A study of teacher practices in supporting the information processing of children with intellectual disabilities
Durmuş Özbaşı 1 * , Sinan Kalkan 1, Serdar Arcagok 1, Yahya Han Erbas 1, Fatih Selim Erdamar 2, Hüseyin Mertol 2
More Detail
1 Faculty of Education, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Türkiye
2 Faculty of Health Sciences, Sirnak University, Türkiye
* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Information processing in children with intellectual disabilities is crucial for understanding their cognitive development, recognizing their deficits in learning information and individualizing educational programs. The aim of this study was to explore the implementation experiences of special education teachers and elementary school teachers working with children with intellectual disabilities in relation to information processing, and to determine what kind of adaptations/regulations they have made to support information processing for these children. To this end, a generic design, one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the study. The study group comprised 61 teachers, including 32 special education teachers and 29 elementary school teachers. The data were collected using an interview technique and content analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings show that teachers working in both educational settings (special education teachers and elementary school teachers) have inadequate knowledge of information processing, and moreover, teachers in both groups do not make accommodations for information processing activities that are extremely important for children with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, teachers need to make pedagogical, physical and equipment-related accommodations to help improve the information processing work of children with intellectual disabilities. 

Keywords

References

  • Abu-Alghayth, K., Catania, N., Semon, S., Lane, D., & Cranston-Gingras, A. (2022). A brief history of special education policy on the inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities in Saudi Arabia. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(2), 178–187. https://doi.org/10.1111/bld.12468
  • Adams, J. W., & Hitch, G. J. (2022). Children's mental arithmetic and working memory. In A. A. Adams & J. G. Hitch (Eds.), The development of mathematical skills (pp. 153–173). Psychology Press.
  • Alam, A. (2022). Mapping a sustainable future through conceptualization of transformative learning framework, education for sustainable development, critical reflection, and responsible citizenship: An exploration of pedagogies for twenty-first century learning. ECS Transactions, 107(1), Article 9827. https://doi.org/10.1149/10701.9827ecst
  • Avramidis, E., & Norwich, B. (2002). Teachers' attitudes towards integration/inclusion: A review of the literature. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 17(2), 129–147.
  • Ayre, C., & Scally, A. J. (2014). Critical values for Lawshe’s Content Validity Ratio: Revisiting the original methods of calculation. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 47, 79–86.
  • Baker, S. K., & Zigmond, N. (2009). Are regular education classes equipped to accommodate students with learning disabilities? Exceptional Children, 75(3), 301–318. http://doi.org/ 10.1177/001440299005600603
  • Blasi, F., Elia, F., Buono, S., Ramakers, G., & Nuovo, S. (2007). Relationships between visual-motor and cognitive abilities in intellectual disabilities. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 104(3), 763–772. https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.104.3.763-772
  • Cole, C. M., Waldron, N., & Majd, M. (2004). Academic progress of students across inclusive and traditional settings. Mental Retardation, 42(2), 136-44. http://doi.org/10.1352/0047-6765(2004)42<136:APOSAI>2.0.CO;2
  • Dessemontet, R. S., Bless, G., & Morin, D. (2012). Effects of inclusion on the academic achievement and adaptive behaviour of children with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 56(6), 579–587. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2011.01497.x
  • Eggen, P. (2020). Information processing and human memory. Oxford research encyclopedia of education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.864
  • England-Mason, G., & Dewey, D. (2023). Executive function in children and adolescents: A concept in need of clarity. In J. L. Matson (Ed.), Handbook of clinical child psychology, autism and child psychopathology series (pp. 235–268). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24926-6_13
  • Eysenbach, G., & Köhler, C. (2022). How do consumers search for and appraise health information on the world wide web? Qualitative study using focus groups, usability tests, and in-depth interviews. Bmj, 324, 573–577.
  • Falk, K., & Sansour, T. (2024). Self-concept and achievement in individuals with intellectual disabilities. Disabilities, 4(2), 348-367. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities4020023
  • Forlin, C., & Chambers, D. (2011). Teacher preparation for inclusive education: Increasing knowledge but raising concerns. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 39(1), 17–32.
  • Gheyssens, E., Griful-Freixenet, J., & Struyven, K. (2023). Differentiated instruction as an approach to establish effective teaching in inclusive classrooms. In R. Maulana, M. Helms-Lorenz & R. M. Klassen, (Eds.), Effective teaching around the world (pp. 678–693). Springer.
