Teachers Attitudes towards Autistic Children - Research Paper Example

Teachers’ Attitudes towards Autistic Children Overview I propose to investigate: What are teachers’ attitudes towards autistic children and how does this affect their choice of teaching methods, activities and tools? This question is believed to be important, because the teachers attitude has a lot to do with how the student is treated. For example, if the teacher provides one student more time to answer before moving on to another student, yet gives the best time for a different student, this tends to convenience the student who got less time that the teacher did not expect him or her to know the answer. By doing this a pattern of behavior forms where the student either answered very quickly without thinking, or doesn't even try. With autistic children this can be absolutely critical. Autistic children are generally found to be at least average intelligence, possibly above-average. However, IQ tests simply do not work with these kinds of students, due to the requirement of quick response. When not even sure that you autistic children see the world in the same way. In fact, we know so very little about this condition that any kind of properly done and reported research will be valuable. The nature of the disorder, mainstreaming is very important, because one of the areas in which the student desperately needs to improve his social communication. In special classes, where the students suffer from this disorder, there is a double deficit in communication among students. However, by mainstreaming autistic students in a regular classroom, perhaps with the helper, the autistic student is provided the opportunity to communicate with other students lacking this disability. With the proper training of the teacher and the coaching of the other students, the benefits can be reciprocal. You autistic student is provided with an environment where responses can be immediately acknowledged, and the regular students are provided with an opportunity to understand this disability and learn that the autistic student is otherwise quite a normal person. One component of any research project would be the literature review. A review of the literature can give the researcher and idea of what questions have been researched and the methodology used. Furthermore, in well done research reports, the questions themselves are generally represented. Once the literature review is completed and the results analyzed, then conclusions can be made about the suitability of the research. In order for the research to be valuable it must investigate an area which has not been well researched or answer a question which has not been asked and answered, or use the methodology that will result in different kinds of data. In researching the above question in a literature review, a great deal was found referring to autism, nearly 25,000 responses in EBSCO database alone. The focus was narrowed to documents from the year 2006 to the present. This reduced to do just over 14,000 results. By adding the word "mainstreaming" results were cut to a manageable eighty. Fourteen of these results were found to be relevant with six dealing with attitudes and perceptions of teachers, and the balance dealing with methods of teaching. From these results it was clear that this question has not been well investigated. Those results which dealt directly with teachers attitudes did not give much information. Therefore, it was decided from the literature review that this was a good question to investigate. Primary Research Of the various methods available to cover this research, the choice must be made among quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research. Due to the nature of the question is probable that strictly quantitative will not give much useful information, because it deals with attitudes. Therefore, one must choose between qualitative and mixed methods. One extremely useful qualitative method is direct observation. This is done in one of three ways: a person sits in the back and observe whatever is taking place in the classroom, the teacher keeps track of whatever takes place in the classroom, or the classroom is observed either through a two-way mirror by a person or group of people or filmed. However, as useful as direct observation is, it requires a lot of preparation and a lot of man hours. One cannot go in and simply observe an hour or two of classes, because that gives very little useful information. In order for observation to be useful, it should be done over a longer period of time and cover different times of the day and different days of the week. If only one teacher is involved, then this does not give us a picture of general attitudes. Therefore this methodology grows to a project of huge proportions. An alternative method for doing qualitative research is using interviews or surveys. These are generally less cumbersome, and if designed well, can result in excellent data collection. The sampling these to be large enough to cover the target population and to include the necessary demographics in order to account for all other variables. In this way, the researcher can balance the sample population in order to roughly parallel the environmental population. For example, for this study the question must be narrowed to focus upon only certain grade levels or sample at all grade levels must be included. In addition, the student population should reflect the population of the community and there should be a balance of male and female teachers roughly parallel to those in the overall educational population. When choosing between interviews and surveys, there are both practical considerations for logistics and research considerations defined by the type of information sought. Interviews allow open questions and do not provide any suggestions that might influence the participant. Properly designed interview questions will avoid leading the participant I care for creation which does not indicate predetermined values. Interviews or for almost as much value in research as would observation. However, they are very time-consuming for both the participant and the researcher. Therefore, with most research interviews are only part of the research. Many researchers