Participation of students with different types of difficulties during practical work in the subject Nature and Society in primary classroom teaching

Šarčević Ivić-Hofman Katarina, Pongračić Luka 

Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Slavonski Brod

ksihofman@unisb.hr

Education for social and cultural diversity

Abstract

Practical work is a method that is mostly used in teaching the subject Nature and Society with the aim of introducing students to science. One of the main goals of this subject is the development of natural science literacy and teaching the correct procedures of scientific methods. From the first grade, students engage in practical work that requires different levels of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor achievements. In this area, there is a special challenge for students with disabilities. Therefore, it is important to establish exactly which part of the teaching process they have the most difficulties with, considering their type of developmental disability, in order to establish the most suitable ways of adapting practical work regarding different types of difficulties in students.

The data used for this research were collected using a questionnaire designed for the purpose of this research, which is part of a broader research Didactic-methodical difficulties in classroom teaching with students with special educational needs (IP-ODHZ-11-2021). 309 classroom teachers participated in the research and assessed students with disabilities according to the given criteria during class. Non-parametric statistical methods were used, and the results show that during teamwork, practical work and drawing conclusions after practical work, students with disorders in the autism spectrum have the most difficulties. These results indicate that additional adaptations are needed for the participation of students with difficulties in practical work, especially for students with disorders in the autism spectrum. The need for a more visual approach to assigning and solving the tasks of practical work is indicated.

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