Journal of Positive School Psychology http://journalppw.

com
2023, Vol. 7, No. 2, 49-55

The Effect Of Teachers’ Training In Managing Strategies

On The Academic Achievement Of Students With Learning
Disabilities In Elementary Education
Miss. Sadia Ambarin 1, Professor Dr. Muhammad Naseer Ud Din1, Mr. Shah Jehan1

1
Department of Education & Psychology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Pakistan (Correspondence:
[email protected] )

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of teacher training in managing strategies on the academic
achievement of students with learning disabilities in elementary education. The research design was a one
group pre-test post-test, and a purposive sampling method was utilized to gather a sample of 40 students
from Cantt Public School Kohat. Five teachers were trained in coping strategies and their performance was
measured before and after the training. The students were taught English, Urdu, and Mathematics and post-
test results showed an improvement in all three subjects. This study's outcomes imply that providing teacher
training in coping strategies is a successful approach to enhancing the academic performance of elementary
school students with learning disabilities. The research findings indicate that providing teachers with
training in strategies for handling difficulties can significantly improve the academic outcomes of students
with learning disabilities. The research suggests that additional teacher education in strategies for handling
challenges would enhance their ability to aid students with learning disabilities in achieving academic
success.

INTRODUCTION instruction and guidance. Pakistan, like many

other developing countries, faces the compulsion
Untrained teachers may find it difficult to
of limited resources when it comes to providing
effectively educate students with learning
inclusive education for students with learning
disabilities in an inclusive education setting.
disabilities. Due to financial constraints, the
These students often require specialized
government is unable to establish special
instruction and accommodations to support their
education schools for all students with learning
learning, and it can be difficult for untrained
difficulties. As a result, these students are often
teachers to understand and implement these
left behind in the mainstream education system,
strategies effectively. Furthermore, creating an
struggling to keep up with their peers. This lack
inclusive educational setting can be difficult for
of resources also affects the training and support
teachers who are not trained, as they must
provided to teachers, making it difficult for them
accommodate the needs of all students in the
to effectively teach and support students with
class, including those with learning difficulties.
learning disabilities. Despite these challenges,
Untrained teachers who lack proper training and
Pakistan is making efforts to improve the
support may face difficulties in addressing the
education system for students with learning
needs of their students and delivering adequate
Miss. Sadia Ambarin 50

disabilities, but the limited resources remain a don't have special educational needs (SEN) are
significant obstacle. more likely to have a favorable outlook towards
those who do have SEN if they have a chance to
"Inclusive education" refers to the concept of
develop close relationships with both types of
allowing all students, including those with
students. This indicates that educational
different learning styles or disabilities, to actively
programs that encourage friendships between
engage and derive maximum benefit from
students with and without SEN can play a role in
educational programs offered in regular
enhancing inclusive education. An individual
classrooms (UNESCO, 2017). To fight against
with a learning disability may experience
the historical segregation of special education
difficulties in acquiring, organizing, retaining,
students based on a medical model of disability,
understanding, or using both verbal and
inclusive education was created with a focus on
nonverbal information. (Wilson, Furrie, Walcot-
educating students with special educational needs
Gayda, & Armstrong, 2011).
(SEN) (Kurth et al., 2018). Individuals with
disabilities and special educational needs are An SLD is a neurodevelopmental disorder rooted
entitled to an education equivalent to their non- in biology that leads to challenges and
disabled peers, and inclusive education is widely slowdowns in acquiring age-appropriate
acknowledged as a method to attain this objective academic knowledge during the early school
within typical classroom settings. (Schuster & years. (Grütter et al., 2017). Learning difficulties
Kolleck, 2021). Investigations into the impact of can impact the core competencies of reading,
inclusion on typical students have been writing, and arithmetic, among others.
conducted through various studies. Some of these
80% of individuals with learning difficulties have
studies have focused on the changes in the
dyslexia, which can hinder their ability to read
students' perspectives, compassion, and
and communicate efficiently. (Berninger, Abbott,
knowledge over a period of time. According to
Thomson, & Raskind, 2001) Other common
the (Smith & Williams, 2001), for instance, found
types of learning disabilities include dysgraphia
that typically developing children can be
(inability to write), dyscalculia (inability to
sensitive to the impact of multiple disabilities and
perform mathematical operations), and disorders
tend to have a positive view of the capabilities of
in visual-spatial organization. People with
children with multiple impairments, indicating
nonverbal learning disabilities face difficulties in
promising prospects for inclusion. Based on
nonverbal tasks such as visual-spatial problems,
parent reports, (Tafa & Manolitsis, 2003) found
recognizing social cues, reading body language,
that children who were educated with children
and solving problems, however, they are able to
with special educational needs showed higher
verbally express themselves, read and
levels of respect, understanding, and acceptance
comprehend written materials. The atmosphere of
towards their peers with disabilities. They also
a classroom is greatly influenced by the teacher,
displayed fewer biases and learned to be more
which can either facilitate or hinder the inclusion
supportive and accommodating towards
of students with disabilities. It is essential to
individuals with disabilities. This aligns with the
consider the implications of this for the education
results of other studies demonstrating that
of future educators. Recently, proposals have
inclusive education can challenge ableist
been made for significant changes to existing
attitudes by altering the perspectives of typically
teacher-education programs. Milton and Rohl's
developing children towards individuals with
work (Milton & Rohl, 1998) It is widely held that
disabilities. (Beckett, 2009). According to
the key ingredients to a successful education are
(Grütter, Gasser, & Malti, 2017), students who
 51 Journal of Positive School Psychology

