Special educators' perceptions of self-determination in middle years' students with learning disabilities.

摘要

As educators face an era of accountability, concern must focus not only on the academic achievement of youth, but also on the ability of youth to be masters of their own futures. The promotion of self-determination in children and youth with disabilities has been a focus of educational research for some time. Initial research in this area centred on students transitioning from school to work or further education. More recently, attention has moved to examining self-determination in younger students. While multiple studies in the United States have shown the teaching of self-determination in schools to be a best practice, minimal Canadian research on this subject exists.;Analysis of transcribed interview data and research logs yielded three central themes: (a) students with learning disabilities need self-determination; (b) "Who will plant the seed?" "Not I" and (c) a caring classroom teacher must teach self-determination. The findings indicate that participants were unaware of the literature in the field. When presented with information, however, they identified self-determination as critical in the lives of their middle years' students with learning disabilities. Ultimately, however, they saw their primary role as that of tutor and recommended that self-determination be taught in the general classroom. Though they valued self-determination as essential for their students, their practice did not align with their beliefs. After a discussion of the findings, this study offers additional recommendations and suggestions for further research.;This study used a semi-structured qualitative interview research design to explore what Saskatchewan learning resource teachers who work with middle years' students with learning disabilities know about self-determination, how they value and teach it, and how they perceive self-determination should, or should not, be implemented in schools. Six learning resource teachers from an urban school division participated.