The conditions that hinder primary school teachers in their efforts to support students with diverse learning needs

• Main Authors: Harðardóttir, Sigrún, Karlsdóttir, Ingibjörg, Stefánsson, Alex Björn
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Icelandic
• Published: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2022
• Subjects: elementary school; inclusive education; learning difficulties; teachers; support; solutions; grunnskóli; skóli án aðgreiningar; námserfiðleikar; kennarar; stuðningur; úrræði; Vanda; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/index.php/netla/article/view/3617

It is important for every society that teachers be equipped to adapt education to the diverse needs of students. Today, elementary schools in Iceland operate from the policy of inclusive schools where it is stated that students have the right to education that meets their diverse needs, irrespective of special needs and learning ability. The Icelandic law states that municipalities should provide special services in schools, on the one hand with support to students and their families and, on the other hand, support elementary school operations and their staff. The national curriculum for elementary schools entails a democratic approach to school operations, where the educational philosophy calls for skilled and adaptable teaching practices that can meet the needs and circumstances of all students, thus increasing the likelihood of achievement. Students with learning difficulties and diverse needs have been defined at a greater risk of dropping out of school. Additionally, research shows that individuals who drop out of school often experience worse health and personal circumstances later in life.This article analyses the results from a survey sent to elementary school teachers in the school year 2018-2019. The aim of the survey was to reveal which positive or negative aspects impact the possibility for teachers to attend to the needs of students with learning difficulties and diverse requirements, who have, among other things, been assessed with ADHD, autism (ASD), general and specific learning difficulties, emotional and social challenges, and Tourette syndrome. Altogether 1,444 surveys were sent to professional elementary school staff, all over the country, with a 45% response rate. In this article, we refer exclusively to the responses from the teachers (N=478) who participated in the research, or 74% of the total number of respondents.The results show that only about half of the teachers felt they were able to meet the educational needs of their students. The teachers who felt they were not adequately ...