Abstract:

Social and affective functioning are important aspects in children’s endeavor to be included in the realm of peer culture at school. Such an endeavor becomes even more important –and more complicated at the same time- in the case of students with special educational needs (SEN) who experience greater difficulties than their peers. Many empirical studies have indicated that the development of both social and affective functioning can be influenced by the way teachers approach and respond to students’ difficulties in these areas. In turn, teachers’ approaches have emerged as important factors for promoting inclusive school practices. In light of the above, the aim(s) of the present study was/were to explore special education teachers’ awareness of and ability in identifying their students’ with SEN personal and social difficulties as well as the way they perceive their role in responding to the above-mentioned difficulties. Fifty primary school special education teachers, from different areas of the country, participated in the study while semi-structured interviews were undertaken individually for eliciting teachers’ views and perspectives. Qualitative data were transcribed, coded and content-analyzed in terms of the research questions. According to the findings, teachers’ responses were characterized by high ambiguity in terms of defining their students’ difficulties and differentiating among the problems students experience in the personal and social domains. Although a considerable number of special education teachers recognized the importance of promoting their students’ social functioning, they however tended to emphasize on academic skill instruction as a major priority of their role. The results are discussed in relation to their implications in terms of teachers’ in-service training programs delivery and the promotion of inclusive practices in mainstream education.

Keywords:

Children with Special Educational Needs, Personal Difficulties, Social Difficulties, Special Teachers' Perspectives.