Journal of Advocacy, Research and Education

134-147

Authors: Joseph Reginard Milinga

The quest for equal access, participation and success in education for persons with disabilities is paramount in today’s global education context, and Tanzania is no exception. Since the ages of “denial” to “full inclusion”, educating students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms has had been responded differently by teachers and students alike across countries. Confronted by different challenges in their education, students with disabilities are to devise mechanisms to excel in such restrictive learning environments. Informed by interpretive research traditions with 59 purposefully selected participants, this paper explores challenges that students with disabilities are faced with and coping strategies used by these students in their schooling in two inclusive secondary schools in Tanzania. The findings indicate that, students with disabilities are faced with challenges which are teacher and environment-related. Consequently, the students with disabilities use complaints, assistance seeking, self-initiatives, isolation and despair, and assertiveness to cope with the challenges. The study concludes that; educational stakeholders should work collaboratively in order to lessen the impact of the restrictive nature of learning environments for students with disabilities. The paper recommends on improved teacher preparation and continued professional development in order to cater for the learning needs of students with disabilities in inclusive schools.

158-168

Authors: Olha Osova, Violetta Panchenko

The use of modern textbooks is currently affecting the growth and development of Ukrainian higher educational establishments. Keywords like; “teaching”, “foreign languages”, “textbook”, “training manual”, “electronic textbook”, and “electronic training manual” were used to search for scientific pedagogical and methodological literature. The review shows a convergence tendency among the different kinds of educational publications and redistribution of their functions. The article indicates that the limits imposed by textbooks are indistinct due to their integration into other educational training manuals and publications [such as workbooks, reference books, reading books, dictionaries]. The advantages of multimedia means can be realized in full, only if the perception of new information is accompanied by different kinds of cognitive activities: from motor functions to inductive, logical and creative thinking. These goals can be achieved using the complex of exercises presented in the contents of the analyzed electronic textbooks.

174-178

Authors: Elena V. Semenikhina, Artem A. Yurchenko

The training of teachers involves the formation of skills which are meant to be used in their future professional activities. Given the exponential increase in information content, there is a need to look into the levels and components of the professional readiness of teachers to use computer visualization tools. This article describes the four levels of teachers’ readiness [passive, basic, conscious, active] to use computer visualization tools. These levels are based on the proposed components of teachers’ readiness [motivational, cognitive, technological, reflexive] to use these tools.