Support from special education teachers for learners with special educational needs - inter- and intra-cantonal heterogeneity in terms of target group and implementation

Abstract

In Switzerland, support from a special education teacher (SET) is the most common measure to support learners with mild special educational needs (SEN). We explore variations regarding target group, resourcing, and implementation of support from special education teachers between and within cantons. On the one hand, the observed heterogeneity implies that not all learners with SEN can benefit from SET support to the same extent, which can lead to a reinforcement of existing educational inequalities. On the other hand, it affects the general and working conditions of the school teams. In research, disparities in terms of target group and concrete implementation of SET support should be considered and clearly documented to allow conclusions and comparisons across studies or regions.