Chapter 4 Research Findings
5.5 Method of Individualizing Education
Topic Taiwan The Netherlands
Meetings in support of individualizing
education
- Formal IEP meetings attended by school staff and parents (at least 3 times a year)
- Informal student-teacher meetings
- Formal triangle meetings attended by student, mentor, and parents (3 times a year) - Formal coaching meetings
between mentor and student (3 times a year)
Conclusion
An IEP is the main tool for individualizing a student‟s educational program in both countries. While in Taiwan there are clear guidelines as to what the contents and format of the IEPs are, the Dutch schools have more freedom to decide these themselves. As a result, there is a striking difference in the finalized versions of the IEPs. The Taiwanese IEP is a printed file created by the case manager but the Dutch IEP is a student presentation created by the student him / herself. Formal meetings in support of the IEPs are attended by the Dutch students while Taiwanese students attend the informal meetings. In the Taiwanese cases, more professionals attend the meetings.
5.5 Method of Individualizing Education
This section highlights some of the main themes derived from the findings concerning the method of individualizing education at the three school cases.
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Common needs and future perspectives of mildly mentally impaired students
The main perspective of mildly mentally impaired students at Taipei Junior High School is attending a Comprehensive Vocational Department. Therefore, students need to prepare for the entrance examination of this department. From the lower level to the higher level of secondary education, there is no standardized exam in the Dutch education system.
Students continue studying at the same school. Even the transition from the lower level to the higher level is not that clear at Accent Nijkerk.
The goals for students at Nan Gang Comprehensive Vocational Department and Accent Nijkerk are similar: to be able to live independently, including work and recreation within the community upon leaving the school. While in Taiwan the students are not
expected to continue their studies at a higher level upon graduation, some Dutch students do continue their education at the AKA level. The higher ceiling in intellectual functioning of the definition of mildly mentally impaired students is a possible explanation for this trend.
This opportunity to continue studying is a move away from the original post-Practical Training goal set by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (1998) which stated that the intended employment positions in the regional labour market for Practical Training school leavers are under that of AKA level 1.
In line with Patton, Polloway and Smith‟s (2000) belief “that [mild mental
impairment] has been, and continues to be, a condition concerned with social competence” (p.
80), all three school cases highlight the need of social competence for their students.
Therefore, the acquisition of social skills is integrated throughout the school programs.
While at Taipei Junior High School vocational skills are not yet part of the regular curriculum, Nan Gang Comprehensive Vocational Department and Accent Nijkerk (both lower and upper level) heavily emphasize these skills.
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Since students at Taipei Junior High School‟s resource program need to follow the nine-year integrated curriculum, (more abstract) academic skills are also emphasized at this stage. Students, like their regular education peers, need to prepare for (regular education and special needs-tailored) examinations. Regular education examinations are not taken by students of Nan Gang Comprehensive Vocational Department and the curriculum can, therefore, be of a functional nature. Students prepare to enter the employment market and since students are discouraged to study at a university level, they do not prepare for the university entrance examinations.
There are no formal examinations at Accent Nijkerk. Students work on their
seventeen competencies and, even at the lower level, vocational skills which are evaluated in a qualitative manner.
Employment of students is anticipated to be in the surrounding community of the two schools in both countries.
The role of the student in the process of individualizing education
The role of the student in the process of individualizing education is one of the major differences between the Taiwanese and Dutch school cases. In all school cases, the formal meetings are the time when most of the decisions are made concerning individualized
programs. The two formal meetings at Accent, the triangle meeting and the coaching meeting, are attended by the student, while the formal IEP meetings at both Taipei Junior High School and Nan Gang Comprehensive Vocational Department are not attended by students. This shows that the concept of the student-led IEP, or self-directed IEP, is present in the Dutch school case but not in the Taiwanese school cases. Therefore, the roles of the student in the formal decision making process for individualized programs is markedly different in both
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As was mentioned previously, Accent Nijkerk‟s students share responsibility for various IEP tools and the contents of these tools are covered in the formal meetings.
Interviewees at Accent Nijkerk pointed out that this responsibility should provide the students with a sense of control over their own educational program. This is consistent with the notion that involvement of mildly mentally impaired students in formal education planning supplies students with a sense of self-determination (see Chapter 2.1). While students at the lower level cannot yet determine their own curricular contents, they are already given the responsibility to arrange (to some extent) their own weekly time tables and set their own educational goals. This is meant to prepare them for the upper level where students start choosing the subjects of their own educational program as well as the field of their vocational course and internships. The fact that self-determination for students is emphasized fits inside the Dutch cultural context. Regardless of their educational track, it is normal for Dutch students to decide themselves which field they want to study. At every track of the upper secondary education level, students are expected to choose a number of subjects they wish to study and which support their future employment plans. Parents can influence a student‟s decision but often it is the students themselves who have the final say over which courses to take at this point of their educational career.
