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This comparative study explored the perceptions of educational stakeholders in Oman and the Philippines concerning children with disabilities and the goals of special education. Stakeholders' perspectives can influence their professional behaviours and attitudes, which, in turn, can profoundly impact children with disabilities who already face numerous challenges. Hence, comprehending the viewpoints of these stakeholders is vital for fostering socially just education for individuals with disabilities.

This study employed a qualitative comparative case study approach with a horizontal comparison strategy, and both convenience and purposeful sampling techniques were used for participant selection. The study involved 53 participants from both countries, including policymakers, teacher educators, in-service teachers and student teachers from general and special education domains. Data were gathered through individual interviews and themes were subsequently discerned via data analysis.

Despite the different cultural and historical contexts and distinct roles of stakeholders in both countries, the results indicate more parallels than disparities in their perceptions. The primary congruence underscored in this research was imperative to critically assess the language and ideology surrounding the goals of special education, such as mainstreaming and normalisation.

Although numerous studies have probed the perceptions of various educational stakeholders concerning children with disabilities and educational goals, there is limited research that encompasses the perspectives of the seven distinct stakeholder groups. The consistency of language usage across both countries and among all stakeholders underscores the need for a rigorous cross-country examination involving all educational participants.

Data librarianship, or data-driven librarianship, is the combination of information science, data science and e-science fields and is gaining gradual importance in the library and information science (LIS) profession. Hence, this study investigates the data librarianship core concepts (motivational factors, challenges, skills and appropriate training platforms) to learn and successfully launch data librarianship services.

A survey method was used and the data were collected through online questionnaire. Purposive sampling method was applied and 132 responses were received with 76 respondents from the public and 56 from the private sector universities of Pakistan. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS version 25) was used, and descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to analyzed the data.

LIS professionals understand the importance of data-driven library services and perceive that such services are helpful in evolving the image of the library, helping with the establishment of institutional data repositories/data banks, developing data resources and services for library patrons and especially researchers, and receiving appreciation and acknowledgment from the higher authorities. The major challenges that emerged from the data were: missing data policies, limited training opportunities for data librarianship roles, no additional financial benefits, lack of infrastructure and systems, lack of organizational support for the initiation of data-driven services, and lack of skills, knowledge and expertise. Data librarianship is in its early stages in Pakistan, and consequently, the LIS professionals are lacking basic, advanced and technical data-driven skills.

The policy, theoretical and practical implications describe an immediate need for framing data policies. Such policies will help the libraries or any other relevant entities to store the data and assign metadata and documentation in such a way that it is easy to retrieve and reusable for others.

This is the first study in Pakistan to investigate the perceptions of LIS professionals about data librarianship core concepts: motivational factors, challenges, skills and appropriate training platforms to grasp data-driven skills and successfully launch library services.

The purpose of this paper is to characterize library and information science (LIS) as fragmenting discipline both historically and by applying Whitley’s (1984) theory about the organization of sciences and Fuchs’ (1993) theory about scientific change.

The study combines historical source analysis with conceptual and theoretical analysis for characterizing LIS. An attempt is made to empirically validate the distinction between LIS context, L&I services and information seeking as fragmented adhocracies and information retrieval and scientific communication (scientometrics) as technologically integrated bureaucracies.

The origin of fragmentation in LIS due the contributions of other disciplines can be traced in the 1960s and 1970s for solving the problems produced by the growth of scientific literature. Computer science and business established academic programs and started research relevant to LIS community focusing on information retrieval and bibliometrics. This has led to differing research interests between LIS and other disciplines concerning research topics and methods. LIS has been characterized as fragmented adhocracy as a whole, but we make a distinction between research topics LIS context, L&I services and information seeking as fragmented adhocracies and information retrieval and scientific communication (scientometrics) as technologically integrated bureaucracies.

The paper provides an elaborated historical perspective on the fragmentation of LIS in the pressure of other disciplines. It also characterizes LIS as discipline in a fresh way by applying Whitley’s (1984) theory.

The aim of this study is to identify the travel constraints of people with special needs (PwSN) and the strategies used to overcome them. The article also intends to analyze the differences in travel constraints and negotiation strategies according to the type of disability and/or special need.

