The purpose of this study is to examine special education teachers’ experiences when following up students with developmental disabilities who were employed after completing the post-secondary education program in the specialized schools (PEPSS: Jeo...
The purpose of this study is to examine special education teachers’ experiences when following up students with developmental disabilities who were employed after completing the post-secondary education program in the specialized schools (PEPSS: JeonGongGwa in Korean).
Participants included eight special school teachers who were responsible for PEPSS. The data, collected from in-depth interviews, was analyzed by the comprehensive analysis procedures based on a pragmatic eclecticism.
Three upper categories emerged: (a) becoming an expert in providing follow-up services and managing students, (b) putting the puzzle pieces together: a student, parents, business, and peer teachers, (c) a rough sketch for the successful job maintenance.
The difficulties in managing follow-up job services included the unfamiliar tasks that are different from delivering instructions, heavy responsibilities, overburdened duties, etc. Teachers emphasized a need for the strong partnership among parents, business partners, and peer teachers to meet each student’s needs. Lastly, factors that lead to the successful job maintenance are associated with a proper job placement, students’ social skills and positive attitudes, the systematic information management, and support from professional organizations.