Distance education for pupils with intellectual disabilities – teachers’ experiences

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=zedu20 Education Inquiry ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/zedu20 Distance education for pupils with intellectual disabilities – teachers’ experiences Riikka Sirkko & Marjatta Takala To cite this article: Riikka Sirkko & Marjatta Takala (2024) Distance education for pupils with intellectual disabilities – teachers’ experiences, Education Inquiry, 15:2, 147-163, DOI: 10.1080/20004508.2022.2073054 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2022.2073054 © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Published online: 08 May 2022. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 961 View related articles View Crossmark data Citing articles: 1 View citing articles Distance education for pupils with intellectual disabilities – teachers’ experiences Riikka Sirkko and Marjatta Takala Faculty of Education, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland ABSTRACT Due to COVID-19, schools closed in Finland for eight weeks in the spring of 2020, and teaching was conducted using distance education. Teachers used their professional agency to ensure a continuation of their students’ learning. This study focuses on the experiences of teachers who taught pupils with intellectual disabilities during the distance education period. The research question is: What kind of experiences did the teachers have with distance education? The data were collected via an electronic questionnaire and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results were examined using teachers’ professional agency as a theoretical lens. The results showed that teachers encountered many challenges and emotions at the beginning, but during distance education, they learnt new ways to teach and support pupils and families. Teachers’ agency was spread between supporting the agency of pupils and guardians. These are discussed in the article. ARTICLE HISTORY KEYWORDS COVID-19; pupils with intellectual disabilities; distance education; teachers; professional agency Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic changed education in many countries, including Finland. Transition to distance education in the spring of 2020 was unprecedented because the Finnish Basic Education Act (628/1998) does not recognise the possibility for distance education in compulsory education. The quickly prepared Emergency Power Act (Parliament of Finland, 2020) allowed schools the transition to distance education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it granted pupils from grades 1‒3 and pupils who needed special support the right to study at school if permitted by their guardians. Otherwise, teaching was organised as distance education for all pupils (Parliament of Finland, 2020). Numerous pupils with intellectual disabilities (ID) studied at home. Schools all over were closed, and teaching was conducted through distance education for several weeks in the spring of 2020 (Aditya, 2021; Judge, 2021). Even in exceptional circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, schooling and studying are essential for children and young people, as they contribute to maintaining a safe and stable daily life. According to a report from Unicef (2020), many children were at risk of falling behind due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, distance education does not mean homeschooling; here, the teacher, not the CONTACT Riikka Sirkko [email protected] University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland EDUCATION INQUIRY 2024, VOL. 15, NO. 2, 147–163 https://doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2022.2073054 © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. guardians, primarily handles education following the curricula (Heinonen, 2020). However, Downes (2013), in his study of Australian distance education, noted that the guardian’s role in distance education is crucial. In an unprecedented situation, schools had to find ways to serve pupils academically, socially and emotionally from a distance (Kier & Clark, 2020). Teaching and contacts with pupils and guardians had to occur in a new way, primarily using information and communication technologies. We were interested in how the teachers taught when the “routines broke down”, and we set the research question: What kind of experiences did teachers have with distance education? With this research, we intend to highlight teachers’ experiences and provide some guidelines for possible future distance education situations. In order to do this, we will use the concept of professional agency. Hitlin and Elder (2007, p. 176) describe agency in many ways but also as the “ability to innovate when routines break down”. It is therefore very appropriate in the COVID-19 situation. Many pupils with ID need extra support for learning, which may cause special challenges for pupils, guardians and teachers. Due to the sudden closure of schools, pupils lost direct social interaction with their peers, and guardians faced several demands when supporting their children’s education (Bhamani et al., 2020). The teachers also faced new challenges. Education of pupils with intellectual disabilities in Finland Pupils with ID could have significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour, such as everyday social and practical skills (AAIDD, 2020). IDs is often divided into four levels (mild, moderate, severe and profound), depending on intellectual and adaptive functioning and intensity of support needs. Pupils with mild disability often need intermittent assistance, while pupils with a profound disability may need frequent support (Patel, Greydanus, & Merrick, 2014). Because of various needs, the individualisation of teaching is the basis for educating pupils with ID in Finland as well as internationally (Patel et al., 2014; Räty, Vehkakoski, & Pirttimaa, 2019). In Finland, pupils with ID can have a decision of special support, 11-year compulsory education and individualised