Literature Review: The Challenges of Teaching Exceptional Children in a Special Education Class when the Parents are Disengaged or not Supportive
This literature review will discuss the challenges of teaching exceptional children in a special education classroom when the parents remain disengaged or supportive on issues concerning the education of their children. The review focuses on previous research on the subject of unsupportive parents with special children. The literature review focuses only on studies carried out within the last five years to present the information.
Teaching exceptional teaching has never been an easy thing among teachers since it has a higher burnout rate compared to teaching normal children. The burnout results from various issues like increased levels of unsupportive parents, making teachers struggle in helping such students in a school learning environment (Pruett, Pruett, Cowan & Cowan, 2017). Various scholars have established that parental involvement in teaching exceptional students helps the entire educational process. In this perspective, both the parents and students benefit from the involvement of parents on issues that affect or promote the learning process of exceptional students. Previous studies have established that among such students. For instance, it fosters better test scores and grades, increases student enrollment in advanced learning programs. Parental involvement also enhances better homework completion among exceptional students. Moreover, when teachers and parents of exceptional children relate in terms of the aspects that promote or affect student learning, it encourages better school attendance hence decreased absenteeism. Parental involvement also promotes better acclimation of students to the learning environment and development of better social skills. Consequently, it promotes higher self-esteem and increased high school graduations.
On the other hand, parents and teachers benefit from such involvement. Parents find a chance to interact with their kids more within their busy schedules. The parents also acquire a better comprehension of the role of the teacher and the school curriculum (Pruett, Pruett, Cowan & Cowan, 2017). Teachers experience increased levels of job and morale satisfaction. Moreover, teachers acquire respect from parents for their hard work. Therefore, teaching exceptional students with unsupportive parents hinders all these benefits for teachers, administrators, parents, and students. Unsupportive parents make learning processes challenging and difficult hence poor academic performances. Such an occurrence also hinders teachers’ morale and job satisfaction resulting in poor academic performance.
Statistical Data on the Relationship between Student Academic Performance and Parental Involvement
According to Lara & Saracostti (2019), the involvement of a parent in a child’s education has shown consistent correlations with a child’s performance. Special children with supportive and engaging parents perform better compared to those with unsupportive and disengaged parents (Lara & Saracostti, 2019). The effect of parental involvement on the academic success of a special child has captured not only the attention of researchers but also that of policymakers who have proposed and formulated policies that promote integration efforts targeting rising parental involvement on educational issues of their special children in classrooms. Moreover, various studies have reported that increased child-parent interactions like responsive parenting among special students remain very significant in that child’s academic performance. For this reason, understanding the importance of supportive and engaged parents on teaching special children could help in eliminating the challenges that teachers undergo in classrooms.
Bariroh (2018) reported that an increase in a parent’s involvement in school activities of a special childlike increased parent-teacher contacts results in early detection of any problems affecting a student’s performance hence teachers have more time to formulate various strategies that help in mitigating the problem resulting in improved academic performance (Bariroh, 2018). Additionally, increased parental involvement on a unique child’s education enables the parent to pass attitudes concerning education to their special children when at home, and such attitudes remain reflected on the child’s behavior in class, teacher’s relationship with parent and child. In this case, supportive parenting ensures a smooth relationship in class and at home, enhancing the improved academic performance of the child.
Bariroh (2018) continues to argue that based on previous studies, parents with a willing attitude to support their special child’s education and teacher positively influence the academic performance by their engagement with the teacher and school to promote a better and stronger student-teacher relationship. Additionally, such a willing attitude helps in increasing a child’s self-perception on cognitive competence (Bariroh, 2018). Cognitive competence involves the level to which the child believes that he or she has the required cognitive skills to succeed academically and in life. Available evidence shows that support from parents on academic issues of special students contributes to an increased degree of competence. Therefore, developed attitudes due to parental involvement regulate emotions, persuade and promote the accomplishments of special children hence making it easier to teach special children in the class.
