Responsibilities of Special Education Teachers in Inclusive Education
Abstract
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to look at the responsibilities of special education teachers within Poland’s mainstream education system, while situating them within a broader comparative framework – specifically by examining the established role of Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCo) in the British educational context.
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The study deals with the issue of identifying the optimal range of responsibilities for the newly created role of special education teachers in Polish mainstream schools and preschools. These tasks are designed to meet the diverse needs of all children and students within these inclusive environments. To investigate this issue, the research employs a content analysis of relevant legal documents and conducts a comprehensive review of existing studies on the subject.
THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: At the heart of this study is a comparative analysis of the duties of special education teachers in Poland’s mainstream education system, as codified in legal statutes, and those of their counterparts in the British system, particularly the SENCo role. Moreover, the study examines the responsibilities envisioned for the role of Inclusive Education Coordinators as outlined in the Model of Education for All framework.
RESEARCH RESULTS: The findings indicate that the duties assigned to special education teachers in Polish mainstream institutions are significantly broader in scope than those associated with SENCo in the British system.
CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND APPLICABLE VALUE OF RESEARCH: Given that the role of special education teachers was only introduced in the previous academic year, there remains a significant gap in research on the actual implementation and efficacy of this position. One of the primary recommendations is to undertake more in-depth studies, with the potential to draw on the typologies of SENCo roles outlined in this paper to inform future research on the subject.
References
Adamiak, B., Boryszewska, J., & Malenko, A. (2017). Organizacja i udzielanie pomocy psychologiczno pedagogicznej uczniom ze specjalnymi potrzebami edukacyjnymi w systemie edukacji polskiej i brytyjskiej [Organization and provision of psychological and pedagogical assistance to students with special educational needs in the Polish and British education systems]. Oficyna Wydawnicza “Impuls”.
Allan, J. (2007). Rethinking inclusive education: The philosophers of difference in practice. Springer Science & Business Media.
Antonik, A. (2019). Edukacja włączająca – porównanie sytuacji w Polsce i wybranych krajach europejskich [Inclusive education: Comparison of the situation in Poland and selected European countries]. Studia Edukacyjne, 39, 291−305. https://repozytorium.amu.edu.pl/server/api/core/bitstreams/5f636e9e-9ec6-44d5-b204e717eb3
Bartuś, E. (2023). Pedagog specjalny jako współorganizator edukacji włączającej w narracjach nauczycieli [The special educator as a co-organizer of inclusive education in teachers’ narratives]. Colloquium, 15(4/52), 209−229. https://doi.org/10.34813/48coll2023
Bełza, M. (2015). Systemy edukacji osób umiarkowanie i znacznie oraz głęboko niepełnosprawnych intelektualnie (na przykładzie rozwiązań w Anglii, Republice Czeskiej i Polsce) [Education systems for moderately, severely, and profoundly intellectually disabled individuals (examples from England, the Czech Republic, and Poland)]. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego.
Department for Education. (2001). Special educational needs code of practice. Department for Education and Skills.
Department for Education. (2015). Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years. Department for Education.
Engsig, T.T., & Johnstone, C.J. (2014). Is there something rotten in the state of Denmark? The paradoxical policies of inclusive education – lessons from Denmark. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 19(5), 469–486. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2014.940068
Farrell, M. (1998). The role of the special educational needs co-ordinator: Looking forward. Support for Learning, 13(2), 82–86. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9604.00063
Fisher, H. (2012). Progressing towards a model of intrinsic inclusion in a mainstream primary school: A SENCo’s experience. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 16(12), 1273–1293. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2011.557449
Fitzell, S.G. (2018). Best practices in co-teaching and collaboration: The how of co-teaching – implementing the models. Cogent Catalyst Publications.
Frankl, C. (2005). Managing individual education plans: Reducing the load of the special educational needs coordinator. Support for Learning, 20(2), 77–82. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0268-2141.2005.00365.x
Friend, M., Cook, L., Hurley-Chamberlain, A., & Shamberger, C. (2010). Co-teaching: An illustration of the complexity of collaboration in special education. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 20(1), 9−27. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474410903535380
Gajdzica, Z. (2011). Sytuacje trudne w opinii nauczycieli klas integracyjnych [Difficult situations in the opinion of teachers of inclusive classes]. Oficyna Wydawnicza “Impuls”, Uniwersytet Śląski.
Gajdzica, Z. (2013). Kategorie sukcesów w opiniach nauczycieli klas integracyjnych jako przyczynek do poszukiwania koncepcji edukacji integracyjnej [Categories of success in the opinions of inclusive class teachers as a contribution to the search for an inclusive education concept]. Oficyna Wydawnicza “Impuls”.
