Evaluation of Images of Disability in Turkish Life Science Textbooks for Grades 1st-3rd: A Content Analysis
Background and Purpose of the Study
Approximately 13% of all students have disabilities (Theoharris & Causton, 2014). Inclusive practices have been spreading, and the number of students with disabilities in general education has increased. According to The Turkish Ministry of National Education (MEB) statistics (2016), in 2006, 54,309 students with disabilities attended general education, and this number raised to 201,142 in 2016. Celebrating diversity and valuing differences should be a priority to achieve effective inclusive practices. However, many teachers are not adequately trained to discuss disability, and they have lack of
…show more content…
Codes and categories were generated based on the review of related studies about the representation of disabilities in textbooks. Coding categories were physical, emotional, and social characteristics, disability type, gender, and place.
Results
Seven textbooks have a total of 711 pages and 853 images of individuals including students, teachers, families, etc. Only 10 images, that is 1.17% of images, were students with disabilities. In all ten images, students with disabilities were pictured as white, middle-class, primary school students with the typical appearance of brown hair and eyes, and medium weight and height. Except for two images, students with disabilities were depicted with students without disabilities. In the ten images, thirteen students with disabilities were represented. Gender representation showed equal proportion (six girls and seven boys). Nine of the students have physical disabilities (8 of them in a wheelchair); three students have hearing impairments, and one of them has visual impairments. Seven students with disabilities were at the school garden, five of them were outside of the school, and only one of them was inside the school building. Furthermore, two other images represented students who wear glasses, and the text indicated that these students need to wear glasses to see clearly and sit in the first row. However, it is not clear whether their sight problems are
The amount of people who live with disabilities is a controversial number. Depending on what law and diagnostic tools used, a person may have a visible disability, or one that may lie beneath the surface of his or her appearance. Some people believe that the term “disability” is merely a label use to hold back, or prescribe helplessness. Meanwhile, individuals who have been properly diagnosed with disabilities struggle to maintain respect and acceptance every day. In plain language, there is a lot of misunderstanding between people with disabilities and those without. It is firstly important to get everyone on the same page regarding the definition of disability.
An inclusive school culture is essential for the wellbeing of all students including those with a disability.
The education of students with disabilities has changed over the years. During the B.C. era students with disabilities were consider a disgrace, were shun by society, and the Greek philosopher Aristotle openly declared, “As to the exposure and rearing of children, let there be a law that no deformed child shall live“(Hardman, Drew, & Egan, 2009, p. 4)
Over the course of this semester, I have come to the realization that above all, students with disabilities need to be treated with the respect and dignity that one would give any other child. This is why it is important to talk to and about people that have disabilities with “people first” language (Evans, Civil Rights Final Day, 9.17.16). This stems from the idea that a perceived disability is just one of a person’s many attributes. Students with disabilities are people that have individual abilities, interests, and needs. By using “people first” language, one emphasizes the importance of the individual over their diagnosed disability. According to The Arc, an organization that advocates for people with disabilities, “the language in a society used to refer to persons with disabilities shapes its beliefs and ideas about them” (The Arc, 2016). Using “people first” language not only ensures the person in question knows that they are valued, but it also helps set a precedent for the perception of people with disabilities in one’s environment. It also gives the student the opportunity to define his/herself, instead of being identified solely with their disability (The Arc, 2016).
There are a few ways to try and minimize the label of disability placed unjustly on students due to diversity. When compiling individual assessments more extensive background information needs to be gathered pertaining to school attendance, family structure, cultural beliefs, household changes and moves, and medical, developmental, and educational histories (Ralabate, & Klotz, 2007). If there is a possible language barrier then a dual language assessment evaluation should be given. Also included in an individualized comprehensive evaluation is how a student responds to scientific evidence-based interventions.
