The Efficiency of the Educational System of the Program of High Diploma in Special Education at King Abdulaziz University in the Light of Professional Competencies
Abstract
The current research aims to assess the efficiency of the educational system of the program of high diploma in special education through identifying the professional competencies gained by graduates who work as teachers in the special education institutes and programs. The research team has developed a list of professional competencies that should be available in the special education teachers, a scale to determine the availability of the professional competencies in the special education teachers in the cognitive and affective domain, and a performance observation checklist to determine the professional competencies of the special education teachers in the Psychomotor domain. The research sample consists of (44) graduates of High Diploma in Special Education working as teachers in special education institutes and programs in Jeddah, Makkah, Taif, and Allayth in the tracks of hearing impairment, mental disability, learning disabilities, emotional disturbance and autism disorder, and visual impairment. Through the statistical treatment and analysis of results using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and (T) test of the same sample, the results of research reveals that the graduates of High Diploma in Special Education in all tracks have a high level of cognitive and affective professional competencies since (T) calculated value is (54.71), with significance level less than 0.005, and average of (2.5176) degrees out of (3) degrees as measured by the scale of professional competencies. Professional competencies in the Psychomotor domain is also available very significantly as measured by the performance observation checklist since the calculated value of (T) is (45.655) which is larger than the tabular value of (T), with significance level less than 0.005, and average of (2.0493) degrees out of (3) degrees. The results also shows that professional competencies related to personal characteristics of special education teachers ranks first according to the results of professional competencies scale and performance observation checklist, whereas the professional competencies in using educational methods and technological innovations in teaching students with special needs ranks eighth and the last according to the results of the performance observation checklist. Moreover, the professional competencies of measuring and assessing students with special needs ranks last according to the results of professional competencies scale.