student effort, teacher expertise, student to achieve academic success. According to the
motivation, and instructor engagement. In today's literature (Hanushek, Kain, & Rivkin, 1998),
era, it is essential for teachers to be well-informed training courses taken by educators have a
about contemporary teaching practices and to positive impact on classroom performance.
continuously cultivate their scientific and
Objectives of the study
personal development. (ALYA, 2014)
demonstrates the downfall of a teacher who fails 1. To assess the impact of teachers’
to stay current with professional advancements. It training in coping strategies on the
is widely acknowledged that when it comes to academic performance of elementary
improving education at a local level, the teacher students with learning disabilities
plays a crucial role. Their level of education, who are integrated into regular
expertise in the subject matter, teaching skills, classrooms
and commitment to their students are all critical 2. To determine the correlation between
factors that impact the success of the classroom. teachers' training and students'
According to (Ikram, Hameed, & Imran, 2020), academic performance.
In underdeveloped nations, the investment in
teacher training is much higher compared to that Hypothesis of the study
in industrialized countries. The educational The academic performance of students taught by
resources available to students play a crucial role trained educators is significantly higher than that
in determining the level of their education. The of students taught by their untrained teachers.
capability of teachers in impacting student
learning is linked to the quality of training Materials and methods
received, which should focus on knowledge A quasi-experimental design (one group, pre- and
tailored to students' needs and the application of
post-tests) was used for the action research. A
effective teaching methods. According to
sample of five teachers from the Cantt Board
(Stearns, Morgan, Capraro, & Capraro, 2012),
Public School in Kohat was chosen for the
training provides additional knowledge for training. A pre-test was administered before the
creating and maintaining the necessary recital.
training, which focused on coping and
(WestEd, 2000) found that teaching is persuasive
identification strategies for students with learning
because it has a positive impact on students'
disabilities. At the end of a two-week training
performance.(Wenglinsky, 2000) describes a program, the teachers were tasked with
subset of students and shows that, after their
implementing the newly acquired techniques
teachers had received training, they performed
with their students with learning disabilities over
well on standardised tests of mathematics and
a period of eight weeks. A pre-test and post-test
science. According to (Nyangarora, 1996),
were administered to both the teachers and
training teachers is what really helps students
students, and the results were documented and
succeed in school. According to (Sanders &
compared.
Rivers, 1996), A skilled educator is far more
capable than an untrained one, as the training they Data analysis
receive enhances their ability to impact student
outcomes. Teacher preparation, according to
Correlational analysis
(Ferguson, 1991), can pave the way for students
Miss. Sadia Ambarin 52

