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Solomonidou, Chrysanthi (2014) Identifying obstacles to including students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Greek mainstream classroom. The teachers voice. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)]

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Abstract

Abstract

Background: Due to the heterogeneity and complexity of the disorder, students with

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are seen as the most difficult group of learners with

special educational needs to be included in a mainstream classroom. Multiple child-,

teacher- and school-related factors influence the inclusion process and contribute to

its successful implementation. This study sought to identify the difficulties that

teachers of Greek mainstream classrooms may face having a student with ASD and

how they cope with them.

Participants: Following the purposive and snowball sampling strategy, eleven

teachers from Greek mainstream schools who had a student identified with ASD

participated in the research study. With the exception of two teachers, all were

teachers of Greek language, whereas two of them were teaching assistants.

Method: Interview is considered to be the most suitable method allowing the

participants to express their experiences and beliefs. Due to the distance between

the UK based interviewer and the participants in Greece, the interviews for the

present study were not conducted face-to-face. Instead, semi-structured computer-

assisted interview was selected, both in synchronous (via Skype) and asynchronous

mode (e-mail interview).

Results: Participants were in favour of inclusion, albeit stressing that this depends on

the severity of the disorder. Furthermore, they stated how important it is to create a

supportive learning atmosphere, minimise possible distractions and adopt facilitating

learning strategies. Relating to behavioural problems and emotional outbursts, they

primarily promoted the implementation of behavioural approaches. As far as child’s

social development is concerned, they referred to overall good relationships with

peers, yet limited interactions, and there was no broad evidence of bullying. Lastly,

they admitted that they are inefficiently trained to meet the needs of students with

ASD and thus they requested training and assistance by specialised professionals.

Item Type:	Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)
Depositing User:	Gigg, Diane
Date Deposited:	26 Jan 2015 09:00
Last Modified:	23 Dec 2017 00:44
URI:	https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/28219

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