University Students’ Perceptions of Social Justice: The Impact of Implementing a Summer Camp for Children with Disabilities (original) (raw)
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Researching social justice for students with special educational needs
Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice
Following international trends, and research evidence from New Zealand, England and the USA, it is likely that there will be an exponential increase in the number of students with special educational needs (SEN) enrolling in New Zealand schools in the ensuing years. Furthermore, the face of special needs is changing such that what is meant by the term, 'special needs', appears to be highly contestable and somewhat elusive. Although international literature uses the term 'special needs' unproblematically, what is now considered to be special needs appears far more complicated. Research by Graham-Matheson (2012a), Richards (2012) and Hall (1997) shows that the term 'special needs' leads to preconceptions which often ignore contextual issues. This can exacerbate the learning difficulties of students with special educational needs because it tends to support inappropriate leadership practices, ineffective teaching techniques, and insufficient resourcing in the context of these particular students. While education is considered to be a moral enterprise, the field of special education is arguably wrought with ethical dilemmas and moral problems, especially when educators are called upon to advocate for children with disabilities who often comprise a minority group within a school community (Fiedler & VanHaren, 2009; Hallett & Hallett, 2012). This article elaborates upon these perspectives so as to highlight the seriousness of this issue and, hence, to stress the need for its implications upon socially just school leadership practices in New Zealand to be far more thoroughly explored.
International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2019
This formative study attempted to gather evidence for a theory postulating that inclusive education for students with disabilities is best facilitated by teachers with a strong sense of social justice. This theory was investigated by examining the connection between measures of perception of social justice and attitudes toward inclusive education of 96 preservice teachers in an undergraduate teacher preparation programme. Results indicated that there was a small but significant correlation between perception of social justice and attitudes toward inclusive education. Implications for the findings, limitations to the study and directions for future research are addressed.
Social Justice and Equity in Education
Syllabus (graduate), 2020
This course is a collaborative inquiry into the complex issues of race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, class, and special education through intellectual inquiry and study. We will investigate how the educational experiences we construct with students invariably are informed by both our explicit and implicit theories of practice and our hidden beliefs about multiculturalism, gender, special education, and diversity more broadly. We will immerse ourselves in a series of activities as a way to audit our understanding of social justice and equity in education. Our guiding questions are: 1. Who (and whose experiences and identities are excluded from a high-quality education and how? 2. What can teachers and school administrators do to counter these inequities in order to create more just and equitable education for all students? Our goal as educators is to meet students where they are to help them achieve their educational goals. We will work together to question what we know and we why know what we know. We will reflect on how we can connect with students whose backgrounds differ from ours, create classrooms that promote social justice, and effect positive social change through our teaching. The course is intentionally designed as a student-centered workspace and uses a curriculum-as-inquiry approach. This approach places the learner at the center, and curriculum is built from students' interests. Through curriculum-as-inquiry, students are able to strengthen the connection between inquiry-as-theory and inquiry-as-practice (Pateray-Ching & Roberson, 2002).
2013
Awareness programs are key factors in the development of positive attitudes toward inclusion of children with disabilities in school settings, however there are not any published research on the effect of similar programs in camp settings. The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of a three-week disability awareness program on attitudes of children without disabilities toward the inclusion of peers with disabilities in a summer camp. Four hundred sixty one campers without disabilities (M = 13.24 years old, SD = .97) attending a typical summer camp participated in the study. Participants were divided into a control (n = 225, M = 13.45 years old, SD = .90) and an experimental group (n = 236, M = 13.03 years old, SD = .94). The control group followed the typical camp’s program, while the experimental group attended a disability awareness program alongside to the typical program. The disability awareness program was based on the principles and
Handbook on Promoting Social Justice in Education
Springer eBooks, 2020
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
Research methods for social justice and equity in education
Studies in the Education of Adults, 2019
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
Universal Journal of Educational Research
The study explored teachers' perceptions about promoting social justice for primary school learners with special education needs and disabilities in the Tamale Metropolis in the Northern Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used. The study population comprised all public primary school teachers in the Tamale Metropolis. A total of 324 public primary school teachers from 46 randomly selected schools in the Municipality participated in the study. A close-ended questionnaire was used for data collection and analysed using Mean and Pearson correlation coefficient tests. The results suggested high teachers' knowledge and awareness of social justice dimensions. Also, there was a strong correlation between teachers' awareness and safeguarding and promoting social justice for learners. Though teachers indicated they had the skill to adapt the curriculum to the needs of the special learners, they preferred a different curriculum designed and implemented for them. The study recommends sustaining and intensifying teachers' awareness, skills and capacities to safeguard and promote the educational rights of all learners entrusted to them, regardless of their varying abilities and disabilities.
Review of Handbook of Social Justice in Education
education review // reseñas educativas, 2010
provides a comprehensive view of the field. The book is divided into nine Parts that develop the connection between social justice and education along different issues that are relevant for educational actors such as policy makers, school administrators, educators, and students. Each part is presented by an introductory piece that gives context to the chapters that follow. These chapters provide different perspectives on how social justice can be understood and enacted. As a useful resource, at the end of each part, we find a Response, a short summary of the issue discussed that works as a general conclusion to the book section. While providing theoretical arguments, the handbook provides concrete examples and experiences. From this perspective, this volume is a rich compendium of education review // reseñas educativas editors: gene v glass gustavo e. fischman melissa cast-brede a multi-lingual journal of book reviews