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Effective Teamwork in Special Schools for Children with Intellectual Disabilities in India
Author(s) -
Rao L. G.,
Suryaprakasam B.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of policy and practice in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.592
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1741-1130
pISSN - 1741-1122
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-1130.2004.04012.x
Subject(s) - teamwork , context (archaeology) , special education , intellectual disability , psychology , medical education , work (physics) , special needs , pedagogy , medicine , political science , engineering , psychiatry , paleontology , mechanical engineering , law , biology
Special educational services for children with intellectual disabilities in India are mostly provided by nongovernmental organizations. Described is a study designed to assess the impact of professional “teamwork” in special schools run by such nongovernmental organizations in India. The sample consisted of 112 rehabilitation professionals who attended a short‐term training program at the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped, and who were randomly selected from a range of nongovernmental organizations running such schools representing various parts of the country. Comparison of the teamwork scores in relation to the functional area of work using a F ‐test for unequal “n” revealed greater teamwork present among regular (line function) professionals (such as the educators and therapists) than among support staff (such as administrators), supporting the hypothesis that the application of professional teamwork is a useful device in special school settings. The results were interpreted against the background of organizational effectiveness in the context of special education services and it was suggested that additional research needs to be directed at the dynamics of the teamwork process and to better understanding why support staff reflect low involvement in teamwork in India.