Skoldaghem: Ett alternativ för elever i behov av särskilt stöd

Sammanfattning: This thesis concerns ten pupils in need of special support. The overriding principle governing the Swedish educational system today is that pupils with functional difficulties should be integrated into ordinary schools, but exceptions may be made and the pupils can attend a special day-school. The primary aim of the present thesis is to study the progress of seven students, attending special day-schools with regard to ? sense of self ? sense of competence ? social skill in work, play and other interaction. A secondary aim is to look at what factors in the special day-school environment contribute to the pupils’ progress. A third is to study what happens to these pupils when they return to their local school environment. I also describe the progress of three children in need of special support, who remain at their ordinary schools. Interviews were the main method of data collection. Pupils, parents and teachers were interviewed, so informant triangulation was established. A rating scale was also used, thus achieving methodological triangulation. The result shows that during their attendance at special day-schools all the pupils developed a more positive sense of self and competence and increased their social skill in work, play and other interaction. For most of the pupils the positive progress remained after their return to their local schools, but to a lower degree. The school environment to which the pupils first became accustomed was described by the teachers working there as often having a lively classroom situation, with teachers who lacked both special education competence, resources, and time for children in need of special support. The environment provided by the special day-school, however, with many adults present, who had time for the children, made the special support possible. In the special day-school, where the pedagogical work had its starting point in each pupil’s needs and skill, a positive relation was established between the sense of self, sense of competence and social skill. The constantly present, competent and involved adults, the small groups of pupils, the integrated school day and the close co-operation with parents all contributed to a positive development for a majority of the pupils. This positive trend was broken however, in two cases on return to the local school, where pupil groups were large and sometimes multi-graded, and where teachers lacked time and special education competence demanded by pupils in need of special support. What my study most convincingly shows is that the ordinary school can not always give pupils with emotional disturbances and behavioural disorders the sufficient special support they need to develop their sense of self, sense of competence and social skill. In a special day-school these pupils can get the special support they need.