According to Alias & Salleh (2017), teachers deal with special students with various disabilities that include mental, physical and emotional disabilities hence supportive parental involvement on such a child’s education gives teachers a humble time to comprehend the problems and requirements need to ensure the success of the child in academic performance (Alias & Salleh, 2017). The support from parents enables the teachers to assess the special child’s skills to formulate workable teaching plans and adapt lesson plans that meet students’ requirements.
Rodas, Zeedyk & Baker (2016) argues that supportive parents in a special education classroom promote inclusion that brings together the three parties that include the teacher, student, and parent to coordinate efforts and comprehend the requirements of a special child in a classroom to ensure creation and adaption of effective lesson plans and skills (Rodas, Zeedyk & Baker, 2016). The available evidence shows such inclusion of parents and establishing the skills and lesson plans that promote improved academic performance of special children in the class. Moreover, other researchers have found that special children perform better in the classroom when their parents cooperate and support their children on academic issues because it helps the teachers adapt individual lesson plans based on one’s special needs. After all, each special child remains unique hence requires a different approach from one another. Therefore, parental involvement helps the teachers identify the personal needs of each special child, thus fostering better academic performance in schools.
American Psychological Association (2014, September) argues that supportiveness from parents with special children promotes a student-teacher relationship that enhances closeness. Improved closeness promotes open communication among the parent, teacher, and student hence easier to establish challenges that hinder a child’s performance in academics (American Psychological Association, 2014, September). Additionally, open communication, closeness, and support from parents decrease conflict hence formulating a favorable environment for special children to learn effectively, thus improved academic performance. Positive and close teacher, parent, and student relationships fostered through engagement and support from parents remains associated with positive academic results in school. Additionally, close relationships serve as a critical predictor of a unique child’s performance academically.
Needs of a Special Education Student
Kirk, Gallagher, Coleman & Anastasiow, (2011) suggests that all schools need to create a classroom with all the needs of a special child. Many special students could obtain similar academic achievements like other ordinary students if provided with access to the same content in terms of instruments, accommodation, and support (Kirk, Gallagher, Coleman & Anastasiow, 2011). The schools ought to create an enabling surrounding rather than making special children fit into a particular school setting. The first need for a special child in school involves adjusting the education settings to meet the needs of such students. Summary Review of Literature (n.d.) states that the setting of a school assists special students to obtain their set educational goals. Special education requires sufficient funding to enable the implementation of critical programs like inclusive education that encourages parental involvement in educational issues of their children. Moreover, insufficient funding hinders the implementation of teacher’s training programs, materials, attitudes, and provision of equipment. For this reason, such occurrences hinder inclusive education needed for teaching special students to obtain set academic achievements.
According to LaRocque, Kleiman & Darling, (2011), special education in the USA requires the development of universal policies of accommodation that would enable equal participation of special students on issues of education. Consequently, the policies ought to promote parent involvement in the subject of education, affecting their performance academically. The schools should ensure they design on computer-based tests applicable and appropriate for all special education learners as well as other students (LaRocque, Kleiman & Darling, 2011). Finally, special education needs a formative and interim assessment to promote the inclusion of special students in a grade-level curriculum that concentrates on accelerated learning.
LaRocque, Kleiman & Darling (2011), continues to suggest that special needs education requires the provision of individualized education. In this case, schools must determine the need of each special student and provide the necessary skills, equipment, and support that would ensure achievement of the set academic goals for that particular special child (LaRocque, Kleiman & Darling, 2011). Special education needs the establishment of small classes with a specified number of students per class to ensure effective attendance for each special child. For this reason, schools need lower teacher-student ratios to promote effective learning and participation in particular exceptional cases. In this perspective, special education needs to have a teacher handle a small number of special children to ensure effective learning as it enables a teacher to concentrate on a particular case hence promotes easier and effective learning.