  • Glesne, C. (2013). Becoming qualitative researchers: An introduction. Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.
  • Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1994). Competing paradigms in qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 105–117). Sage.
  • Gunderson, J., Higgins, K., Morgan, J., Tandy, R., & Brown, M. (2017). Cognitively accessible academic lessons for students with intellectual disabilities using the iPad. Journal of Special Education Technology, 32(4), 187–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162643417715750
  • Haegele, J. A., & Park, S. Y. (2016). Utilizing generalization tactics to promote leisure-time physical activity for students with intellectual disabilities. Strategies, 29(4), 19–23.
  • Hronis, A., Roberts, L., & Kneebone, I. I. (2017). A review of cognitive impairments in children with intellectual disabilities: Implications for cognitive behaviour therapy. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 56(2), 189-207.
  • Jacobs, E., Simon, P., & Nader-Grosbois, N. (2020). Social cognition in children with non-specific intellectual disabilities: An exploratory study. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 1884
  • Jacobs, E., & Nader-Grosbois, N. (2020). Training social information processing in elementary school children with intellectual disabilities: A key to support their emotion regulation and social behaviors. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 8(6), 7–22. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v8i6.4840
  • Johnson, L., & Brown, T. (2007). The development of an instrument for measuring re-service teachers' sentiments, attitudes, and concerns about inclusive education. International Journal of Special Education, 22(2), 150–159.
  • Kiani, R., & Miller, H. (2010). Sensory impairment and intellectual disability. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 16(3), 228–235. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.bp.108.005736
  • Kirk, H., Gray, K., Riby, D., & Cornish, K. (2015). Cognitive training as a resolution for early executive function difficulties in children with intellectual disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 38, 145–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2014.12.026
  • Kirk, S., Gallagher, J. J., & Coleman, M. R. (2022). Educating exceptional children. Cengage Learning.
  • Kleinert, H., Towles-Reeves, E., Quenemoen, R., Thurlow, M., Fluegge, L., Weseman, L., & Kerbel, A. (2015). Where students with the most significant cognitive disabilities are taught. Exceptional Children, 81(3), 312–328. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402914563697
  • Kluth, P., & Straut, D. (2003). Toward standards for diverse learners: Examining assumptions. In P. Kluth, D. Straut, & D. P. Biklen (Eds.), (Eds.), Access to academics for all students (pp. 26-44). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Kuntz, E., & Carter, E. (2019). Review of interventions supporting secondary students with intellectual disability in general education classes. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 44(2), 103–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796919847483
  • Lawshe, C. H. (1975). A quantitative approach to content validity. Personnel Psychology, 28, 563–575. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1975.tb01393.x
  • Lestiyanawati, R. (2020). The strategies and problems faced by Indonesian teachers in conducting e-learning during COVID-19 outbreak. Culture, Literature, Linguistics, and English Teaching, 2(1), 71–82. https://doi.org/10.32699/cllient.v2i1.1271
  • Lindner, K. T., & Schwab, S. (2020). Differentiation and individualisation in inclusive education: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 29(12), 2199–2219. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2020.1813450
  • Maiano, C., Coutu, S., Morin, A., Tracey, D., Lepage, G., & Moullec, G. (2018). Self‐concept research with school‐aged youth with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 32(2), 238–255.
  • Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2014). Designing qualitative research. Sage.
  • Maxwell, J. A. (2008). Designing a qualitative study. In L. Bickman & D. J. Rog (Eds.), The Sage handbook of applied social research methods (2nd ed., pp. 214–253). Sage.
  • Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey-Bass.
  • Mihajlovic, C. (2020). Special educators’ perceptions of their role in inclusive education: A case study in Finland. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 4(2), 83–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.33902/JPR.2020060179
  • Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Sage.
