ABSTRACT

A comprehensive psycho-educational assessment for learners with learning disabilities (LD) is a significant event for parents, psycho-educational assessors, teachers and leaners. This research study aimed to analyse the determinants of psycho-educational assessment for learners with learning disabilities (LD) in Brno City in the Czech Republic. Psycho-educational assessment for learners with LD remains a challenge in Czech Republic, hence, there is an extensive debate as to how to best improve psycho- educational assessment outcomes. There were several determinants of psycho- educational assessment psycho-educational assessment outcomes for instance psycho- educational assessment plans and legislation. The challenges facing psycho-educational assessment process were also examined. The views of psycho-educational assessment on the overall assessment and the psycho-educational assessor‟s recommendations had a great impact on the decisions that were made for learners with LD. The choice of educational trajectory was contesting and transparent hence not only professionals, but parents had the opportunity to take part in the study. In-depth Interviews were used to investigate issues and to discover how the psycho-educational assessors and teachers thought and felt about the whole process. Interview data from parents of school-age children with LD who had psycho-educational assessments done within the past one year were crucial for the proposed study to find out their experiences with assessment process. Teachers from elementary and primary schools and psycho-educational assessors were interviewed to find out their view about the psycho-educational assessment process for leaners with LD and why they held certain opinions. This study used descriptive research design. Mixed method was used in which both qualitative and quantitative data was collected from primary and secondary sources. In this study critical disability theory (CDT) was used within the paradigm of transformative perspective. The theory recognises disability as a complex socially constructed interrelationship between impairment, response to impairment and the environment. ATLAS.ti computer software was used for conceptualization, coding and categorizing of the qualitative data. The analysis process was enhanced by IBM-SPSS and Microsoft Excel for quantitative data especially for experimenting with different codes, testing relationships and facilitating diagrams of emerging theories. The emphasis of this study was on the determinants of psycho-educational assessments of LD with a focus on the plans, legislative influence, placement options and the challenges facing psycho-educational assessment process of learners with LD. Findings showed that the main challenges in psycho-educational assessment were linked to lack of proper stakeholder collaboration and interests, inadequate funding and resources, time taken in assessment and community backgrounds of the learners. Finding also showed that more boys were diagnosed with LD compared  to girls even though they all ended up in similar placements mainly group and individual integration. Most parents did not want their children with LD placed in group integration (dysclasses) due to the stigma association. This study recommends that the government through the Ministry of Education and Sports should address the critical challenge of funding to ensure enough resources including personnel. The education regulations need to be explicit to all stakeholders to ensure maximum degree of inclusion and access to psycho-educational services by learners with LD without discrimination.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

          Introduction

This chapter presents background to the study, statement of the problem, purpose, objectives, research questions, significance, limitations, delimitations, theoretical and conceptual frameworks and operational definition of terms.

          Background to the Study

Globally, most psycho-education assessment studies have been based on examinations and grading, not on learning, even though the assessors claim that the focus of their assessments are to inform learning as outlined by White & McCloskey, Framework for the 2003 (National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 2013). The focus on funding, examination and grading, compromise the overall process of Psycho-educational assessment for learners with LD.

The prevalence of LD globally ranges from 0.3% to 2.5% in the under 20 years of age. Moreover around 60% of children with LD are in primary schools while 40% in secondary schools and 60% of all students diagnosed with LD are boys according to the (Journal of Education and Training Studies, 2013). World education systems are ever- changing in line with psycho-educational assessments of learners with LD, and hence posing the need for more professionals who meet the requirements of carrying out psycho-educational assessment for appropriate interventions to be accorded to the learners with LD who are currently facing challenges (The Gordon Commission, 2013).

In the United States of America (USA) where learners with LD at every level have the probability of performing some educational tasks, most studies still point at gaps in the psycho-educational assessment process (National Research Center on Learning Disabilities, 2007)

Most countries have continued to source psycho-educational assessment tools from other international countries, however they have inappropriately continued to use them within their local contexts (James B., 2006). Some most commonly used assessment tools in CZ include Stanford Binet, used in settings for instance „Základníškolaspeciální a Praktickáškola‟practical special school, „Mateřskáškolaspeciální‟special schools and Pedagogical-Psychological Counselling Centre PPCC. Educators have conventionally applied tests in assessment programming to determine students‟ attainment of the learning processes (APPLICA, CESEP and European Centre, 2009).

The persistent challenge in reforming assessment is the prevalent lack of attention to appropriate assessment plans, placement options, appropriate legislation and or considerations of the challenges that hinder success in psychoeducational assessment (Wiggins & McTighe, 2006). In some of the European countries for instance Austria, there are no specific laws that apply to LD; however, Czech Republic has LD and SLD legislations. These laws are, characteristically, related to both compulsory and higher education.

When reviewing student achievement, tests form part of the assessment plan and are generally driven by policies, systems and goals. Efforts from psycho-educational

assessment institutions and programs have led to the mass use of commercial psycho- educational assessment tools (The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic , 2012 ).