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The use of reinforcement is widely researched and has been demonstrated as an effective method to increase desired, appropriate behavior and to decrease problematic behavior at both the individual and group level. This study aimed to identify what types of reinforcement Jordanian preschool teachers employ in the classroom and if they perceive their students as benefiting from reinforcement. A total of one hundred seventy-eight (178) teachers participated in the study. An open-ended questionnaire was used to collect data from preschool teachers. The data were then translated from Arabic to English. Four main categories were identified from the data analysis process: verbal, tangible, social and activity reinforcement. Analyses revealed that teachers emphasized verbal reinforcement the most, favoring general over specific praise, followed by tangible, social and activity reinforcement as the least. Moreover, teachers reported twenty-three (23) benefits of using reinforcement with children at this age, which were grouped into six main themes: behavioral specific, internal specific, social specific, learning specific, perceived child preference, and general. Teachers reported that reinforcement directly and positively affect children. Recommendations for teachers are also presented.

This study aimed to investigate teachers' assistive technology (AT) practice in teaching children with developmental disabilities (DD) in early intervention (EI) settings in Jordan. A random sample of 125 early intervention teachers participated in the study by completing the study scale; 20 teachers were later interviewed. The results indicated that the teachers' perceptions about the availability of technology had the lowest mean while their skills in employing AT in teaching had the highest. The result also indicated a positive correlation between the study variables (teachers' belief in the importance of using, teachers' skills, the availability of AT resources), and the teachers' practice. Directions for further research and recommendations for policy and practice are discussed.

This study examines the perceptions of kindergarten (KG) teachers in Jordan about the importance of using a reading pictures strategy and the barriers to doing so. A descriptive design was employed and 192 teachers were surveyed to rank their perceptions. The results showed that teachers perceived a moderate level of importance about using reading pictures and almost a quarter indicated a low level of importance. There was no significant effect of specialisation, while there was a significant effect of qualification and years of experience. The results also revealed that using a reading pictures strategy is currently constrained by different factors including low parental involvement and lack of administration interest. A number of recommendations are presented for enhancing teachers' perceptions regarding a reading pictures strategy and combating constraints.

This study was conducted to determine the most common contemporary evaluation methods used by kindergarten teachers to assess kindergarten children. The study sample consisted of 527 kindergarten teachers. A scale was developed in order to achieve the study's purposes. The results indicated that the Teacher's Practices in the Evaluation Process (TPEP) had the highest mean score, and the Informal Evaluation Methods (IEM) had the lowest. The results revealed that there are statistically significant differences in the evaluation methods kindergarten teachers use in their classrooms according to their qualifications, their years of teaching experience and the interaction between these two variables. The study recommends training courses for kindergarten teachers to raise their competencies in the field of evaluation, in order to change the methods of evaluation used and avoid the errors of traditional evaluation methods.

The purpose of this study was to examine 197 Jordanian primary school teachers' creative personality, their beliefs about creativity, and creativity fostering practices. The researcher developed a questionnaire which consisted of three self-reported scales: teachers' creative personality, teachers' beliefs about creativity and teachers' creativity fostering practices. The results indicate that teachers' creative personality characteristics and teachers' beliefs about creativity are aligned with their perception of their practices for fostering children's creativity. In addition, gifted resource-room teachers, teachers from private schools and teachers with less than 10 years' experience were found to hold stronger and more positive beliefs concerning creativity than their colleagues working in regular classrooms or in government schools, and those with more than ten years' teaching experience. Moreover, teachers from private schools were found to have a more creative personality compared to teachers from government schools.

This paper examines collaboration between general and special education teachers in mainstream schools in Jordan from their own points of view. It explores the extent to which teachers work collaboratively throughout the different stages of the special educational programs of students with special needs (i.e. referral, assessment, planning, and implementing the educational program stages). It also looks at constrains that may hinder this collaboration. The study adopts a mixed method design, where teachers' views on collaboration and constrains on collaboration were first surveyed and then further examined through a series of semi-structured interviews. Both survey and interview results showed that teachers collaborate at a low level throughout the different stages of the student's special educational program. Results also showed that collaboration is constrained by different factors including: teachers' large workload; high numbers of students in the classroom; lack of awareness of the importance of collaboration; lack of pre- and in-service training in the area of inclusive education; general education teachers' negative attitudes toward working with students with special needs; and lack of support from schools administration and students' families. The results are discussed in relation to the study context: inclusive education was only recently introduced to the education system in Jordan and has therefore not yet been fully adopted or understood by the different educational parties. Also, general and special teachers education programs at both pre-service and in-service level have not updated their programs so to prepare teachers to work in inclusive educational settings and be able to collaborate with each other.

