Competence of Slovenian art teachers in working with pupils with special educational needs

Abstract

Comparisons of performance in the Slovenian national assessment of knowledge at the end of primary school show lower results for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in all school subjects and in arts education. Several authors highlight the hardships teachers face when working with pupils with SEN. Therefore, in the study we analysed the self-evaluation of competence for working with pupils with SEN among Slovenian art teachers in primary and secondary schools. The results show that the biggest challenges for Slovenian art teachers are the blind and visually impaired pupils and pupils with autistic disorders. They often offer the pupils adjustment in terms of achieving psychomotor goals. However, they are less able to identify pupils’ problems in the socio-emotional sphere and to use adjustment in relation to specific groups of pupils with SEN. Our research provides an insight into practice and thus a basis for further research in this area.