While the students at both Taipei Junior High School and Nan Gang Comprehensive Vocational Department are not directly involved in the formal meetings, their wishes and interests are also taken into account when planning their educational programs. Students need to express their views at the informal student-teacher meetings. At Taipei Junior High School a student‟s wishes are mainly taken into account concerning the nature of the curriculum. For instance, a resource room student is consulted if the case manager believes the curriculum should be adapted to become more functional or when it is considered beneficial for a student to take some classes in the special education class.
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At Nan Gang Comprehensive Vocational Department, students start preparing for future employment. An internship at a company related to the field of interest of the student is considered essential. The mentor at Nan Gang Comprehensive Vocational Department, however, pointed out that their students are relatively passive when it comes to expressing their own interests. She believes that, although she tries to include them more in the planning of their own education, they are not used to it and that this is hard to change at the upper level of secondary education. This indicates presence of one of Wehmeyer‟s (1998a) barriers to participation in the planning of education, that of a lack of student motivation. However, the mentor believes this lack of motivation to be shaped by the stages of education prior to the upper level of secondary education. If students are not accustomed to be listened to when their programs are arranged at the compulsory education stage, it is hard to change their attitude at the upper level of secondary education in the short period of three years.
Furthermore, it is common for Taiwanese parents to be strongly involved in a child‟s educational planning. While in the Dutch school case there is a focus on self-determination, letting Taiwanese students plan their own programs could even be considered irresponsible.
As there is a lack of social welfare for the elderly in Taiwan, parents can view their child as an investment for when they retire. Parents, therefore, often want to assure that the right courses are taken with the best prospects for adequate future employment (S. W. Chen, Wang, Wei, Fwu, & Hwang, 2009).
The students at Accent Nijkerk are encouraged to choose a field of work which is related to his / her „passion‟ to assure that, in the words of the school staff, their education is meaningful. The term „meaningful‟ refers to the fact that the student is interested in studying and that there is a connection between education and daily life / future employment. Accent Nijkerk empowers the students to the extent that they have the final say over their education
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goals are unrealistic. In the words of the location manager of Accent Nijkerk, “Students are allowed to explore and even when it turns out that it did not work, the student at least tried.”
Similarly, the students at both Taipei Junior High School and Nan Gang Comprehensive Vocational Department are challenged when determining educational goals. This corresponds with the view of the United States based National Center on Secondary Education and
Transition which believes that “failure is not necessarily something to be avoided; it is a natural part of life” and “a person who is protected from failure is also protected from potential success” (2004, p. 7).
The role of the school staff in individualizing education
The staff members most concerned with the process of individualizing education are the mentor of the Dutch school case and the case managers at the Taiwanese school cases.
Both the mentor and the case manager are responsible for the IEP of a student. The difference, nonetheless, is that the Dutch mentor is responsible for guiding the student in formulating educational goals and managing the educational program while the Taiwanese case manager collaborates with other key staff members in formulating these goals. The mentors and the case managers are both the key members who communicate with all key staff members and other relevant parties involved in the process of individualizing education.
In both countries, staff members are expected to provide extra educational support if the student shows a need for this. A student‟s individual needs and interests become clear to key staff members by using the student‟s transition information, the (in)formal meetings, observations, assessments, homework, and (in the Taiwanese cases) examinations. The mentor and case manager discuss the educational program with each individual student. The interaction, however, is somewhat different in both countries. At Accent Nijkerk, a recurring theme was that the mentor „guides‟ a student in exploring educational subjects and
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determining educational goals. This is based on a „pull-out‟ technique where the mentor encourages the student to explore their own interests while trying to keep the student inside the boundaries of his/her own abilities as well as the available program. As was described in the last section, this kind of „pull-out‟ technique has proven to be difficult for the staff members at Nan Gang Comprehensive Vocational Department. While it is considered the preferred option, staff members, instead, often need to offer students subject and internship options and „push‟ them in a certain direction to make a choice.
As students do not yet have the option of determining the subjects of the educational program at the lower secondary education level of both countries‟ school cases, students at Taipei Junior High School are more involved in choosing the nature of their curriculum (academic versus functional or the level of classes taken) rather than the subjects studied. The case manager gives the students options and tries to convince the student of the benefit of the preferred option. In contrast, the Dutch school case already has a functional curriculum and, like in Taiwan, there are compulsory subjects. Dutch mentors at the lower level need to mainly guide the students in determining educational goals and arranging their weekly plans.
In both countries, individualized education calls for providing the student with extra individual instruction and tutoring if this is needed. Staff members in all three school cases need to manage a schedule where extra time is reserved for individual students who need more personal attention for a certain topic.
The Taiwanese school cases both have student counsellors and guidance teachers specifically dealing with behavioural issues of a student while also being in daily contact with the student. At Accent Nijkerk, the mentor is in charge of this aspect and there is not a
separate staff position available. For more serious behavioural difficulties, all school cases have additional experts present.