Introduction: Ethical practices and technology are current trends in education for individuals with disabilities. This study investigates the perceptions of assistive technology expressed by teachers of students with visual impairments (i.e., blindness or low vision) in Jordan. Methods: The research involved 20 teachers. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analysis carried out via the constant-comparative method. Results: The results highlight the challenges that teachers perceive in using assistive technology with their students, particularly regarding computer use, the willingness of a child to use a particular device, the lack of such technologies in schools and in the home, and a lack of training in the home. The results highlight perceived external barriers to the effective use of assistive technology, including those related to finance, training, societal attitudes, and family support. It appears that assistive technology can also have negative effects, which can be considered an ethical issue, since such technologies can expose students with visual impairments to negative community attitudes, addiction, bullying, abuse, and extremism. Discussion: Teachers highlight the issues they experience in using assistive technology with students with visual impairments in Jordan, which can be explained by the contextual conditions in the country. Implications for practitioners: Decision-makers in the field of visual impairment need to consider these issues through providing professional development, addressing financial barriers, and conducting awareness programs for students regarding the effective use of assistive technology.

This study aimed to investigate the inclusion of disability issues and concepts in the national curriculum (NC) from the perspective of Jordanian curriculum experts, and content analysis was used to analyse interviews with 15 experts. The results revealed that the curriculum experts think that the inclusion of disability issues is not a priority and does not receive enough attention from the Ministry of Education, and they described a variety of barriers to including disability issues in the curriculum. The experts agreed on the importance of the curriculum in increasing awareness of disability issues and changing community attitudes. These positive attitudes of the experts can be used to encourage decision-makers to focus on the inclusion of disability issues and facilitate a successful inclusion process. Finally, the inclusion of disability issues will help in achieving the successful inclusion of persons with disabilities in education and life in general.

Special education plays a critical role in ensuring equal educational opportunities for individuals with diverse learning needs. In the context of Jordan, the development of special education has made significant progress over the years, reflecting the country's commitment to inclusivity and diversity, with notable efforts from the government and various stakeholders to enhance the inclusivity and accessibility of education for students with disabilities (SWDs). This scoping review aims to explore the reality of special education development in Jordan, and identify the challenges faced in implementing an effective model. By conducting a comprehensive literature search, analysing relevant government and non‐government reports and studies, this research aims to shed light on historical context, policies, progress made, practices and highlight existing challenges and gaps, and propose potential solutions to enhance special education practices in the field of special education in Jordan. This study emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and implementation of effective strategies to enhance education services for SWDs in the country. By exploring relevant literature, this research also intends to create a roadmap for policymakers and stakeholders to enhance special education services in Jordan and promote a more supportive environment for learners with diverse needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of increasing number of students with disabilities in universities, there is limited research on quality of life of these students. This study aimed to identify the quality of life level of undergraduate students with disabilities at Jordanian universities. The sample consisted of (147) students. A quality of life scale was constructed, then it was validated, and then it was administrated to the sample of the study. Results revealed that students with disabilities have a medium level of quality of life expressed in a total score of (3.48), meanwhile, the highest mean was for religious and spiritual domain (4.4) and the lowest mean was for cognitive/mental domain (2.93). Results also revealed no statistically significant differences in all domains of the scale and the total score due to disability type or severity. In addition, there are statistically significant differences in the total score due to gender in favor of females.

The purpose of this study was to compare the availability of a creative environment within regular schools between the academic year 2009/2010 and 2015/2016 by measuring teachers' perceptions concerning creativity, their self-efficacy, teaching creativity, and barriers to creativity. A questionnaire was developed and distributed among 297 teachers teaching the basic primary stage (grades 1-3). The findings indicated high averages for teaching creativity in the classroom, and teachers' self-efficacy to foster children's creativity in the classroom ranked the highest, while barriers to creativity ranked the lowest. The results showed significant differences due to teacher gender, in favour of female teachers, and teaching experience only regarding perceptions of the creativity domain. There were statistically significant differences between the academic years for the overall scale and the four domains in favour of the 2015/2016 academic year. Directions for further research and practical implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Impulsive behavior is a characteristic of children with specific learning disabilities (SLD), and is related to learning ability. The present study aims to identify impulsivity behavior in children with SLD who attend inclusion schools, from their resource room teachers' perspectives. A 31-item questionnaire that addressed four subscales was designed, and the study sample consisted of 103 resource room teachers of children with SLD from various inclusion schools in Al-Zarqa city in Jordan. The results revealed that the main problem was related to lack of premeditation, followed by lack of perseverance and urgency. The results also indicated that there were statistically significant differences only for the Lack of Perseverance subscale, with regard to level of disability, whereas there were no differences attributed to teacher gender, child gender, and age. Based on these findings, implications and recommendations are discussed.