learning goals (Finnish Basic Education Decree, 628/ 1998). A three-tiered support model is used in Finnish schools – general, intensified and special support – as determined by the Finnish National Agency for Education (2016). Diverse pupils receive special support (Kokko et al., 2013). Hence, the individual education plan (IEP) is an essential document in special education (Räty et al., 2019). It includes the aims, contents, teaching arrangements, pedagogical methods, and support and guidance needed for a pupil (Finnish National Agency for Education, 2016; Kokko et al., 2013). The rehabilitation aspect is also closely related to the teaching of pupils with ID. The goals include improving the interaction between the pupil and the environment and supporting the pupil in living independently in the future. These goals have been reconciled with the pupil’s individual aims (Koivikko & Autti-Rämö, 2006). The education of pupils with severe ID is organised using the activity area-based curriculum model instead of the content-area subject model (e.g. science, maths, etc.). Pupils’ individual aims guide their education. Sometimes these pupils can also study 148 R. SIRKKO AND M. TAKALA different subjects like mathematics, mother tongue or physical education, but the goals are individually designed. (Pirttimaa, Räty, Kokko, & Kontu, 2015) Pupils with ID can study in a general education class, special education class or at special schools. School place depends on communities’ practices and guardian’s decision. However, Finland has a commitment to provide inclusive education and support the education of pupils with ID in neighbourhood schools (Finnish National Agency for Education, 2016). A special class with pupils having moderate or severe ID may not have more than eight pupils. The group size must be less than six when it comprises pupils with profound ID. If a pupil with ID is placed in a general education class, the group size should not exceed 20 pupils (Finnish Basic Education Degree, 628/1998). These regulations try to ensure adequate learning support. Nevertheless, inclusion has not been widely used with ID pupils in Finland (Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, 2014). Teachers’ professional agency and teachers’ digital competencies Working as an expert frequently includes an agency (Hallamaa, 2018). The agency is not something that people have or possess but something that is achieved and done (Biesta & Tedder, 2007). The agency is realised through an interplay of individual capacity and social and material conditions (Priestley, Biesta, Philippou, & Robinson, 2015a; Priestley, Biesta, & Robinson, 2015b). Teachers are highly educated in Finland; thus, they are autonomous with their professional agency (Sahlberg, 2013) within the limits of current regulations and laws. Also, many contextual issues, such as class size or available materials, affect agency (Biesta, Priestley, & Robinson, 2015a). At best, there is a clear connection between agency and professional development (Philpott & Oates, 2017). Professional agency involves creative work practices and innovative work behaviours (Priestley et al., 2015a; Vähäsantanen et al., 2019), which are needed when schools suddenly move to distance education. The concept of professional agency is multidimensional and can be viewed from various theoretical2019 frameworks (Clandinin & Husu, 2017; Eteläpelto, Vähäsantanen, Hökkä, & Paloniemi, 2014; Priestley et al., 2015a). In this study, we consider agency through Priestley et al.’s (2015a, 2015b) ecological model (Figure 1). Originally these three areas were presented by Emirbayer and Mische in 1998, when they suggested that the achievement of agency needs to be understood as a configuration of influences from the past, orientations towards the future and engagement with the present. They named the dimensions of agency as the iterational, the projective and the practical-evaluative dimension. They spoke of a “chordal triad of agency within which all three dimensions resonate as separate but not always harmonious tones” (Emirbayer & Mische, 1998, p. 972). The model highlights that the agency is informed by past experiences, both professional and personal experience. The model also emphasises that the achievement of agency is always orientated towards the future with a combination of short term and long-term objectives and values. In addition, agency is enacted in a concrete situation, therefore both being constrained and supported by cultural, structural and material resources available to actors (Priestley, Biesta & Robinson, 2015b). The iterational part involves the personal and professional past of the teacher. The iterational aspects include personal capacity, personal and professional beliefs and EDUCATION INQUIRY 149 values. (Priestley et al., 2015a, 2015b). Teachers having more of experience might be expected to be able to develop more expansive orientations to the future and draw upon a greater range of responses to the challenges of the present context, than their less experienced colleagues (Priestley et al., 2015b). The projective part contains forwardlooking, shortand long-term plans, which are always based on the teacher’s prior experiences. Also here, the long experience is supposed to give the teacher more repertoire and possibilities (Priestley et al., 2015b). The practical-evaluative part contains the missing present and important cultural, structural and material aspects, such as political principles, the curriculum and situational factors. Although agency is involved with the past and the future, it can only ever be “acted out” in the present. (Priestley et al., 2015b) Agency is not a static concept but develops over time (Ehren, Romiti, Armstrong, Fisher, & McWhorter, 2021). Priestley et al. (2015a, 2015b) defined agency as a temporally embedded process. Teachers’ agency is also highly relational and embedded in professional interactions between other teachers, pupils and other people who are connected to the school (Imants & Van der Wal, 2019; Pyhältö, Pietarinen, & Soini, 