A qualitative study was conducted in which a sample of PwSN (people with disabilities – mobility, sensory and cognitive – seniors and people with food allergies) were interviewed in depth.

PwSN face a wide range of constraints when engaging in tourism activities. These constraints are very diverse and influence people with different intensity and have to be overcome using different negotiation strategies. However, differences in the constraints were observed according to the type of special needs.

One of the most significant practical implications of this research is the need for raising awareness regarding human diversity among tourism stakeholders. It is critical to link sectoral policies that are reflected in the social and business reality, creating public–private partnerships to raise the sharing of knowledge, equipment and services. By addressing the constraints that prevent PwSN from traveling, the tourism sector can create more opportunities for them to participate in social activities, improving their quality of life and contributing to a more sustainable and inclusive industry.

Traveling can present significant challenges for people with special needs, which affect the quality of their tourism experience. Despite growing academic attention to this issue in recent years, research in this field has primarily focused on specific aspects of disability. This study seeks not only to identify the barriers to travel faced by people with different special needs but also to explore the negotiation strategies used to overcome these barriers and the differences according to the type of special need.

The study aims to explore the diverse meanings and sources of frustration among Israeli principals working in special education settings. The study poses two questions: 1. What are the perceived expressions of frustration among principals working in the context of special education? 2. What are the perceived sources of frustration among principals working in special education settings?

A total of 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with principals working in special education schools for complex disabilities to investigate perceived expressions and sources of frustration.

The study identified four themes through data analysis: helplessness regarding the children, helplessness regarding bureaucratic aspects, frustration from conflicts and disappointment and frustration from feeling alone.

Despite the extensive acknowledgment of emotions and feelings in the context of educational leadership, the experience of work frustration among special education school principals has not been explicitly investigated. This research provides empirical insights into the nuanced experiences of frustration among special education principals, offering both empirical and practical implications for understanding and addressing this critical aspect of their work.

Despite the rhetoric emphasising partnership working, there has been a dearth of research related to the educational practices that reify interprofessional partnerships for young children with special educational needs. This doctoral study examined the subtle power shifts in the interactions between early years educators and other professionals against the backdrop of deficit policy discourses and institutional challenges. This research adopted a case study approach and utilised methodological triangulation to unveil educators' phronetic knowledge. The findings point to power differentials and partnership inequities which affect the roles and identities of early years educators. Participants assumed emergent leadership roles that encompassed elements of social pedagogy and pedagogical eclecticism which eschewed medicalised interventions in favour of intuitive pedagogical approaches centred on the child and family.

The role of caregivers and issues of parenting are controversial in research on disability. While appreciating the historical and political reasons to critique power relations in care systems and care relations, we argue that it is important to consider parents' and other caregivers' positions. A reconsideration provides insights into pervasive effects of ableism defining not only the individual child but parents and other relatives as well. We draw from extensive research on couples parenting a child with disability in Germany (Tröndle, 2022a). This study seeks to understand how parents of a child with disability cannot avoid understanding themselves as “special parents.” Through analyzing shared life stories of couples and individual biographies, the study reconstructs how identities evolve differently depending on their work-sharing arrangements. Based on our findings, the couples experience difficulties in maintaining dual employment arrangements. They become “unable” to step outside of the logic of welfare and health provision and structures of the labor market. Couples begin to explain their situation and the discrimination they experience by reflecting themselves as “special parents.” Heteronormative and ableist expectations hinder them in articulating resistance and gaining agency as allies of their children, facilitating positions of complicity. We argue that the approach suggested by this study – namely including the ambiguous situation of caregivers in Disability Studies – can encourage other researchers to consider othering and ableism of and by caregivers.

The purpose of this study is to determine the perception of graduates from teaching degree programs in Early Childhood and Primary Education carried out in Spain in accordance with the European Higher Education Area, who are currently working in classrooms, on their initial training in the educational treatment of diversity (ETD). In addition, potential differences were examined based on the teaching degree that was studied (Early Childhood or Primary).

