Files and links (1)
Free to read and download, Open Access
The purpose of this study was to understand 1) perceptions about transition services of special education teachers who work with students with intellectual disabilities (ID) and 2) dilemmas these teachers have encountered when implementing these services in Korea. I used Qualitative in-depth interviews for providing insight into the Korean special school teachers' perceptions of transition services, dilemmas they encountered in practice, and strategies for solving these dilemmas to improve their performance level for implementing transition services.
As a results of this study, I found many challenges or barriers that keep special education teachers for students with ID from effectively implementing transition services. I have used the four dilemmas framework theorized by Windschitl (2010) to further examine why the implementation of transition services is lacking.
In place of being critical of educators, it is important to provide them with an environment that allows them to work effectively. Active participation and cooperation by school administrators, parents, government organizations for people with disabilities, and legal services would be most helpful in providing an atmosphere in which special educators could ensure successful transition services for their students. This study also found that teachers had encountered other dilemmas that had not been categorized into the four dilemmas framework. In place of critiquing teachers' low levels of transition implementation, it would be more effective to provide professional development training for these educators and to prepare the educational and social infrastructure to enhance their implementation of transition services for students with ID.