2014). Agency also involves power, and power relationships are an essential part of teachers’ agency (Eteläpelto et al., 2014). Teachers’ power appears in teacher’s autonomy, and autonomy can be described as teachers’ ability to act independently, also when changes occur (Molla & Nolan, 2020). Teachers can be seen as school developers and an important part of the schools’ change process (Pyhältö et al., 2015). Thus, teachers are often called agents of change (Imants & Van der Wal, 2019; Pantić, 2015; Priestley et al., 2015a). During the COVID19 pandemic, teachers worked as active agents to promote their students’ learning. Nevertheless, the changes in education implementation have also tested personal capacities and individual and collective agency (Ehren et al., 2021). Teachers’ digital competencies can be seen as one of the necessary 21st century skills (Kuusimäki, Uusitalo-Malmivaara, & Tirri, 2019; Siddiq & Scherer, 2016; van Laar, van Deursen, van Dijk, & de Haan, 2017). Finnish teachers’ digital skills have been the Figure 1. Modified ecological model of agency by Priestley et al. (2015a, p. 4) 150 R. SIRKKO AND M. TAKALA subject of strong development since 2016, when the new Finnish National Core Curriculum of Basic Education was introduced (Tanhua-Piiroinen, Kaarakainen, Kaarakainen, & Viteli, 2020). The National Core Curriculum (Finnish National Agency for Education, 2016) sets goals for the teaching of information and communication technologies. Teachers had perhaps not been actively involved in using digital tools; now they had to and, in the future, teachers have skills to continue using digital devices and tools. The aim of the Report of Comprehensive Schools in the Digital Age II was to create a foundation for the use of up-to-date research data on the education sector in central government decision-making (Tanhua-Piiroinen et al., 2020). The report showed that, in Finland, teachers’ digital skills depend on the teacher’s personal interests. The trust in one’s digital skills significantly increases with a teacher’s willingness to use digital technology as part of teaching (Tanhua-Piiroinen et al., 2020). It has been shown that the use of digital learning requires self-efficacy from the teacher and organisational support (Börnert-Ringleb, Casale, & Hillenbrand, 2021). Materials and methods The data were collected via an electronic questionnaire from teachers of pupils with ID. The questionnaire was open for eight weeks during the distance education period. It included 12 quantitative and 17 qualitative questions. We used ten quantitative background questions to determine gender, work experience, school level, professional title, the composition of the group of pupils to be taught and things related to the implementation of distance education, such as equipment provided by the employer. The open-ended questions were used to gain a representative of teachers’ experience and voice. Often, one response addressed issues more broadly than the question required. We used the following six open-ended questions: ●What were your first thoughts when distance education began? ●How did you practically implement distance education for pupils with IDs? ●How and how much do you connect with your pupils and their guardians during distance education? ●What new things have you learnt about your pupils during distance teaching? ●What new things have you learnt about yourself during distance teaching? ●What are your current views on distance education for pupils with IDs? The link to the questionnaire was shared on social media (Facebook and Twitter); it was also sent to some teachers who were familiar with the first author of the study. In the cover letter, there was a request to re-share the questionnaire link for special education teachers to utilise the snowball effect (Noy, 2008; Saaranen-Kauppinen & Puusniekka, 2006). Altogether, 96 female special education teachers responded, with most of the participants working in primary schools. The teachers worked in various class compositions, but the majority worked exclusively with pupils with ID (Table 1). One of the respondents omitted her school, level of education or years of experience. Thirty-six participants worked in special education schools and 60 in regular schools. Teachers’ years of experience varied: 45 teachers had taught less than ten years, and 36 EDUCATION INQUIRY 151 teachers had taught 10‒20 years. Fifteen teachers had taught for more than 20 years. All teachers taught pupils with ID, and the degree of this disability varied from mild to profound. During distance teaching, the location of teaching changed for some teachers. Some taught some days from home and some days at school. About half of the teachers (n = 35) used the “hybrid model” of teaching, where some pupils were in school, and others were studying at home. Some teachers could have two days in distance education and three at school. These changes influenced class composition; pupils studying at school were from different classes and not familiar with each other. This meant that the teachers’ work situation and workload varied. About half of the teachers (n = 37) worked only in distance education. During the distance education period, 63 teachers had access to a school assistant to promote their pupils learning. Some school assistants worked at school with pupils who were studying at school, and some worked in both forms: distance and at school, while some were laid off. Method In this qualitative study, we used qualitative content analysis to provide knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon under study, which helped to create core categories and subcategories (Schreier, 2012). We used an inductive approach, including open coding, creating categories and abstraction (Elo et al., 2014). Hsieh and Shannon (2005) called this conventional content analysis, which is an appropriate method when research literature on a phenomenon is limited, such as education during a pandemic situation. First, the researchers read the data independently and repeatedly to effectively visualise the material. In the second phase, the researchers read the material to identify themes in it. The themes described key thoughts that arose from the text when reading it. In the third phase, the researchers made a preliminary analysis independently by comparing the codes and identifying the overlaps. Hence, coherent and independent codes were induced. This analysis was then discussed together, and the researchers Table 1. Participants’ workplace and class composition. School form* n Pre-primary school 2 Primary school 71 Secondary school 20 Upper secondary education 2 Class composition Only pupils with IDs 61 Special class with ID 32 Co-teaching class* 2 Other class** 1 *One participant did not answer these questions *Two teachers together taught a class with pupils with ID. **One teacher taught in a music class. 