Hornby (2011) also suggests that such schools need specially trained teachers. Such teachers have enough experience to promote parent involvement and inclusion on issues that need attention to facilitate learning and teaching. Specially trained teachers have the knowledge that enables them to implement the formulated individualized lesson plans and programs hence ensure the academic success of such students. Additionally, special education needs self-contained classrooms (Hornby, 2011). Such self-contained classrooms contain all the required facilities, equipment, and support of each special child attending school. Such classes make it easier to handle and deal with special students without having to move from one place to another. Having everything needed by students promotes comfort, support, and encouragement for the special children-learning environment.
According to LaRocque, Kleiman & Darling, (2011), special education needs psychological and academic counseling programs. Such programs assist in the provision of guidance in case of challenges during the teaching and learning process to the exceptional students, teachers, and parents (LaRocque, Kleiman & Darling, 2011). In this case, people the programs help such students to overcome various emotional and physical problems affecting their learning process hence promoting academic achievement. For instance, counseling enables teachers to adapt to the challenges that stress them during the teaching process. Moreover, counseling also helps special students to learn that their disability is never an inability to succeed academically and in life. Lastly, the counseling programs enable learners, teachers, and parents to present their problems for solutions hence promoting academic achievements.
Positive Effects of Parental Involvement and Student Performance
Sheldon, Steven& Bee, (2015) argues that parental involvement on special education issue has numerous positive effects on the academic achievement of students. Parents give critical input to a special child’s success academically because they know their children better than the teachers do (Sheldon, Steven & Bee, 2015). Presenting the information, they know of their children helps the teachers understand each student individually handling each case based on the actual need that would promote success in performance academically. Additionally, parental involvement fosters stronger and effective teacher-student relationships. Such a relationship supports effective communication between the school and the parents on issues concerning the learning process of special children. For this reason, the relationship promotes easier learning of the student as they feel free around their teachers.
According to wilder (2013), parental involvement on issues of education for their children promotes consistent outcomes on academic performance. In this case, it enables the teachers to educate the parents on how to create a favorable home learning environment that enables special children to learn like they do in the school environment (Wilder, 2013). The creation of an environment that supports effective learning positively ensures achievement of set academic roles. Consequently, parents and teachers relationship helps in earlier detection of problems among students hence enable the first formulation of solutions that could allow mitigation of such issues, therefore, improved academic performance.
Wanke (2008) argues that that involvement of parents on special education issues positively promote students to perform well as it supports the development of confidence as the student establish that they have the same value as other students despite their disability and special needs (Wanke, 2008). Moreover, parental involvement brings about more effortless adjustment of the learning environment to accommodate special students and not them fitting to particular learning settings. Various studies have also indicated that parental participation on issues concerning the education of their children helps in achieving clear insight for the transition process. In this case, the parents help teachers to understand and make in enabling the transition of such special children from one stage to another. For instance, it makes it easier for those joining in adapting to the new learning environment different from the one at home as they witness parents relate with their new teachers.
A plan of Action to Address Lack of Parental Involvement
According to Hornby (2011), to promote parental involvement, the education sector ought to formulate and implement policies that make it mandatory to create a program that requires parent and school participation in the learning process of their children (Hornby, 2011). Such policies would require each parent to participate in any activity that needs the three parties to ensure better academic performances. Additionally, the schools need to include parents’participation in school curriculums to help in fostering stronger relationships that enhance effective learning.
Trainor (2010) argues that rewarding parents’ participation would also help in parental involvement in aspects concerning educational issues of their children. Rewarding would motivate parents to ensure they attend to issues regarding their children’s academic performance (Trainor, 2010). Research has shown those reward children whose parents participate in programs for their children’s learning ensure continuous and effective participation hence improved academic performance. Lastly, Olmstead (2013) argues that schools should use various technologies available to promote parental involvement in school issues. In this case, the school needs to use technologies such as WhatsApp applications, Skype, Facebook, and video conferencing to allow busy parents to attend the meeting and activates involving the education programs concerning their children (Olmstead, 2013). Such technologies would assist in keeping out those parents far from home where they could not attend physically to matters of education about their children.