The present study aimed to explore parents' attitudes towards including children with disabilities (CWDs) in public kindergartens (KGs) in Jordan. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 250 parents of CWDs and others without disabilities at the kindergarten stage. The results revealed that most respondents had neutral attitudes towards including CWD issues in public KG, and about 36.4% of parents held negative attitudes. The results of multiple regression analysis also indicated that the parent's gender, age, having a CWD, and degree of disability, were considered statistically significant predictors of the parents' attitudes towards including CWDs in public kindergartens. Implications of the findings and recommendations are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates online learning provision for students with intellectual disabilities (SWID) that was offered by special educational settings during a coronavirus outbreak in Jordan, from the perspective of their mothers (n = 67). A qualitative phenomenological design was adopted through the use of semi-structured interviews. An inductive theoretical approach was used in the data analysis. Five themes emerged concerning lack of receipt of online learning (OL) suitable for SWID during a coronavirus outbreak; training domains provided to SWID; achieved goals using OL; barriers to use of OL during a coronavirus outbreak; and suggestions for enhancement of OL. Implications of the findings and recommendations are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined teachers' professional perceptions about substance abuse (SA) education in Jordanian schools serving students with disabilities. Thematic analysis was conducted on interviews obtained from 60 teachers. Teachers indicated that they had low levels of professional preparation for their role as addiction educators; they also considered the SA education in their schools to be inadequate and expressed a desire for more courses on SA. These results suggest that the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Health (MOH) should emphasize the need for programs to address special education (SE) teachers' perceptions about their vital role in SA education in Jordanian schools serving students with disabilities and also to improve teachers' professional competencies.

The aim of this study was to investigate childhood fears in children who are blind from the perspective of teachers who are blind. The study was conducted in Jordan. Forty-six teachers were interviewed. Results revealed that the main fear content in children who are blind includes fear of the unknown; environment-, transportation- and people-related fear; and fear of animals. The teachers reported that the reasons for fear in children with visual impairment include child-related reasons (internal reasons), lack of training (hearing, social skills, orientation and mobility [O&M] and tactile training), family factors and an unsuitable physical environment. O&M training, independence training, family counselling and environment adaptation were reported to be the best procedures to deal with fear in these children. Recommendations are provided in the light of the study.

The aim of this study was to investigate fear in children with visual impairments (VI) from the perspective of their parents. The study was conducted in Jordan. One hundred and eight parents were surveyed. Results revealed that the main fear contents in children with VI are fear of voices and social communication fears. There were no statistically significant differences between male and female children. Fear content differed as a function of age: six-year-olds feared certain factors more than five-year-olds; seven-year-olds feared the same factors more than six-year-olds. Furthermore, first-born children fear social communication significantly more than later-born children. Finally, various domains differed significantly according to disability severity.

An appropriate curriculum for children with hearing impairments (HIs) is vital in establishing effective educational programmes for such children. This study aimed to describe the current status of the kindergarten (KG) curriculum for children with HIs in Jordan. Content analysis was applied to the curriculum plans and weekly schedules and in-depth interviews with 15 teachers were conducted. The findings revealed confusion and concern regarding the curriculum for children with HIs. One major recommendation is a comprehensive reform process to enhance the current state of the curriculum for children with HIs in Jordanian KGs.

The current research investigated early years teachers' perspectives regarding the role of computer technology in supporting children's learning in Jordanian kindergartens. Thirty semistructured interviews were conducted with preschool teachers. The sample of kindergartens in this study was purposefully selected from the targeted population of Jordanian public kindergartens in the central, northern, and southern regions. Selected kindergartens for this study were distributed among the three regions based on the proportion of kindergartens in each region compared to the total number of kindergartens across Jordan. Findings indicated that the preschool teachers did not have certain understandings of the benefits and advantages of young children's computer use. Nevertheless, some of them highlighted some potential advantages of computer use for young children, such as acquisition of basic computer skills; the provision of a new means of self-expression; enhancement of learning, particularly in literacy and numeracy; and enrichment of school curricula. The study provides several practical and theoretical recommendations to improve the use of computer technology in the Jordanian kindergarten context to support children's learning, particularly in the area of literacy and numeracy.

