ERIC Number: EJ816001
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Sep
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0962-0214
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Role of Special Education Teachers in Primary Schools in Greece
Boutskou, Evangelia
International Studies in Sociology of Education, v17 n3 p289-302 Sep 2007
Over the last 20 years special education teachers have emerged as a distinct but heterogeneous occupational group in Greece. This paper looks at how special education teachers perceive their job and their role. I explore how teachers give meaning to their experiences and how these experiences influence their practice. The different discourses and ambiguities over inclusion, integration and special education indicate the complexity of this area and of teachers' roles. The uncertainty over their role, the tensions with other professionals and the changing policy context and policy shifts create significant inconsistencies. This paper reveals that teachers are part of a network of professionals with contested interests in the field, and that there are numerous controversies and paradoxes in special education in Greek primary schools. I argue that teachers' voices can contribute to the current debate about inclusion, and that it could possibly facilitate a change in the nature of debate in Greece. (Contains 1 table.)
Descriptors: Teacher Role, Foreign Countries, Special Education Teachers, Special Education, Disabilities, Elementary School Teachers, Accessibility (for Disabled), Interviews, Educational Needs, Professional Development, Teacher Attitudes, Concept Formation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Greece
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A