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Perceptions of Effectiveness in Teaching by Special and General Education
Teachers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
AbdelAziz M. Sartawi
Introduction
Though the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has witnessed, during the final few decades of the 20th century, rapid social, economic and cultural reforms due to surplus oil revenues.Until recently there have been limited laws and regulations governing the special education field in the UAE, and public attitudes towards persons with disabilities are inclined to be negative (Alghazo, Dodeen & Alqaryouti, 2003). Students with special needs historically have been misdiagnosed or misplaced and therefore deprived of educational programs appropriate to their needs. Culture also plays a role in the placement of students in that many parents denied the fact that their children had severe disabilities and require special education classes in addition to their regular education.
In alignment with the most recent shift in education in the UAE towards inclusion, the College of Education at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) has undertaken major changes in its programs. International standards have been adopted and integrated into programs during the restructuring (Sartawi, Alghazo, Gaad, and Tibi, 2003). In general, the goal of teacher education programs is to prepare future teachers to work effectively with students with and without disabilities (Alghazo, Dodeen, and Alqaryouti, 2003). This preparation involves all teaching practices including: planning, managing, delivering and evaluating (Smadi & Al-Nhar, 2001, White, 2000 & Jordan & Stanovich, 2001).
Given this rapidly changing context, it is important to determine perceptions of both general and special education teachers towards their own performances. Information from such a study can help with continued reform of the educational system by informing changes in both pre-service and in-service teacher education programs. Since most programs for special education teachers in the UAE are based on standards provided by international organizations such as the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC), it is essential to establish the adequacy and depth of understanding of those standards as a means of determining whether special education teachers possess fundamental knowledge and skill necessary for effective teaching.
The aim of this study was to compare and contrast the perceptions of effectiveness of special and general education teachers in teaching students with and without disabilities in their classrooms on their instruction regarding planning, managing, delivering instruction and evaluating.
Method
A sample of 263 teachers (106 special education and 157 general education) participated in the study. All were female and held a university degree in either special education or elementary education. About half (54.7%) had 5 years or less teaching experience, the remainder had more.
A questionnaire based on the Ysseldyke and Algozzine (1995) Model of Effective Instruction (MOEI) was used. It included 63 items organized along four areas of teacher behavior (planning, managing, delivering and evaluating). Participants were asked to rate each item on a four point Likert-type scale in regard to the frequency of their use. Ratings ranged from '1 = not at all' to '4 = always'. Reliability of the total instrument yielded a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.89. Content validity of the Arabic translation of the tool was established by 6 faculty and 15 special education specialists.
Findings
Independent T-tests indicated that special education teachers scored significantly higher than general education teachers (p < .01) on each of the 4 areas of planning, managing, delivering and evaluating instruction, a result that might be expected since special education teachers are usually trained to prepare, implement individualized educational programs and different instructional practices and procedures to meet the needs of all diverse children in their classrooms. However, two-way ANOVAs revealed a significant interaction between 'type' of teacher and years of experience in teaching (p< .01) in each of the 4 areas. Special education teachers entering the field within the past 11 years had significantly higher scores than those teaching from 12 to 18 years and above; while scores of regular education teachers remained flat irrespective of amount of education. Figure 1 illustrates this effect using the means of total scores across the 4 areas.
Figure 1 Interaction of teaching experience (in years) with type of teacher across all areas
These results suggest that recent emphases on training of special education teachers are leading to performance that is in the desired direction. They also suggest that it would be desirable to extend similar instruction to general education teachers to enhance the learning experience of all students.
Conclusion
First, findings of the present study suggest that while special education teachers recently entering the field are of the view they are using effective instructional practices, that is not the case for special education teachers in the field more than 11 years or for general teachers irrespective of amount of experience. The special education field in the UAE is still in its developmental stages.
Further, In-service training is needed and should concentrate on effective instructional practices, especially in the areas of evaluating teaching, in addition of providing them with sufficient knowledge and skills in adapting strategies so they can systematically address the instructional needs of students struggling to learn.
Finally, continued research and efforts to evaluate teacher preparation programs in the areas of preparing teachers to use effective instructional practices are critical if we are to provide balanced instruction for students with disabilities, and more research is needed to establish a better understanding of the influence of teacher education on teacher performance and subsequent student achievement.
References
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Sartawi, A.; Alghazo, E. M.; Gaad, E., and Tibi, S. (2003). Restructuring the Special Education Program at the United Arab Emirates University: Integrating Standards, Including all Students, and Seeking Accreditation. Paper presented at the conference Redesigning Teacher Education For The Third Millennium, Dubai.
Smadi, M.J, & Al-Nhar, T. (2001). Competencies of Effective Special Education Teachers (In Arabic). Journal of Educational Research Center, Qatar, 19, 193-216.
White, B. C. (2000). Pre-service teachers' epistemology viewed through perspectives on problematic classroom situations. Journal of Education for Teaching, 26, 279-306.
Ysseldyke, J. E., Algozzine, B., (1995). Special Education, A practical Approach for Teachers (3rd Edition). Houghton Mifflin Company, USA.
Acknowledgements:
Funded by Research Affairs, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU)
Contributor:
AbdelAziz M. Sartawi,
United Arab Emirates University, College of Education,
Email: asartawi@uaeu.ac.ae
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