Methods of Interventions to Mitigate the Problem
According to Pruett, Pruett, Cowan & Cowan (2017), there are a number of methods for solving the challenge of unsupportive parents when teaching exceptional students. Some of these methods include promoting communication with parents and other family members about the aspects that could promote effective and efficient learning of their exceptional child ((Pruett, Pruett, Cowan & Cowan, 2017). Frequent and effective communication with parents and family enables each party to understand the needs and requirements of the child hence solves any problem that might affect learning. Such an intervention method could use various ways that include ensuring teachers teaching such students to have school phones that they utilize for communication. Consequently, the teachers ought to receive better compensation for their hard work in terms of handling such a category of students at school and ensuring that they follow instructions given at school when back at home. Consequently, schools should organize for home visits to access the home environment and interact with parents and other siblings (Pruett, Pruett, Cowan & Cowan, 2017). Such visits assist in fostering better home-school connections that promote learning among exceptional children. The schools must also create a broad awareness of the importance of strong parent involvement and communication to the parents by inviting parents for workshops and seminars to learn about communication. Moreover, the school should fund each of these activities meant for promoting communication between the school and parents. Additionally, each teacher and parents ought to have an email address and encourage the availability of various mechanisms in school to assembling opinions from students, teachers, and parents.
Guralnick (2017) argues that another best intervention method to solve the challenge is through schools and parents promoting positive parenting skills. Such skills involve teachers questioning parents concerning what information and workshops they deem appropriate and useful to their children (Guralnick, 2017). Moreover, unvarying parent and school consultations assist in the determination of such students’ preferences and suitable approaches to pass messages to each parent. Another way of enhancing positive parenting skills among unsupportive parents is by offering such parents a space in a school that they use to interact with their children and teachers freely. Such a space enables parents and teachers to exchange ideas regarding the home and school environment hence better learning among exceptional students.
According to Guralnick (2017), avoiding surprises among parents with exceptional children assist in eliminating the challenge of unsupportive parents. For this reason, the school ought to keep parents apprised of each issue affecting such children in the process of their learning (Guralnick, 2017). Teachers should report any problem when they noticed not report at the end of the year. Consequently, teachers should learn quickly and ask a question whenever they have an issue affecting the learning process. Such an intervention makes parents develop a sense of caring and responsibility to participate in solving or contributing to issues affecting or promoting the learning process.
According to Nantais & Skyhar (2020), the use of technology makes work easier despite other problems that it has brought in the learning environment. In this case, the schools must ensure the utilization of technological tools that parents understand and use naturally without challenges to communicate issues regarding their children (Nantais & Skyhar, 2020). The utilization of tools such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Skype, video conferencing through ParentSquare, Blooms, Zoom, and Remind enables the parents to attend to their children within their busy schedules. Moreover, the tool enables the parents to relate with school easily from their space with easy hence motivating them to develop a sense of support of their children at school.
The Results of Intervention
Pruett, Pruett, Cowan & Cowan (2017) argue that such interventions result in improved academic concentration and performance among exceptional students. Moreover, improved parental support through effective communications fosters strong home-school connections that enable the creation of a better environment for learning and handling students (Pruett, Pruett, Cowan & Cowan (2017). Smooth communication between the school and parents also promotes development, a clear sense of responsibility and caring for the exceptional children. Students start demonstrating improved grades, test scores, interests for learning, and trust in teachers. The interventions bring about increased development of improved social skills among students that enable the establishment of a better home and school environment that promotes learning smoothly.
According to Guralnick (2017), promoting positive parenting skills as an intervention for unsupportive parents results in the development of a sense of responsibility for their children. In this case, parents realize the importance of caring for their children hence become supportive, as they understand all the needs of the children and problems that hinder their academic performance (Guralnick, 2017). Improved parenting skills ensure effective fostering, better home-school relationships that bring about improved academic performance. Consequently, avoiding surprises enables parents to plan their time well to attend to their children’s school requirements. Additionally, the prevention of surprises shows parents the dedication of the teacher to help such children; hence they develop a feeling of supporting teachers in school. Consequently, the use of technological tools makes the work of teachers and parents easier. In this case, using the tool makes parents realize they could support their children’s learning from work hence find no reason not to support them. Technology enables parents to learn more about their children hence develop a sense of caring about their education needs. The interventions foster a strong home-school connection that promotes learning and improved academic performance among exceptional students.
