EDUCATION: Results and Discussions - Essay Example

There were some respondents in each of the intermediate grade levels and those handling both extremes (less than 14 and more than 30 students) of teaching loads weekly. The respondents were likewise amongst the youngest in the teaching staff, with six years or less of teaching experience. This could be an advantage in the sense that the teachers are eager to apply what they have learned. It could also be a disadvantage because the respondents lack the experience of veteran teachers, although 39% of respondents have been teachers for 15 years or more.

Thus, a wide spectrum of experiential and attitudinal qualities was covered in the research study. The teachers have attended 24 to 30 hours of courses and workshops, and have at least six years of experience teaching students who are diagnosed with ADHD. Although 38% consider themselves special education teachers, some 12% work as general education teachers in practice and classify themselves as such. This shows a discrepancy between what they are doing and what they think they should be doing in their work.

Whether they would want to shift their task assignment was not considered in the survey, but this result showed a potential source of future difficulty where teachers are not placed in the right post where they think they would be more effective. There is an overwhelming perception that the number of students with SEN has gone up in recent years, and they supported this finding by identifying correctly the symptoms of students with ADHD. They rate the extent of inclusion in the school as average, consistent with their perception of administrative support for inclusion in the school.

They also observed that parents are supportive of the school's mainstreaming efforts, but that much could still be done to improve it, especially in comparison with what is being done in other schools. This is shown by their perception that the performance of students with SEN in their school is similar to those of other schools.Although preparation of teachers could be described as adequate, ranging from average to excellent, and that most respondents consider mainstreaming and inclusion as the best option, they signified that, like the 25% of respondents who disagreed, there are other alternatives that could enhance student performance.

Alternatives identified as being helpful are behaviour modification and stricter disciplinary measures. They also suggested that, whilst the majority find the funds being well-spent, much could still be done to keep all teachers upgraded and updated on the issues to be confronted, and for parents to improve their level of support for the child and the school's learning objectives. They likewise suggested improving awareness because respondents have witnessed improvement in behaviour after proper diagnoses.

ParentsThe seven survey respondents were all mothers who claimed that their children (all boys) were diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 7.86 years and that the average age of these children now is 12.23 years, which would put them at grade levels 6-7 of the school system. Most of the parents were made aware of their child's condition by a doctor, whilst two claimed that it was a teacher at school that pointed it out to them. This indicates the role of teachers in diagnosing children with SEN and knowing how to communicate this finding to the parents, who have gotten more involved by their attendance to an average of 15