combined surveys with interviews in order to arrive at a better depth of information. Surveys can provide both quantitative and qualitative data, and the results can be used to identify participants who should be interviewed. All of these choices involve decisions concerning the type of data required. Therefore the researcher must identify this before beginning to construct questions for either interview or survey. Analysis methods must be decided before creating the questions. Therefore thorough investigation of the question for the research is an absolute necessity. In this case, the him and is twofold: identify and quantify the attitudes of teachers toward having autistic children mainstreamed in their classrooms and identify the methods used by these teachers with the autistic student and identify the connections among the teachers attitudes, the methodologies used for teaching, and the final assessment of the results for the students. Proposed Research Methodology In order to validate the data acquired by this research is proposed that a time sequenced research be used. In this way, the autistic student being mainstreamed in the classroom would be assessed at the beginning of the time sequence and again at the end of the time sequence, in order to measure the change. The suggested time sequence would be one term, or one school year, if possible. Any time sequence studies of shorter duration is not likely to result in valid data, due to nature of the disorder. One does not expect rapid results with autistic students. Research Proposal One: An assessment will be done before beginning the research is. This can be carried out by the teacher, the helper who comes with the student, or the researcher. The assessment type used should be the same with every student. Part two will consist of a survey for the teacher. The questions on the survey will try to identify the attitude of the teacher concerning having the autistic student in his or her classroom. The question is will be designed to uncover both positive and negative attitudes. Each question will be measured on a Likert scale in order to provide more useful measurements and too afraid using value words. One example might be: on a scale of 1 to 10, with one being the least amount of agreement and 10 being total agreement please rate the following statement: Being in this classroom appears to be beneficial to this autistic student. Using these types of questions one can acquire data concerning how the teacher feels the students benefit, how this changes her classroom, whether or not it increases his or her workload and by how much, and the perceived value, positive or negative, of having this student in the classroom. Finally teacher will be asked what expectations he or she has for the future of this student in this class. This will involve two or three questions concerning expected improvement of the autistic student expected benefits for the student, expected benefits for the other students. The teacher will also be asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 10, with one being I disagree totally and 10 being I agree totally, the following statement: Mainstreaming in the regular classroom is the best solution for this student. he second part of the survey will ask the teacher to select among a list of known methods for teaching at this grade level, especially those recommended for teaching autistic students, identified by the subject or situation in which they are used. The teacher will be asked to select the methods used, identify any methods used that are not on the list, and evaluate the perceived potential of each method. A second identical assessment of the student and survey of the teacher will be done at the end of the time sequence. On this survey the teacher will be asked the same questions. Additional questions will be asked concerning changes made since the first survey. Then a final assessment of the student will be made to identify the progress level. Analysis The analysis of this data will have to compare the first assessment of the autistic student with the second assessment in order to measure the progress made. The questions from the first survey should be compared to the questions from the second survey to identify any changes in attitude or methodology. Then, methodologies can be compared with teacher attitudes and progress in order to extrapolate connections among these three factors. You suggested, but a number of different charts be tried to visualize this data in order to find all possible connections for analysis. Benefits and Problems The value of this kind of research program will depend on a number of different factors. The sample must be large enough and fulfill the needs for the research as described in the first part of this paper. The questions must be carefully created in order to avoid influencing the participant. The assessments for the autistic student must be carefully chosen in order to give as much value data as possible. The problems with this particular research proposal is that there are no really great assessments so far available for autistic students. Therefore, it might be necessary to ask the teacher to write a short description of his or her assessment of the autistic students level. In order for the time sequenced research to be valuable there must be some way to equalize the assessment of the autistic students in every classroom. Another problem with this research would be the time factor for the researcher to do a specialized assessment. A third problem is that, even using a Likert scale, and carefully crafting the questions, there is a likelihood that some data will be left out. Research Proposal Two: An assessment will be done before beginning the research. This can be carried out by the teacher, the helper who comes with the student, or the researcher. The assessment type used should be the same with every student. Once the assessment of student is done the teacher will be interviewed. This can take place that same day, or at a later time either in person or over the phone. The interview should be recorded to avoid problems in recording the data. However, the recording must be destroyed once it is transcribed in order to protect the privacy of the participants. The