Universal Journal of Educational Research Vol. 4(12), pp. 2795 - 2805
DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2016.041213
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The Inclusion Assistant: Who Is She Supposed to Be? An Exploratory Study

Anat Moshe , Perach Licht ^*
Department of Special Education, Beit Berl Academic College, Israel

ABSTRACT

Following the almost worldwide implementation of policies giving all students - including those with special education needs - the right to learn within the general education system, there has been a sharp increase in the number of inclusion assistants (IA). IAs provide special-needs students one-to-one accompaniment, allowing them to function in the general education classroom and reducing the onus on the classroom teacher in such cases. Unfortunately, many, if not most, of IAs enter the system without suitable training or special qualifications and often neither they nor the teachers have a clear idea of how they should fulfill their role. This exploratory study used a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to identify and compare how 30 classroom teachers and IAs define the IA's role. It also studied how eight IAs changed their perception of their roles after attending an IA training course and what the implications of such courses may be. The findings indicated that there is a discrepancy in how teachers and IAs define the IA's role, indicating a need for clearer delineations. The results also indicated the necessity for creating a suitable framework for teaching IAs the theoretical and practical aspects of the job.

KEYWORDS
Inclusion Assistant, Students with Special Educational Needs, Professional Training

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Anat Moshe , Perach Licht , "The Inclusion Assistant: Who Is She Supposed to Be? An Exploratory Study," Universal Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 4, No. 12, pp. 2795 - 2805, 2016. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2016.041213.

(b). APA Format:
Anat Moshe , Perach Licht (2016). The Inclusion Assistant: Who Is She Supposed to Be? An Exploratory Study. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 4(12), 2795 - 2805. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2016.041213.