Gajdzica, Z. (2020). Uczeń z lekką niepełnosprawnością intelektualną w szkole ogólnodostępnej: nauczyciele o (nie)zmienianej sytuacji w kontekście kultury szkoły inkluzyjnej [Students with mild intellectual disabilities in mainstream schools: Teachers on the (un)changed situation in the context of inclusive school culture]. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
Gajdzica, Z. (2022). Projektowane zadania koordynatora ds. specjalnych potrzeb edukacyjnychw polskim systemie edukacyjnym w kontekście brytyjskich doświadczeń SENCo [Planned tasks of the Coordinator for Special Educational Needs in the Polish educational system in the context of British SENCo experience]. Forum Pedagogiczne, 12(1), 109−121. https://doi.org/10.21697/fp.2022.1.08
Guillemot, F., Lacroix, F., & Nocus, I. (2022). Teachers’ attitude towards inclusive education from 2000 to 2020: An extended meta-analysis. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 3, 100175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2022.100175
Haug, P. (2017). Understanding inclusive education: Ideals and reality. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 19(3), 206−217. https://doi.org/10.1080/15017419.2016.1224778
Kearns, H. (2005). Exploring the experiential learning of special educational needs coordinators. Journal of In-Service Education, 31(1), 131–150. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13674580500200364
Lewandowska-Kidoń, T. (2019). Pomoc psychologiczno-pedagogiczna w szkole jako szansa na przeciwdziałanie zjawisku wykluczenia społecznego [Psychological and pedagogical assistance in schools as a chance to counteract social exclusion]. Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska, 32(2), 69−81. https://doi.org/10.17951/j.2019.32.2.69-81
Mackenzie, S. (2007). A review of recent developments in the role of the SENCo in the UK. British Journal of Special Education, 34(4), 212−218. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8578.2007.00481.x
Majewicz, P., & Sikorski, J. (2024). Pedagog specjalny w publicznych przedszkolach, szkołach i placówkach – nowe stanowisko specjalisty w polskim systemie edukacji w opinii nauczycieli [Special educator in public kindergartens, schools, and institutions – A new specialist position in the Polish education system in the opinion of teachers]. Journal of Modern Science, 55(1), 582−596. https://doi.org/10.13166/jms/183984
MEN. (2020a). Model edukacji dla wszystkich. Rozwiązania systemowe ukierunkowane na zapewnienie wysokiej jakości kształcenia, wychowania i opieki z uwzględnieniem zróżnicowania potrzeb rozwojowych i edukacyjnych dzieciom, uczniom i dorosłym osobom uczącym się [Education model for all. Systemic solutions aimed at ensuring high-quality education and care, considering the diverse developmental and educational needs of children, students, and adults]. Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej.
MEN. (2020b). Wspieranie podnoszenia jakości edukacji włączającej w Polsce [Supporting the improvement of inclusive education in Poland]. https://www.gov.pl/web/edukacja/wspieranie-podnoszenia-jakosci-edukacji-wlaczajacej-w-polsce2
Pearson, S., & Ralph, S. (2007). The identity of SENCos: Insights through images. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 7(1), 36−45. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-3802.2007.00079.x
Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z dnia 22 lipca 2022 r. zmieniające rozporządzenie w sprawie zasad udzielania i organizacji pomocy psychologiczno-pedagogicznej w publicznych szkołach i placówkach [Regulation of the Minister of Science and Education of July 22, 2022, amending the regulation on the rules of providing and organizing psychological and pedagogical assistance in public schools and institutions]. (2022). Dz. U. 2022 poz. 1593 [Journal of Laws of July 29, 2022, item 1593].
Tissot, C. (2013). The role of SENCos as leaders. British Journal of Special Education, 1(40), 33−40. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12014
Widawska, E., Jachimczak, B., & Gajdzica, Z. (2023). Budowanie modelowych rozwiązań wsparcia międzysektorowego na poziomie lokalnym [Building model solutions for cross-sectoral support at the local level]. In M. Walkiewicz-Krutak (Ed.), Wczesne wspomaganie rozwoju dzieci i wsparcie rodzin (pp. 40−52). Wydawnictwo Akademii Pedagogiki Specjalnej.
Ydesen, C., & Daniels, H. (2024). Inclusive education in complex landscapes of stakeholders, agendas and priorities. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1−8. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2024.2368685
Zamkowska, A. (2005). Podstawowe uwarunkowania prawne i ich praktyczne konsekwencje w angielskim modelu edukacji integracyjnej [Basic legal conditions and their practical consequences in the English model of inclusive education]. In J. Wyczesany & Z. Gajdzica (Eds.), Edukacja i wsparcie społeczne osób z niepełnosprawnością w wybranych krajach europejskich (pp. 62−79). Oficyna Wydawnicza “Impuls”.
Zamkowska, A. (2016). Egzemplifikacje modeli wsparcia edukacji włączającej na podstawie rozwiązań przyjętych w różnych krajach [Examples of inclusive education support models based on solutions adopted in different countries]. Problemy Edukacji, Rehabilitacji, Socjalizacji Osób Niepełnosprawnych, 1(22), 35−44.
Copyright (c) 2024 HORIZONS OF EDUCATION
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright to their work while granting the journal the right of first publication. The work will be simultaneously licensed under a CC BY-ND license, which permits others to share the work with proper credit given to the author and the original publication in this journal.
- Authors may enter into additional, non-exclusive agreements for the distribution of the published version of the work (e.g., posting it in an institutional repository or publishing it in another journal), provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged.
We allow and encourage authors to share their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on personal websites) both before and during the submission process, as this can foster beneficial exchanges and lead to earlier and increased citations of the published work. (See The Effect of Open Access). We recommend using any of the following academic networking platforms:
