responses was not allowed and that it was necessary to translate the data from Greek to English
- The risk to students of being stigmatized as a result of how their ‘learning needs’ have been stereotyped, leading to them being separated from their classmates in order to receive additional support in the resource room.
- The students appear to have lower academic self–esteem as a result of their labelling and stigmatization.
Any additional learning that we can take from this Case Study, example:
– The study is having a clear policy statement on giving additional consideration in placing language learner students in special educational classes.
– According to the findings of this study, It seems important for policymakers to design systematic and inspiring teacher training programs that will aim to increase teachers’ awareness about the learning needs of students diagnosed as having learning difficulties, and to deconstruct the negative representation of these students as being ‘unable’ to learn.
