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Assessing the special education professional development needs of northern Malawian schoolteachers
Author(s) -
Hughes Elizabeth,
Chitiyo Morgan,
ItimuPhiri Ambumulire,
Montgomery Kristen
Publication year - 2016
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 - 10.1111/1467-8578.12128
Subject(s) - special education , special needs , professional development , thematic analysis , medical education , mainstreaming , government (linguistics) , psychology , work (physics) , inclusion (mineral) , special educational needs , needs assessment , faculty development , pedagogy , medicine , qualitative research , sociology , social science , linguistics , philosophy , mechanical engineering , social psychology , psychiatry , engineering
This research examines special needs education professional development needs among both general and special education schoolteachers in northern Malawi. A semi‐structured questionnaire with open and close‐ended questions was used for the research. Quantitative and thematic analyses were conducted to determine the extent to which teachers believe that students with disabilities should be educated together with students without disabilities, the importance of professional development for teaching students with disabilities, prioritised professional development needs regarding special education knowledge, and self‐identified needs for successful special education classrooms. Results indicate that teachers are generally in favour of inclusive practices and identify a high need for special education professional development. Participants identified training and resources to teach students with visual impairments or auditory impairments as a high priority. Participants noted a need for improved infrastructure, more educational materials, and recognition by the government for work in special education.