This study aims to identify the beliefs of Jordanian parents of children with disabilities (CWD), including intellectual disabilities, specific learning disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorder: both in terms of the causes of these disabilities, and the ability of their children to make progress. A qualitative interpretive methodology was employed. Interviews were used to collect data from 63 parents of CWD. Two major themes emerged concerning beliefs about the causes of disability and children's progress. Results showed generally that disabilities were attributed to supernatural and biomedical causes; also, most parents had positive expectations about their children's progress, especially in education skills, and had hopes for their children's futures. Conclusions and implications are presented in the light of the study findings.

This study investigates what competencies are needed by teachers of children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH), in the changing circumstances of their profession in Jordan. One hundred and five teachers of children who are DHH from kindergarten up to primary grade took part in this study. A scale was developed in order to achieve the goals of the study. The results revealed that the teachers' competencies on the development of Instructional Planning Strategies subscale ranked first as the most important teaching competency that teachers need to develop. Competencies in definitions and communication skills, assessment, managing the classroom environment, and team working ranked lower, with developing positive attitude ranked the last. Moreover, the results showed that there were significant differences at (a = 0.05) according to school type in favour of private schools, according to educational settings in favour of local public schools (inclusion settings), and according to teachers' background in favour of ordinary teachers with general teaching qualifications. Based on the findings, appropriate recommendations for the educational system of the DHH in Jordan were outlined.

This study describes a kindergarten curriculum for children with hearing impairments, from their teachers' perspectives. Qualitative research data from interviews with 20 teachers were analysed using content analysis methodology. The results pinpoint a collection of proposed curriculum components (i.e. a general framework and outcomes document; textbooks for children, including on sign language; textbooks for teachers; and attached learning resources). Additionally, the results outline a set of characteristics of, and specifications for, a curriculum for children with hearing impairments related to content and formatting. For a curriculum for children with HIs, this study found that teachers did not rely on a single textbook but rather suggested a suite of resources. Participants also indicated the importance of improving a special outcomes document for children with HIs. Furthermore, the results pinpointed a set of characteristics related to content and formatting for a specialized curriculum. These characteristics are mainly: using functional subjects and skills, arranging letters by simplicity, exploiting students' strengths by using methods such as visual stimuli, and using technology. The data support the importance of developing targeted curricula that include specialized domains, such as auditory training, breathing practices, speech training, sign language, and finger-spelling.

This study aimed at examining Jordanian pre-service special education teachers' professionalism and preparation on the topic of child sexual abuse (CSA). Qualitative research data from interviews with 20 pre-service special education teachers were analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed that these participants generally hold avoiding behaviour toward speaking about CSA as it is an unspoken taboo. Participants also hold low levels of professionalism on the topic of CSA. The results also demonstrate that they felt that their preparation programme is inadequate and desired more content and pedagogy courses that relate to CSA. Implications and recommendations are presented in light of the study findings.

This study aimed to ascertain the nature of curriculum activities in Jordanian preschools. Fifteen preschools participated in the study. Data were collected by observing the children in their daily routines, as well as analysing their writings and drawings. Data were translated from Arabic to English before analysing it. Four main categories were identified from the data analysis process: academic learning experiences; daily routine; types of activities; children's artefacts. Analyses revealed that preschool emphasised academic experiences rather than non-academic experiences, such as play time. Teachers focused on instructing children on the basics of reading, writing and math in addition to Islamic education. They considered the academic experiences most important for preparing children for success in school. Moreover, analysing the children's samples of writings and drawings, results revealed that most of the children's works was drawing. Writing was predominately in Arabic; however, children did use both languages simultaneously in their drawings and writings. The findings of this study can contribute to the existing literature about what curriculum activities exist in Jordanian preschools and add to the much needed early childhood research in Jordan.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the level of quality of work life QOWL of Jordanian special education teachers. Participants of the study were 133 special education teachers. Results showed that special education teachers cited average level of QOWL. Furthermore, teachers rated administrators' and colleagues' respect as the best item of QOWL. Whereas, teachers rated participation in decision making in school as the lowest item of QOWL scale. Results also indicated no statistically significant mean differences due to teachers' gender, education levels, and type of school (mainstreaming and special education school). Recommendations for future research are presented.

Due to the contemporary educational reform, the movement of teachers' preparation based on the competencies became the most prominent field of study. The current study aimed at exploring Professional Competencies among special education pre-service teachers (N = 112) and the level of their competencies' practice from their perspectives. Professional competence for special education teachers' scale was developed. Reliability and validity indications were achieved for this scale. Then it was administered to the sample of the study. Results indicated that students believe in the high importance of all competencies included in the scale, with the higher degree of importance for the efficiencies of IEP with a mean (4.44), while the level of students' practice of these competences was between high- medium with an average between (2.5-3.75). Only personal competences were high with a mean of (3.75), while the level of practice for the remaining competencies was medium. Practice of using technology competencies showed to be the lowest level with a medium mean of (2.50).