In the educational world, there are countless programs, curricula, strategies, manipulates, and resources for teachers to pull from in order to aide in the teaching of concepts and learning of students. Whatever method(s) a school or district has deemed best practice, or adopted as their curriculum, tend to be the instructional practices or resources utilized the most by those teachers. Additionally, teachers will also have preference to teaching styles, resources, and materials they use for their students. While autonomy in any classroom is important to students’ academic growth, one must also be careful to select and implement instructional with great intention and purpose. Consideration to students needs is equally important as the mandate of teaching standards and demonstrating proficiency amongst students. Even when teaching non-disabled students, it can be time consuming and overwhelming to plan lessons so just how much more is involved when planning for students with significant disabilities (SD)? Better yet, what are appropriate instructional strategies to use for students with SD? Regardless of the instructional setting, these are considerations that must be given when teaching students with SD in order to maximize their learning opportunities to learn
I believe that people’s perception does play a role in the success of students with disabilities. It is human nature to stare, fear or ridicule people who appear or act different from what we consider to be normal. For students with physical handicaps or limitations, their self-image is very important to them. They get upset and sometimes depress because they can’t do certain things as other children can because
Students with special needs need deserve the same education general education students are presented with. The philosophy of “ Disability Inclusion” concentrates on creating a safe, loving, and effective learning environment for students who suffer from physical, learning, and behavioral disabilities. When a student with disabilities is placed in the same environment as a non-disabled student, the results show wonderful improvement. When we are able to discover the strength of the student we are able to see just how much the student can improve in an inclusion classroom. Disability Inclusion not only sets a new beginning for an equal education of special education students, but it allows for more interaction with the child, and a more hands-on assessment.
The teacher can encourage this inclusion by teaching the students, parents, and other community members about negative stereotypical attitudes about students with disabilities by avoiding negative words, such as “disabled”, or “crippled”, or “handicapped” and to promote positive ideas about disabilities into class work, the student’s play time and other activities. To further ensure that the classroom is promoting equality for the child with the disability, the teacher should incorporate an inclusive curriculum mindset, by adapting the lessons, learning materials and classroom to suit the needs of all the different types of learners including the child with the disability within the classroom.
According to Pyle and Wexler (2012), students with disabilities are disproportionally represented in high school graduation rates. Millions of students with individual education plans (IEPs) lack a high school diploma which then in turn affects their ability to secure
Topic one was very informative and provided me with a substantial amount of information that I can apply to the classroom and instruction. The key points in the assigned textbook reading were understanding the foundations of special education and the impact of cultural diversity on Special Education. Many special education students are labeled as being “handicapped”. This label is used to describe special education students and used to identify these students from the norm. However; labels can have a negative impact on a student’s life, but labels help professionals communicate effectively with one another and used when evaluating. Society views on people with disabilities has changed throughout the years. With the passage of the American with
Many studies focused on how the services for special needs children contribute to their education. However, very few studies recognize the role of the society in their attitude towards success. This paper answers the following questions: 1) how education affect the disabled, 2) how to improve education outcomes for students with disabilities, 3) how can the society deal with the disabled students, and 3) how to identify special learning disabilities.
In first being able to define inclusive education, it is necessary to understand the diversity of the student population. Disability comes in my varying forms and can be physical, sensory, intellectual, mental health and emotional, developmental, and non-visible (e.g. asthma). If disability was the only agent to consider in the diversity scenario things would be easier for teachers but there are a number of other classifications of students to consider: Gifted or talented; English as a second language (ESL); Indigenous students; and many other classifications which fall under the societal/family/personal heading (Ashman & Elkin, 2012).
Approximately 13% of all students have disabilities (Theoharris & Causton, 2014). For students with disabilities, accessing to general education have increased. According to The Turkish Ministry of National Education (MEB) statistics (2010), in 2006, there were 54,309 students with disabilities attended general education, and this number raised to 201,142 in 2016 (MEB, 2016). Therefore, celebrating diversity and valuing differences should be a priority to achieve effective inclusive practices. Textbooks are valuable sources for teachers to start discussions that promote inclusion and teach
A lot of people do not agree with inclusion in classrooms. They say, “the disabled student might be disruptive” or “the other students might get upset when the teacher has to slow down for the disabled student.” All students have their right to an education, whether it be inclusive or not. If a student is disruptive, the teacher should be able to handle it. Although people think inclusion has many disadvantages, there are far more advantages and benefits for all students, teachers, families and even for communities. Since everyone can benefit from inclusion, we as society should make schools and communities inclusive.