questions asked in the interview will be designed to uncover the teachers attitude concerning having the autistic student in his or her classroom and the general feeling he or she has about the benefits versus the problems this incurs. The interview questions should be as open as possible, and should include a Likert scale response whenever it might be useful. For example, the teacher might be asked to rate the potential benefit of mainstreaming for the autistic student on a scale of 1 to 10, with one being very little benefit and 10 being a lot of benefit. Questions might be asked with the expectation that the response from food adjectives or adverbs which will give clues to how the teacher feels. For example, the teacher might be asked, "if this student were a musical instrument and the class was an orchestra, what instrument would this student be and what piece of music with the class be playing. Questions like these can uncover feelings that the teacher has no other way to express. The questions used in an interview do not all have to be Likert scale, because the responses are not limited. The teacher can respond in his or her own words to questions like, "Do you feel that mainstreaming is the best solution for this student?" This shift can then be asked to explain why or why not. The second part of the interview will deal with methodologies. The teacher will be asked to describe the methodologies he or she uses to teach the various subjects in this classroom, and what special methods he or she uses with the autistic student. The teacher would then be asked to rate these methods used for their effectiveness and relative ease or difficulty. The interviewer will have a list of known methodologies. The teacher will be asked for an opinion about the possible effectiveness of any of those methodologies which he or she did not mention. If the teacher does not know about any particular methodology, a short description can be read and the teacher asked to comment on the possibilities. The teacher will also be asked during the first interview what kind of expectations here she has for the progress of the autistic student and what effects on the class are expected. A second identical assessment will be done at the end of the time sequence and the teacher will be once again interviewed using much the same questions, with the addition of inquiry concerning change. The teacher will be asked his or her opinion of the progress of the student and the relative benefits or problems in the classroom. The teacher will be asked to describe the methods used and indicate if any have been dropped or added. He or she will be asked also to rate the effectiveness of the different methods. Finally the teacher will be asked if he or she has investigated any new methods and if there is a consideration of trying them. When ever useful the questions while why not will be asked. Finally teacher will be asked to express an opinion concerning the progress of the student and the effect this has had on his or her classroom. Analysis The analysis of the data acquired from the assessment of the students and interviews with teachers will be quite time-consuming. Different responses must be interpreted for the strength of the response, unless a Likert scale was used. In the case where the teacher was asked to pick a number within the range I Likert scale, the straight of the response will be contained in that scale. The beginning assessment of the student must be compared to the ending assessment of the student in order to quantify the progress made by the student. In the same way, changes in attitude on the part of the teacher should be quantified from the first interview to the second interview. Methods used in teaching should be compared with the attitude of the teacher to identify any correlation. They should also be compared with the progress of the student. A number of different visual charts should be made in order to find the best way to represent and understand this data. Benefits and Problems The benefits of this type of research I bet it is extremely open and will provide a huge amount of valid data. Using the open interview structure allows the teacher to voice responses in his or her own words, allowing for much greater flexibility in the responses. The problems inherent in this kind of research is interpreting the results. Careful interpretation of the words used by the teachers in responses should include both the actual meaning of the words used, and the inferred meaning by a sensitive interviewer, according to how the words are infected, body language, facial expression and tone of voice on the part of the participant. In addition repeated use of some words should be noted and analyzed as discourse. The problems inherent in this kind of research is that it is extremely time-consuming to do the interviews and then to analyze them properly. One possible problem with the analysis is that it is totally dependent upon the scale of the interviewer and the researcher doing analysis. Comparison of the Two Research Types Research topic number one is easier to use and much less time-consuming, and will result roughly in quantifiable qualitative data. However, by using a survey, even with a Likert scale, the responses are still quite limited. The responses in research design number two can be much more open and include a lot more useful data. However research proposal number two will require a lot more time on the part of the respondent and especially on the part of the researcher. More time will be required to give the interviews, and a lot more time will be required to properly analyze these interviews were not there is enough benefit from doing the interviews to compensate for the extra time is not known. Research Proposal Three: Therefore, a third possibility exists, and that would be to conduct a time sequenced mixed methods research project including surveys, such as those described in research proposal number one, with interviews of a certain proportion of the teachers surveyed, using the methods described in research proposal number two. The value of this mixed methods type research is that a lot more surveys could be done, and the data thus acquired could be balanced with that acquired using the