Poon Kin Loong, Kenneth

"This was a pilot study designed to inform the possible design of a large scale longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of preschoolers in Singapore - Objective 1: To identify the most compelling issues in developmental outcomes for children in relation to the impact of the family/home environment, as well as early care and education experiences. This objective shaped the direction for addressing objectives 2-4: Objective 2: To identify and validate instruments to measure children's developmental outcomes Objective 3: To identify scales and design/pilot a survey instrument to measure family/home factors Objective 4: To design and pilot survey instruments to measure characteristics of early care and education institutions." -- p. 1.

While there has been growing theoretical and policy interest in the areas of home-school partnership and inclusive education, relatively little work has linked the two fields. Where there have been studies, these have focused primarily on parent or school perspective. With inclusive education in its nascent stage in Singapore, this study examines the different roles emerging from home and school as well as factors underpinning this partnership. Data was drawn from interviews with 13 parents and 30 school staff. Our findings indicate that home-school partnership is a work in progress that is continually subject to home and school dynamics. The expectations and perceptions of parents and educators must be taken into consideration if the partnership is to succeed and sustain. Support from the wider community creates a synergy which reinforces home-school partnership and increases the visibility of children with disabilities by turning a private concern into a shared societal issue.

Over the last several decades, behavioral methods have proven to be most effective in reducing challenging behaviors (Murphy et al. 2005). Developed on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), behavioral methods such as functional behavior assessments (FBA) and behavioral interventions, have been established as “best practice” to address a student’s challenging behavior (Alberto & Troutman, 2013; Cooper, Heron & Heward, 2007). Additionally, in the international context, research findings within the behavioral literature seem to suggest a critical training need in FBA and behavior intervention skills among school personnel who work with children with disabilities, especially those with challenging behaviors. Similar findings were documented within the local context. In an effort to evaluate competencies and training needs in FBA and behavioral interventions in Singapore, Dutt, Chen, and Nair (2018) conducted an exploratory study that investigated skills and training needs reported by 378 special educators and 38 teaching assistants in FBA and behavioral interventions across seven SPED schools in Singapore. This study was funded by the Office of Educational Research, NIE (SUG 18/11 AD). Results indicated a high need for training among special educators and teaching assistants in a) effective behavioral intervention strategies to manage severe challenging behaviors (e.g., differential reinforcement procedures), b) behavior assessment procedures to identify the function of challenging behaviors (e.g., direct and indirect measures used in an FBA), and (c) skill training programs to teach functional skills to replace challenging behaviors (e.g., use of various graduated prompting procedures). Additionally, findings revealed that training needs in FBA and behavioral interventions were higher for teaching assistants than special educators. Being the first study of its kind in Singapore to explore training needs of SPED school personnel in this area of behavior supports, the results of this study provides insightful evidence to inform the creation of professional development programs in FBA and behavioral interventions, customized to the diverse training needs of various groups of school personnel.

Given the large numbers of school personnel that could benefit from training in function based behavior assessments and interventions, web-based training platforms could be employed to reach a larger audience. With current advances in modern technology and greater accessibility, online and technology-mediated learning have become a plausible and sustainable means of providing professional development opportunities, especially when faced with financial, geographical limitations and the lack of trainers/experts to provide on-site support (Daytner, Robinson, Schneider, & Johanson, 2009; Stone-MacDonald & Douglass, 2015; Yang, Tzuo, & Komara, 2011). Online instruction refers to the delivery of training with the use of communication technology that can be accessed by teacher(s) on a device at any place, possibly at any time, with internet (Allen, Jones, Davies, Lowe, & Jarman, 2008). Communication and learning could happen in real time (e.g., through a videoconference), or asynchronously (e.g., through emails, forums). Thus, training can be continuous and accessible at all times and it need not always depend on the trainers’ availability (Allen et al., 2008).

In this presentation, Ms Tan Peng Chian talked about “Including preschool children with developmental needs: Factors influencing teachers’ Intention and use of inclusive practices”.

"This study sought to understand how students with mild disabilities are supported in Singapore mainstream schools."-page 14.