  • Nilsson, K., Danielsson, H., Elwér, A., Messer, D., Henry, L., & Samuelsson, S. (2021). Investigating reading comprehension in adolescents with intellectual disabilities: evaluating the simple view of reading. Journal of Cognition, 4(1), 56. https:// doi.org/10.5334/joc.188
  • Njelesani, J., Mlambo, V., Denekew, T., & Hunleth, J. (2022). Inclusion of children with disabilities in qualitative health research: A scoping review. PloS One, 17(9), e0273784
  • Numminen, H., Service, E., Ahonen, T., Korhonen, T., Tolvanen, A., Patja, K., & Ruoppila, I. (2000). Working memory structure and intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 44(5), 579–590. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2788.2000.00279.x
  • O'Mara, S. M., Sanchez-Vives, M. V., Brotons-Mas, J. R., & O'Hare, E. (2009). Roles for the subiculum in spatial information processing, memory, motivation and the temporal control of behaviour. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 33(5), 782–790. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2009.03.040
  • Patton, M. (2014). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. Sage.
  • Pope, C., Ziebland, S., & Mays, N. (2000). Qualitative research in health care Analysing qualitative data. BMJ, 320(7227), 114–116. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.320.7227.114
  • Rubinstein, R., & Brown, R. (1984). An evaluation of the validity of the diagnostic category of ADD. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 54, 398–414. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.1984.tb01506.x
  • Saracho, O. N. (2023). Theories of child development and their impact on early childhood education and care. Early Childhood Education Journal, 51(1), 15–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01271-5
  • Schalock, R. L., Luckasson, R., & Tasse, M. J. (2021). An overview of intellectual disability: Definition, diagnosis, classification, and systems of supports. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 126(6), 439–442. https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-126.6.439
  • Schnepel, S., Krähenmann, H., Sermier Dessemontet, R. & Opitzet, E. M. (2020). The mathematical progress of students with an intellectual disability in inclusive classrooms: results of a longitudinal study. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 32, 103–119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-019-00295-w
  • Schuengel, C., van Rest, M. M., Stanford, C. E., & Hastings, R. P. (2019). Impact of research about the early development of children with intellectual disability: A science mapping analysis. Frontiers in Education, 4, 41. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00041
  • Seidman, I. (2006). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. Teachers College Press.
  • Shevlin, H. (2020). Current controversies in the cognitive science of short-term memory. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 32, 148–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.02.005
  • Shogren, K., Palmer, S., Wehmeyer, M., Williams-Diehm, K., & Little, T. (2011). Effect of intervention with the self-determined learning model of instruction on access and goal attainment. Remedial and Special Education, 33(5), 320–330. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932511410072
  • Silverman, D. (2016). Qualitative research. Sage.
  • Siperstein, G. N., Glick, G. C. & Parker, R. C. (2009). Social inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities in a recreational setting. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 47(2), 97–107. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-47.2.97
  • Sterkenburg, P., Ilic, M., Flachsmeyer, M., & Sappok, T. (2022). More than a physical problem: The effects of physical and sensory impairments on the emotional development of adults with intellectual disabilities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(24), 17080.
  • Strauss, A. L., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Sage.
  • Totsika, V., Liew, A., Absoud, M., Adnams, C., & Emerson, E. (2022). Mental health problems in children with intellectual disability. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 6(6), 432–444. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00067-0
  • Van Nieuwenhuijzen, M., Orobio de Castro, B., Wijnroks, L., Vermeer, A., & Matthys, W. (2007). The relations between intellectual disabilities, social information processing, and behaviour problems. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 1(3), 215–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405620444000111
  • Van Nieuwenhuijzen, M., & Vriens, A. (2012). Cognitive skills and social information processing in children with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 33(2), 426–434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2011.09.025
  • Van Nieuwenhuijzen, M., Vriens, A., Scheepmaker, M., Smit, M., & Porton, E. (2011). The development of a diagnostic instrument to measure social information processing in children with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 32(1), 358–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2010.10.012
  • Vicari, S., & Carlesimo, G. A. (2002). Children with intellectual disabilities. In A. D. Baddeley, M. D. Kopelman, & B. A. Wilson (Eds.), The handbook of memory disorders (pp. 501–520). John Wiley & Sons.
  • Wickens, C. D., & Carswell, C. M. (2021). Information processing. In G. Salvendy & C. M. Karwowski (Eds.), Handbook of human factors and ergonomics (pp. 114–158). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119636113.ch5
  • Yılmaz, E., & Yılmaz, T. (2024). A systematic analysis of studies on reading skills with specific learning disabilities: The case of Türkiye. International Journal of Didactical Studies, 5(2), 26230. https://doi.org/10.33902/ijods.202426230
  • Yin, R. (1984). Case study research: Design and methods. Sage.

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.