Early childhood teachers play major roles in defying child abuse and neglect and alleviating its detrimental effects on young children. Therefore, this study aimed at exploring how Jordanian pre-service early childhood teachers define and perceive violence against children and their role in child abuse detection and prevention. Furthermore, the study aimed at identifying pre-service early childhood perceived preparation needs in child abuse and neglect. To achieve the study purposes, an interpretive qualitative approach was utilised. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 pre-service early childhood teachers who completed a compulsory course in child abuse at the time of the study. Thematic analysis was applied to data through which findings were confined to three themes corresponding to the research questions: violence and abuse defined; perceived preparation needs; and perceived roles in child protection. Several implications and recommendations for educators and teacher preparation programmes were offered and discussed based on the findings of this study.

In the current study, we tested a Jordanian version of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency - Second Edition, Brief Form (BOT2-BF) for use with children with autism. Study participants were a convenience sample of 140 children in Jordan, aged 4–8 years, including70 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 70 children without disabilities. The BOT 2-BF consists of 12 items divided into eight main areas: fine motor skills, fine motor integration, manual dexterity, bilateral coordination, balance, speed and agility, coordination of the upper extremities, and strength. We administered the Jordanian version of the scale individually to all the participants and found it to have acceptable construct validity, internal item consistency, internal sub-scale correlations, discriminant validity for our two groups, and factorial validity on confirmatory factor analysis. The scale also had acceptable split-half reliability. This study is the first Arabic adaptation of the BOT-2BF, and it is the first study to show utility of this instrument for children with ASD. We present further recommendations for research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the counter (OTC) analgesics are widely used by people in our society. A questionnaire survey including 357 students at Hashemite University completed the survey. We aimed to evaluate the awareness of university students about OTC analgesics and the relationship between their use and stress parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed at investigating teachers' beliefs and their professionalism regarding the use of assistive technologies (AT) in teaching children with specific learning disabilities (SLD) in inclusive settings in Jordan. To achieve the study purpose, the researchers developed a scale, 'teachers' beliefs and professionalism', consisting of four subscales. A random sample of 157 SLD teachers participated in the study by completing the study scale and fifteen teachers were later interviewed. The SLD teachers' self-reported use of AT in curriculum of children with SLD was high. The teachers' perception of their professionalism in using assistive technologies in the teaching process sub-scale had the highest mean, whereas the availability of AT had the lowest. Results revealed a statistically significant correlation between teachers' beliefs and professionalism. The results also revealed that there were no significant differences between SLD teachers according to the teachers' gender or experience level, or the level of child disability. The results showed that there was only difference regarding the availability of AT sub-scale, pertaining to public school and private school and in favour of private schools. Directions for further research and recommendations for policy and practice are discussed. There is a vital need to investigate teachers' professionalism and beliefs regarding applying AT for the children with SLD in inclusion settings, especially in developing countries. The availability of AT sub-scale had the lowest mean. The teachers' perceptions of their professionalism in using AT in teaching had the highest mean. It is hoped that this study provide the decision-makers in the Ministry of Education (MoE) with valuable insights to develop the use of AT in teaching reading and writing for the children with SLD, as well as to develop their capacities to play a crucial role to develop a new appropriate training technique for the teaches to acquire the skills in order to enrich the using of AT to enhance the children abilities to develop their mental, social abilities in inclusive schools. Provide training for teachers and the teams who work with children with SLD to match particular technologies to specific needs to help the children with SLD to be more independent. Future studies should be done to get a complete picture about the role of AT in teaching children with SLD as perceived by teachers, principals, and parents. As well as to investigate the effectiveness of using AT in developing children skills with reading and writing difficulties to motivate schools in enhancing independence of the children. Further studies should also be conducted to compare the instructional practices in the field of AT used in Jordanian inclusive schools and schools applying international programmes to benefit from their instructional practices and their effective use of AT with children with SLD in inclusive schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to provide evidence-based information about future special education teachers' perceptions of their preparation for using assistive technology (AT), and the field status with respect to the use of AT. Content analysis was conducted in order to analyze the data from 15 semi-structured interviews and a focus group consisting of 8 participants. The results indicate that overall, the participants were dissatisfied with their preparation programs and the field status regarding the use of AT. Furthermore, the participants reported barriers and ethical considerations regarding the use of AT. Implications and recommendations are provided both for the research community and for decision-makers for special education teacher preparation programs and in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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