Journal of Exceptional People

J. Except. People 2018, 7(2):85-100

Impact of teaching assistants on children's adaptation to the school environment

Martina Fasnerová, Dominika Provázková Stolinská

Department of Primary and Pre-Primary Education, Palacky University, Žižkovo nám. 5, 771 40 Olomouc, Czech Republic

The paper deals with children's adaptation to the school environment in the context of the impact of teaching assistants and school club lecturers from the perspective of headteachers and employees of selected schools in the Olomouc Region. The research was carried out under the following project: 'Inclusive education for the Olomouc Region' (Ref. No. CZ.02.3.61/0.0/0.0/15_007/0000183) a part of which focused on children's adaptation to the school environment. The first section presents the theoretical information concerning adaptation, inclusive education, and the position of the teaching assistant; the second section focuses on the methodological survey aimed at headteachers, teachers and teaching assistants. The objective is to identify the impact of these specialized personnel, reflect on their work content, and describe the level of their involvement in the teaching process and their overall usefulness. In the conclusion section the authors emphasise that their role is indispensable for many schools and supports pro-inclusive tendencies in working with children with special educational needs and children from different socio-cultural environments. Being of an informative nature, the paper is intended not only for the lay public, but also for a wide range of students and professionals, mainly of a primary, special and social education background.

Keywords: adaptation, inclusion, teaching assistant

Published: June 11, 2018  Show citation