Conclusion
Teachers that handle exceptional children face the issue of unsupportive parents in numerous ways. Unsupportive parents make it challenging for teachers to help such student obtain their academic performance desires and goals. Unsupportive parents promote poor grades, test scores, and inadequate development of children in school. The available literature shows that various scholars have concentrated on the effects of unsupportive parenting. Moreover, many scholars have also focused on ways that would help mitigate the issue of unsupportive parenting of their exceptional children. The scholars have formulated and proposed a number of interventions that would help solve such a challenge in schools.
Supportive parents promote improved academic performance as it enables the students to concentrate on learning—parents’ participation in a child’s education results in the establishment of a strong home-school relationship. The relationships encourage the creation of a safe and favorable learning environment. The utilization of technological tools to engage parents helps in mitigating such a challenge in specialized schools. The best technological tools schools could use include ParentSquare, Remind, Zoom, and Blooms. Organizing home visits also promotes better relationships that enhance effective and efficient learning in school. Research also demonstrates that parental support increases school enrollment for exceptional children. For this reason, schools ought to make parents understand the significance of supporting schools. In this case, the school should organize workshops and seminars to learn how to participate in issues concerning their children at school. Finally, research indicates that better relationships between parents and teachers of exceptional parents would foster morale and job satisfaction among teachers hence promote effective and friendly learning in classrooms. Therefore, unsupportive parents should realize that teachers teaching their exceptional children perform a lot of work to assist such children; hence they ought to change and support teachers and the learning process.
References
American Psychological Association. (2014, September).Parent matterEngagment in Schools.American Psychological Association.https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/programs/safe-supportive/parental-engagement/.
Guralnick, M. J. (2017). Early intervention for children with intellectual disabilities: An update. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 30(2), 211-229.
Hornby, G. (2011). Parental involvement in childhood education: Building effective school-family partnerships. Springer Science & Business Media.
Kirk, S., Gallagher, J. J., Coleman, M. R., & Anastasiow, N. J. (2011).Educating exceptional children. Cengage Learning.
Lara, L., & Saracostti, M. (2019).Effect of parental involvement on children’s academic achievement in Chile. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1464.
LaRocque, M., Kleiman, I., & Darling, S. M. (2011). Parental involvement: The missing link in school achievement. Preventing School Failure, 55(3), 115-122.
Nantais, M., & Skyhar, C. L. (2020). Family Math Nights: A Tool for Fostering Home, School, and University Connections. Online Submission.
Olmstead, C. (2013). Using technology to increase parent involvement in schools.TechTrends, 57(6), 28-37.
Pruett, M. K., Pruett, K., Cowan, C. P., & Cowan, P. A. (2017). Enhancing father involvement in low‐income families: A couples group approach to preventive intervention. Child Development, 88(2), 398-407.
Rodas, N. V., Zeedyk, S. M., & Baker, B. L. (2016).Unsupportive parenting and internalizing behavior problems in children with or without intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 60(12), 1200-1211.
Sheldon, Steven & Bee, Sol. (2015).The Family Engagement Partnership Student Outcome Evaluation.
Summary Review of Literature. (n.d.). Chapter 3: The Development and Implementation of Parent and Community Involvement Programs. Retrieved July 10, 2020, from https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/SER/ParentComm/chap3.html
Trainor, A. A. (2010).Reexamining the promise of parent participation in special education: An analysis of cultural and social capital. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 41(3), 245-263.
Wanke, A. (2008, May 12). Parental Involvement in Children’s Education. Retrieved July 10, 2020, from http://hdl.handle.net/1951/43062
Wilder, S. (2013). Effects of parental involvement on academic achievement: A meta-synthesis. Educational Review,66(3), 377-397. doi:10.1080/00131911.2013.780009