Classroom behavior management strategies to support children with special educational needs

• Autor(a) principal: Vendas, Alyssia Ysabelle Silva
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/110184
• topic: Necessidades educativas especiais; Comportamento em sala de aula; Special educational needs; Autism spectrum disorder; Asperger syndrome; Behavior management strategies; Foreign language learning; Young learners; Teaching primary level; Necessidades Educativas Especiais; Transtorno do espectro do autismo; Síndrome de Asperg; Estratégias de gestão de comportamento em sala de aula; Aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras; Jovens aprendizes; Primeiro ciclo do ensino básico; Domínio/Área Científica::Ciências Sociais::Ciências da Educação

The following study was developed as part of the practicum on a master’s degree in teaching English as a foreign language in primary school. The aim of this research was to apply three behavioral strategies, preventive, supportive and corrective and investigate which had a better influence on students with special educational needs, more precisely, a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The key was to maintain good classroom management whilst keeping the child interested and focused during all the activities proposed by the teacher. Even though thirteen fourth-grade students, aged 9-10 years old, participated, the research was a case study that focused only on one child. The methodology applied throughout this research was that of action research, which included quantitative and qualitative data collection with the aid of a feelings grid, three different questionnaires, personal teaching journals, as well as, weekly reflections that were anintegral part of the Supervised Teaching Practice Seminar 2. Results were based on research tools that were used. The study proved that preventive, supportive and corrective strategies help young learners with Asperger's syndrome (which is included on the low level of the autism spectrum disorder), maintain a good behavior in class and consequently teachers are able to have a well-managed classroom environment. In addition, the strategies that best fit the characteristics of the child are preventive and support strategies, which effectively helped maintain a well-managed classroom regarding the child's behavior. It also allowed the child to participate in various activities related to each strategy that were implemented through daily routines, positive reinforcement, group work and pair work, to reflect and analyze his own behavior in the classroom. This led the child to understand his own development, strengths and weaknesses in the English learning classroom.