This study used a mixed methodology including an ad hoc questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Participants were 140 working teachers who had previously earned their degree in Early Childhood or Primary Education programs. Data analysis was carried out from an integrative perspective, using a basic descriptive focus and content analysis.

The results reveal that the new teachers considered that their initial training in the area of ETD was not as extensive as it should have been and as required by their daily teaching needs. They felt that they had acquired better education in the theoretical content as compared to the practical component. They mentioned a lack of training to attend to students entering the system at a later stage as well as for those with high intellectual abilities, noting that the initial training in ETD focused excessively on deficits and not enough on potentialities and other student diversities.

This study may be useful as it offers an improved adaptation to the reality of early education in ETD classrooms of future teachers, both for the competent education administrations and universities. It may also serve as a starting point to adjust the permanent training offer for teachers to their specific needs, making up for the deficiencies of their initial training.

The development of inclusive education, characterised by both universal momentum and geopolitical differences, has largely omitted children and young people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. For this group, access to educational opportunities at all has been slow to be won, and separation for ‘special care’ for their very high support needs is the norm. There have been advances in recognising the human rights and indeed humanity of people with the most profound intellectual disabilities, but the focus of educationalists has often been on how to foster and document fine-grained learning gains and on the specialist nature of the teaching they need. In this chapter, in contrast, the emphasis is on how the spirit of ‘Nothing about us without us’ can extend to children and young people with profound intellectual disabilities such that they are at the heart rather than periphery of the education and research process. The potential for belonging in education and research is illustrated through exploratory work on doing research inclusively with children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities in two English special school classes. The starting point is seeking to know them from being with them in a particular way. The knowledge shared in the chapter is a mix of big picture state of the art overview and deep intersubjective knowledge/feeling created together with children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. The implications for future research in inclusion include the need to start from a different mindset in which belonging and reciprocity inform an asset-based approach.

The purpose of the paper is to describe the development and implementation of a specialized Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) designed to enhance the knowledge and skills related to sustainability in students with Down Syndrome. This VLE serves as a means to make sustainable concepts more accessible and comprehensible to this specific student group, with the aim of promoting their engagement and understanding of sustainability, environmental awareness, recycling, and sustainable construction. The ultimate goal is to empower students with Down syndrome by providing them with a tailored educational tool that facilitates their learning in a manner that is engaging and effective.

The approach outlines the overarching plan for creating the e-learning platform, including the technological choices and design considerations necessary to make it effective and accessible for students with Down Syndrome. It's a fundamental component of the methodology, as it sets the direction for the platform's development and aligns with the objectives of the study. And also encompass the strategy for teaching and learning sustainability aspects to students with Down syndrome.

Positive Feedback from Tutors and Professionals: The feedback from tutors and professionals is generally positive, with 91.4% finding the platform to be well-organized and 88.6% considering the content adequate and understandable. This suggests that the VLE met the needs and expectations of educators and professionals involved in the learning process. Utility for Professional Practice: Approximately 80% of tutors and professionals found the platform useful for their professional practice, indicating that it has practical applications beyond student learning. This information highlights the success and potential impact of the VLE for this specific target group.

The study may not have explored the depth of sustainability concepts covered within the VLE. Future research could delve into the specifics of the content and its effectiveness in teaching complex sustainability topics.

The incorporation of universal design principles in the VLE development could serve as a model for creating inclusive e-learning platforms. This has broader implications for improving digital accessibility in education. The positive feedback from tutors and professionals suggests the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in education. Professionals from various fields, including special education and sustainability, can work together to create effective and inclusive learning tools.

This study can contribute to the broader discussion on inclusive education and the effective use of technology to enhance learning experiences for individuals with disabilities.

The study addresses a crucial gap in the field of sustainability education by focusing on students with Down syndrome. It highlights the importance of making sustainability education inclusive and accessible to a diverse range of learners, including those with disabilities. This originality contributes to the broader discourse on inclusive education and environmental awareness. The development of a specialized Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for this specific target group is an original contribution. It demonstrates the potential for adapting educational technology to meet the unique needs of students with Down syndrome, potentially serving as a model for future educational tool development.