Challenges of Special Education Teachers in Inclusive Mathematics Teaching in Primary Schools: A Preliminary Study

Authors

  • Muhammad Sofwan Mahmud Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
  • Mohd Syazwan Zainal Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
  • Wan Ahmad Munsif Wan Pa Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57142/picsar.v2i1.83

Keywords:

Challenges, teaching mathematics, inclusive classrooms, primary school

Abstract

Teaching and learning mathematics in an inclusive manner is growing, primarily to ensure that students with special needs receive equal education with mainstream students. Therefore, this study was carried out in order to identify the challenges that teachers face when implementing inclusive mathematics teaching in primary schools. This qualitative study employs a case study design with two outstanding special education teachers who are involved in inclusive education programmes in primary schools. Data collection method was done using semi-structured interviews and field notes. The data obtained were analyzed using the constant comparative analysis method to determine themes and sub-themes. The findings of the study found that special education teachers face various challenges in teaching mathematics in an inclusive manner, namely lack of pedagogical content knowledge to teaching mathematics in inclusive classrooms, dense classes, problems of subject teachers' attitudes and motivations, bullying problems between mainstream students and special needs students, and problems in ensuring effective communication in inclusive classes. This study expands the knowledge and literature about the challenges faced by special education teachers in primary schools in implementing inclusive teaching. Various initiatives must be taken to ensure that all challenges can be overcome and that inclusive mathematics teaching can be implemented effectively.

References

Ani Omar. (2016). Keberhasilan Guru Semasa Latihan Mengajar. 9, 13–25.

Atoyebi, O. M., & Atoyebi, S. B. (2022). The Link between Mathematics Teaching Strategies and Students’ Anxiety. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 48–57. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2022/v33i4716 Bahagian Pendidikan Khas. (2018). Garis Panduan Program Pendidikan Inklusif Murid Berkeperluan Khas (Bahagian Pendidikan Khas, Ed.; 1st ed.). Bahagian Pendidikan Khas, Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia.

Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (2007). Qualitative Research For Education : An Education To Theories and Methods (5th ed.). Pearson Education.

Bottge, B. A., Cohen, A. S., & Choi, H. J. (2018). Comparisons of mathematics intervention effects in resource and inclusive classrooms. Exceptional Children, 84(2), 197–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402917736854 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402917736854

Bowles, D., Radford, J., & Bakopoulou, I. (2018). Scaffolding as a key role for teaching assistants: Perceptions of their pedagogical strategies. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 88(3), 499–512. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12197 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12197

Creswell, J. W., John W. Cresswell, & Creswell, J. W. (2000). Research design. In Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.math.2010.09.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.math.2010.09.003

Demo, H., Garzetti, M., Santi, G., & Tarini, G. (2021). Learning mathematics in an inclusive and open environment:An interdisciplinary approach. Education Sciences, 11(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11050199 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11050199

Duchaine, E. L., Jolivette, K., & Fredrick, L. D. (2011). The effect of teacher coaching with performance feedback on behavior-specific praise in inclusion classrooms. Education and Treatment of Children, 34(2), 209–227. https://doi.org/10.1353/etc.2011.0009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/etc.2011.0009

Everett, D. (2017). Helping New General Education Teachers Think about Special Education and How to Help Their Students in an Inclusive Class: The Perspective of a Secondary Mathematics Teacher. In International Journal Of Whole Schooling (Vol. 13, Issue 3).

Gervasoni, A., & Peter-Koop, A. (2020). Inclusive Mathematics Education. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 32(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-020-00315-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-020-00315-0

Gess-Newsome, J. (2015). A Model of Teacher Professional Knowledge and Skill Including PCK: Results of the Thinking From the PCK Summit. In Re-examining Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Science Education (pp. 38–52). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315735665-8

Haris, H. B., & Khairuddin, K. F. (2021). Pelaksanaan Pedagogi Inklusif bagi Murid Berkeperluan Khas Masalah Pembelajaran. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 6(2), 197–210. https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v6i2.666 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v6i2.666

Harris, D. N., & Sass, T. R. (2011). Teacher training, teacher quality and student achievement. Journal of Public Economics, 95(7–8), 798–812. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2010.11.009

Hodgen, J., Adkins, M., & Ainsworth, S. E. (2022). Can teaching assistants improve attainment and attitudes of low performing pupils in numeracy? Evidence from a large-scale randomised controlled trial. Cambridge Journal of Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2022.2093838 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2022.2093838

Hong, O. C., & Ismail, A. (2015). Sokongan Pihak Pengurusan Sekolah Terhadap Tekanan Kerja Guru Di Sekolah Kebangsaan Dan Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina. Jurnal Kepimpinan Pendidikan, 2(2), 42–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4644-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4644-2

Jalaluddin, N. S., & Tahar, M. M. (2022). Pelaksanaan Pendidikan Inklusif dalam kalangan Guru Arus Perdana. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 7(2), e001280. https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v7i2.1280 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v7i2.1280

Kalogeropoulos, P., Russo, J., Russo, T., & Sullivan, P. (2020). Effectively Utilising Teaching Assistants to Support Mathematics Learning: Some Insights from the Getting Reading in Numeracy (G.R.I.N.) Program. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 15(3), em0595. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/8314 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/8314

Kolb, S. M. (2012). Grounded Theory and the Constant Comparative Method : Valid Research Strategies for Educators. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 3(1), 83–86.