interview method for a percentage of the respondents. For example one could survey 300 teachers nationwide were mainstreaming autistic students. The teachers could be asked to respond on the survey further or not they are willing to undergo a telephone interview. Either the number of respondents chosen for interviews could be limited to a certain percentage of survey respondents, or the interviews could be time restricted, and use a Likert scale response to finish off every question. By limiting the number of respondents to a certain percentage, and choosing respondents by demographics, thus ensuring a valid sample the time required to complete the interviews and analyze them would thus be limited. If the interviews, themselves, are time limited and each question is concluded with a Likert scale question, then the time required to conduct the interviews is less than the time required to do the analysis is also less. Analysis Analysis of the mixed method would follow the same pattern as described in the combination of the methods proposed for research proposal one and research proposal two. The seven comparisons could be made as in the combinations of the two sets of comparisons and different rules of expressing the data in visual form could be tried in order to identify the best way to understand the acquired data. The analysis of the methods should be compared with the students assessed progress and the teacher's perception. The results from the interviews should be compared with the results of the survey to see if there is an express difference in the data thus acquired or any resulting difference in the analysis of the data. That interviews are being conducted with teachers already having taken the survey should be taken into account when analyzing the data. The methods should then be analyzed for their generation of useful data. Time factors should be recorded and compared, in order to identify the difference in time consumed for each part of the mixed research methods. Benefits and Problems: Research Method One: Benefits: This research method is the least time-consuming. Because it is the least time-consuming, wide dispersal of this survey can be accomplished. Wider dispersal of the survey research will result in a larger sample, which may be more valid. Wider dispersal of the survey research will cover a larger geographical area, which may be more valid. This research method can be done over the Internet. Using Likert scale responses will result in more qualifiable data. Using time sequence studies validates the data acquired from the surveys. Problems: Surveys are a more closed method, resulting in less valid data. Using the survey results and more quantifiable data but less quantifiable data. Using the survey sometimes results in influencing the responses by the suggestion of the words used in the survey questions. Using the time sequence research requires a larger time frame for the research to be completed. Using time sequence research requires twice the time on the part of the participants and the researcher. Research Method Two: Benefits: Interviews are a more open method resulting in more varied valid data. By using interviews it is possible to do a closer analysis of attitudes. Discourse analysis may provide additional data. Using time sequenced research validates the data acquired from the interviews. Problems: Using interviews only is extremely time-consuming, even if the interviews are done over the telephone. Using views results in a less wide dispersal and a smaller sample for the research. The smaller sample may result in less valid data, especially concerning demographics. Analysis of interviews requires more time and expertise in analyzing surveys. The Likert scale is easier to analyze and discourse. Differences in discourse due to demographics differences may require additional analysis. Using time sequenced research requires a larger time frame for the research to complete. Thus we have three possible research methods for this question. Research proposal number one is the least time-consuming, but also would result in least amount of useful data. Research proposal number two requires the most amount of time, but he does not result in the most amount of data. The mixed method described in the last part requires more time than the first method, which used surveys, but less time than the second method which used interviews. However, it results in the most amount of useful data. The results of the survey can be balanced with the results of a demographically balanced set of interviews, and having included the interviews the limitations of the survey are overcome. Research Proposal Three: A Mixture of Proposals One and Two: Benefits: Using a mixture of surveys and interviews allows a wider dispersal of the research questions among participants, balanced by the interviews of certain percentage of demographically matched participants. This results in more valid data This mixed methods research method takes less time than research proposal two. The survey and interviews balance each other and will provide validation of the data acquired survey, because the interviewed participants also participated in the survey. Using time sequenced research allows a comparison of data over time with the measurement of progress. Discourse analysis can identify problems and localize responses of participants in particular areas. This method is a balance between the quicker survey method and a longer interview method, resulting in more data than number one and less time than number two. Problems: Using time sequenced research requires a larger time frame. Using both surveys and interviews requires more detailed analysis. Using both surveys and interviews will require more time on the part of the researcher and the participants. Discourse analysis requires extra skills. Analysis of the resulting data from this mixed method plan will require extra time and skill on the part of the researcher. Sources Consulted Pyrczak, F. (2008). Evaluating research in academic journals: A practical guide to realistic evaluation (4th ed.). Glendale, CA.: Pyrczak Publishing. Sheperis, C. J., Young, J. S., & Daniels, M. H. (2010). Counseling research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Read More