Premium
Special education in S wedish and F innish schools: seeing the forest or the trees?
Author(s) -
Takala Marjatta,
Ahl Astrid
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
british journal of special education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.349
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1467-8578
pISSN - 0952-3383
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8578.12049
Subject(s) - special education , work (physics) , mathematics education , psychology , pedagogy , special needs , minor (academic) , mainstreaming , sociology , engineering , humanities , art , mechanical engineering , psychiatry
The purpose of this research was to study the content of the work of two special education professions in S weden, special teachers and special pedagogues. In addition, we compare their work to the work of F innish special teachers. The S wedish participants were 74 special educators: 27 special teachers and 47 special pedagogues. The F innish data were from an earlier study, involving 133 special teachers. Participants in both countries were approached via a questionnaire. The results show that S wedish special pedagogues do more consultative work and S wedish special teachers more direct work with pupils. However, there is plenty of overlap in the work profiles of S wedish special pedagogues and special teachers. Most of the work content is in line with the F innish findings, except that F innish special teachers had a minor consultative role. It seems that the work duties across the two professions, special pedagogues and special teachers, are somewhat similar. Their ways of working in practice are discussed.