Kramarenko, T., Bondar, K., & Shestopalova, O. (2021). The ICT usage in teaching mathematics to students with special educational needs. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1840(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1840/1/012009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1840/1/012009

Kumar, D., & Singh, M. (2022). Differentiated Instructions to Facilitate Inclusiveness for Diverse Learners. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354269421

Mabasa-Manganyi, R., Mamabolo, J., Sepadi, M., Kgopa, F., Ndlhovu, S., & Themane, M. (2022). Enabling environments that South African teachers create to accommodate diversity in their classrooms: A case study on the Limpopo Province. South African Journal of Education, 42(4), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v42n4a2077 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v42n4a2077

Mahfud, M. (2017). Implementative Design Professional Learning Community ( PLC ) To Improve Performance of Educators. 8383(1).

Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2014). Designing Qualitative Research. SAGE Publications, Incorporated. Mayrowetz, D. (2009). Instructional practice in the context of converging policies: Teaching mathematics in inclusive elementary classrooms in the standards reform era. Educational Policy, 23(4), 554–588. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904807312472 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904807312472

Mehta, A., & Panju, N. (2018). Teaching Competencies in Inclusive Classroom. International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Literature, 6(8), 131–136. www.impactjournals.us

Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative Research A Guide to Design and Implementation. Jossey- Bass Inc Pub.

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

Nwachukwu, K., Joy Anyanwu, C., Kingsley Ezechinyere, N., & Joy, C. (2021). Teachers’ Instructional Strategies And Academic Performance Of Student With Hearing Impairment In Inclusive Classroom In Akwa Ibom State. In Quest Journals Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science (Vol. 9, Issue 11). www.questjournals.org

Paliwal, V., & Fain, A. C. (2020). The How, What, Why, and When of Teaching Mathematics in the K-12 Inclusive Classroom (pp. 1–20). https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1431-3.ch001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1431-3.ch001

Patton, M. Q. (2014). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. SAGE Publications.

Pfister, M., Moser Opitz, E., & Pauli, C. (2015). Scaffolding for mathematics teaching in inclusive primary classrooms: a video study. ZDM - Mathematics Education, 47(7), 1079–1092. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-015-0713-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-015-0713-4

Roos, H. (2019). Inclusion in mathematics education: an ideology, a way of teaching, or both? In Educational Studies in Mathematics (Vol. 100, Issue 1, pp. 25–41). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-018-9854-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-018-9854-z

Russo, J., & Bobis, J. (2021). Differentiating Instruction in Mathematics. Mathematics Teacher Education and Development, 23(3), 1–5. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353863293

Salleh, S. F., & Omar, M. C. (2018). Masalah Pengajaran Guru Dalam Program Pendidikan Inklusif Di Sekolah. In Asian People Journal (APJ) (Vol. 1, Issue 2). www.journal.unisza.edu.my/apj/www.journal.unisza.edu.my/apj/243

Siti Mistima, M., & Zakaria, E. (2009). An Exploration of Mathematics Teachers’ Reflection on Their Teaching Practices. Asian Social Science, 6(5), 147–152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13398-014-0173-7.2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v6n5p147

Troll, B., Besser, M., Abels, S., Ahlers, M., Greve, S., Leiss, D., & Süßenbach, J. (2019). Preparing Pre-service Teachers for Inclusive Education: Analyzing the Status Quo and Comparing the Effect of Different Types of Subject-Specific Learning Opportunities. In Inclusive Mathematics Education: State-of-the-Art Research from Brazil and Germany (pp. 537–559). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3- 030-11518-0_31 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11518-0_31

UNESCO. (2008). Inclusive Education: The Way of The Future. www.ibe.unesco.org UNESCO. (2021). Sub-Education Policy Review Report: Inclusive education.

Zakaria, E., & Addenan, N. (2015). Isu Pengajaran Dalam Kalangan Guru matematik. In Isu Dan Cabaran Dalam Pendidikan Matematik (pp. 1–18). Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Downloads

Published

2023-08-01 — Updated on 2023-10-02

Versions

How to Cite

Mahmud, M. S., Zainal, M. S., & Pa, W. A. M. W. (2023). Challenges of Special Education Teachers in Inclusive Mathematics Teaching in Primary Schools: A Preliminary Study. Proceeding of International Conference on Special Education in South East Asia Region, 2(1), 199–225. https://doi.org/10.57142/picsar.v2i1.83 (Original work published August 1, 2023)