ABSTRACT

The reliance on teaching assistants (TAs) for inclusion is discussed in relation to the quality of instructional support. Swiss policy stipulates two distinct models for TAs working in mainstream classes: they can either be employed to work with a particular pupil with special educational needs (SEN) or be employed as a general aide to provide support for the whole class. This article describes a study investigating teachers’ and TAs’ interactions with pupils during individual seatwork based on observational video data and examining how these reflect the roles foreseen for TAs. The analysis is based on videos of 90 minutes in each of the 31 primary school classes with TA and teacher being present. Results of the video analysis of individual seatwork demonstrate that TAs interact longer with pupils with SEN and pupils with lower attainment levels than teachers do. The analysis of the content of instructional support reveals that TAs often use transmissive approaches, i.e. telling a pupil how to tackle a task or even provide the correct answer, whereas co-constructive support, such as scaffolding, is less prevalent. The findings are discussed regarding their relevance for policy and the development of practice.

摘要

结合教学支持的质量，讨论了对助教（TA）包容性的依赖。瑞士政策规定了在主流班级工作的助教的两种截然不同的模式：它们既可以用于与有特殊教育需求（SEN）的特定学生一起工作，也可以作为一般助手为整个班级提供支持。本文介绍了一项研究，该研究基于观察性视频数据调查教师和助教在个别座位工作期间与学生的互动，并研究它们如何反映预见助教的作用。该分析基于31个小学班级中每个班级90分钟的视频，其中有助教和老师。单个座位的视频分析结果表明，助教与有特殊教育需要的学生和学历水平较低的学生的互动时间长于教师。对教学支持内容的分析表明，助教通常使用透射式方法，即告诉学生如何解决任务甚至提供正确答案，而诸如脚手架之类的共建支持则不那么普遍。讨论了调查结果与政策和实践发展的相关性。