This study was designed to investigate daily routines and education activities after school as well as parents’ demands for installation and operation of after-school education for special class children and suggest directions for the improvement of...
This study was designed to investigate daily routines and education activities after school as well as parents’ demands for installation and operation of after-school education for special class children and suggest directions for the improvement of after-school education activities, focusing on the parents of special class students at schools supervised by the Busan Metropolitan North Office of Education Special Class Children and the Directions for the Improvement, and a questionnaire survey consisting of a total of 38 questions was administered, with the following conclusions;
1. Present situations of daily routines after school of special class children
For the most part, special class children were found to spend time with their mother at home after school, freely using time. However, many children tended to have difficulties playing with other children at the same age but play alone.
2. Present situations of after-school education activities of special class children
Although most children were found to rely on social welfare centers or private early-stage treatment facilities for the improvement of disabilities and development of sociality, many children were unable to receive treatment and education services needed, mainly because of economic burdens and the absence of treatment and education organizations fit for the needs of individual students. Most education activities cost 10 0,000 won for 1- or 2 to 3-hour session during 5 days a week, while many activities cost more. The study showed that after class education activities helped enhance the ability to perform daily routines and sociality of children, and while response of children to after-class education programs was higher, that of parents was lower.
3. Parents’ demands for installation and operation of after-school education for special class children
For the improvement of disabilities, therapist education, or supplementary study for school education, 99% of the subjects were found to support installation and operation of after-school education for special class children. In addition, as far as methods of operating after-school education were concerned, most subjects responded that small-group special classes(3 to 5 students per class) consisting of children with the same disabilities should be managed by special class teachers 1- or 2 to 3-hour session during 5 days a week at nearby schools, demanded for the development of programs, support for materials and tools, and preferential installation of treatment education-related areas(language, work, and psychological therapy and sense/perception training, etc.), and hoped the government to provide a full financial aid for after-school education.
4. Directions for the improvement of after-school education activities for special class children
It is desirable to implement after-class education activities, previously conducted outside of a school so as to expand learning options for special class children with disabilities and further to develop a variety of after-class education programs meeting the needs of individual students depending on their disabilities as well as interest and aptitude to ensure the consumer-centered education. Moreover, qualified specialized special class teachers should be secured to carry out systematic education, while state-level aids should be provided to relieve the burdens of child-upbringing and expenses for disability-improvement treatment.