The aim of this article is to identify psycho-pedagogical challenges and needs of support teachers in Northern Albania, considering three main aspects: challenges correlated with the Albanian educational inclusive system; needs of supportive teachers in dealing with children with special needs in a school context; and strategies that could be helpful to help them face these challenges.
The participants of this study are 10 support teachers from public and private schools in Northern Albania, of whom 3 have work experience in inclusive classrooms of 1-3 years, 4 have work experience in the field of 5 years, and 3 have work experience of more than 5 years. The sample is also composed of eight females and two males, of whom seven do not have an educational background related to child psychology, nor their development and disability. Considering the inclusive education system, children with special needs are part of public and private schools, in classrooms composed of mostly neuro-typical students, and each class has a support teacher. This is a qualitative study that combines data already present in the Albanian context with explorative techniques such as observation, semi-structured interviews, focus-groups, and document analysis. The study was conducted from October 2019 to March 2020.
Considering all the instruments, the study revealed three challenges correlated to the Albanian system in inclusive education; interpersonal challenges of teachers in dealing with children with different disabilities; and needs of supportive teachers. Awareness of these challenges cannot be limited to merely identifying problems, but also to discovering and developing strategies that may be useful in this context.Considering this approach, it could be very helpful for the supportive teachers to consider opening university programs in Northern Albania specifically for pedagogy of special needs, or at least to create an opportunity for different courses or training that could help supportive teachers deal with different dynamics that are present in interacting with children with special needs.
Key words: psycho-pedagogical challenges, support teachers, inclusion
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