152 R. SIRKKO AND M. TAKALA challenged each other’s interpretations. In the fourth phase, the researchers created the main categories from the subcategories in the data. The researchers also identified relationships among the categories. In the fifth phase, the content of the categories identified in the data was compressed. Consequently, three main categories, seven subcategories and one cross-cutting category were established. After identifying the main and subcategories, we observed how the concept of professional agency was present in these categories and how it reflected teachers’ experiences. In this phase, our coding frame (Schreier, 2012) comprised teachers’ agency, including past, present and future experiences forming current agency (Priestley et al., 2015b). According to Elo et al. (2014), the content analysis should be based on self-critical thinking in each phase of analysis. The first researcher worked as a special education teacher during the distance education period and gained personal experience with the topic. However, this was considered and unknowingly allowed to influence the analysis of the data. Results Teachers’ distance education experiences can be divided into three different main categories: emotions evoked by distance education, co-operation in implementing distance education and teachers’ learning experiences. These three categories included several subcategories. One cross-cutting, intertwined category was also found, called individuality (Figure 2). The individuality category included individual encounters with the situations of both pupils and families during distance education. They also had unique individual learning experiences during distance education and individual possibilities to meet the challenges in teaching. Next, we discuss the content of each category. We also remind that Finnish teachers are independent actors and have a full professional agency. How it was used in this new situation will also be observed. Emotions evoked by distance education The category of emotions contained two subcategories, which can also be seen at different ends of a continuum: fear including worries, and enthusiasm. Figure 2. The main categories and subcategories found in the data EDUCATION INQUIRY 153 Fear and worries The fear and worries subcategory included teacher’s concerns and confusion about how distance education could be realised and how it affected the equality of pupils. As one teacher said, “At first, there was confusion about how distance education could be implemented with pupils having individual aims” (primary school teacher with over 10 years of experience). The teachers’ uncertainty about the future and their skills in using distance education was high. This category also encompassed teachers’ criticism of the political decisions that some pupils could come to school during a pandemic: “The fact that special needs pupils are allowed to be in school, even in exceptional situations, is confusing. They have many somatic diseases, and thus, they are people at risk” (secondary school teacher with over 16 years of experience). Teachers were worried about every pupil and about their family members’ health situation. Teachers who had to work at school were also worried about their own health and ability to cope at work. Teachers were also worried about the well-being of some individual pupils’ families, mainly because many pupils needed so much support for learning and daily life. For some families, the school can be a place where the pupil spends his or her everyday life, and as such, the responsibility for the child is shared between the home and school. For example, one teacher said, “I am concerned about the support to these pupils with special needs, not so much about learning, but the well-being and resilience of [their] families” (primary school teacher with less than five years of experience). Due to the different situations of the guardians, the teachers’ saw that pupils were in an unequal position regarding how much support for studies they received at home. Equality is an essential value in Finnish education (Finnish Basic Education Act 628/1998); some teachers felt that this value was threatened during distance education. Enthusiasm The transition to distance education forced teachers to think innovatively about their work, and many teachers found joy in finding new and creative ways of teaching. One teacher described her experience this way: “Now there is as much work, but it is possible to plan and sometimes create something new, to learn new ways of working and new methods; it is very refreshing” (secondary school teacher with more than 10 years of experience). The unique situation forced teachers to consider their work from a different perspective; one teacher said, “I was excited. I thought this work could not be done remotely, but how wrong I was. I had started thinking about assignments and tasks from a new perspective and also thinking about how to implement the teaching” (primary school teacher with over 16 years of experience). However, this exceptional situation forced and made it possible for teachers to develop their teaching and learn new skills. 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