Statistics of Paired Samples

Mean N Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean Correlation Sig.
Before Teachers’ 45.60 5 12.75 5.70
training performance .96 .010
Students’ 12.80 5 5.58 2.49
performance
After Teachers’ 73.20 5 17.23 7.71
training performance .98 .003
Students’ 28.40 5 7.12 3.18
performance

The above table indicates the performance of sig level .010 , moreover, after training teachers’
teachers and students with learning disabilities performance was (M (73.20), S.D (17.23), and
before training teachers’ performance was (M students’ performance was (M (28.40), S.D
(45.60), S.D (12.75), and students’ performance (7.12) correlation .98 and sig level .003 ,
was (M (12.80), S.D (5.58) correlation .96 and

Statistics of Paired Samples Test

Paired Differences
95% Confidence
Std. Interval of the
Deviatio Std. Error Difference Sig. (2-
Mean n Mean Lower Upper T df tailed)
Before Teachers and 32.80 7.56 3.38 23.40 42.19 9.69 4 .001
training students’
performance
After Teachers and 44.80 10.35 4.63 31.94 57.65 9.67 4 .001
training students’
performance

The above table indicates the performance of (44.80), S.D (10.35) , lower and upper limits (32-
teachers and students with learning disabilities 57) df (4)) and both are significantly corelated sig
before training (M (32.80), S.D (7.56), lower and (.001).
upper limits (23-42) df (4)) and after training (M

Regression analysis

Model Summary
Std. Error Change Statistics
R Adjusted R of the R Square F Sig. F
Model R Square Square Estimate Change Change df1 df2 Change
1 .980a .960 .947 1.643 .960 72.288 1 3 .003
 53 Journal of Positive School Psychology

a. Predictors: (Constant), Post Test

The regression results, as displayed in the changes in the dependent variable. In this case,
regression table, indicate an R Square value of providing teachers with additional training is
.947, which is equivalent to 94% accuracy. This likely to result in a marked improvement in
implies that there is a significant relationship students' academic performance.
between changes in the independent variable and

ANOVAa
Model Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.
1 Regression 195.103 1 195.103 72.288 .003b
Residual 8.097 3 2.699
Total 203.200 4
a. Post Test: Dependent Variable:
b. (Constant), Post Test: Predictors:

In the ANOVA table, the regression value is independent variable has a significant impact on
greater than the residual value, indicating that the the dependent variable.

Coefficientsa
Standardize
Unstandardized d 95.0% Confidence
Coefficients Coefficients Interval for B
Lower Upper
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig. Bound Bound
1 (Constant) -1.254 3.564 -.352 .748 -12.598 10.089
Post Test .405 .048 .980 8.502 .003 .253 .557
a. Dependent Variable: Post Test

The findings indicate that there is a 40.5% impact academically than students taught by their
on student performance as a result of teacher untrained teachers."
training. This indicates that 59.5% of other
Discussion
responsible variables will have an impact on
students' grades. The teachers' instruction does The purpose of this study was to investigate the
not significantly affect students' performance effect of special education teacher training on
because the Sig. value is only 0.003, well below student academic performance and to ascertain
the threshold of significance set at 0.05. Increases the extent to which this study adds to the existing
in student achievement of 40.5 percentage points literature on the connection between teacher
can be expected for every one percentage point preparation and student success. High test and
increase in teachers' instructional efforts (B exam scores were highlighted as one of the most
value). Since (0.003 0.05), we are unable to rule important goals of education in a study by
out the null hypothesis that "students taught by Harman in 2010. The results from a study
trained educators perform significantly better conducted with data from 5 teachers and 30
Miss. Sadia Ambarin 54

students at a public school in Kohat provide 1. ALYA, K. (2014). Policy Provisions for
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Conclusion
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elementary school students with learning disabling attitudes, building an inclusive
disabilities benefit greatly from teachers who society’: considering the role of
have received special education training. The education in encouraging non‐disabled
results indicate that teachers who have received children to develop positive attitudes
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