Browsing by Author "Kelly, Jane"

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    Exploring the experiences of children and youth with mobility impairments in four basic educational settings in Ghana
    (2021) Nseibo, Job Kofi; Mckenzie, Judith; Kelly, Jane
    Education is a fundamental right for children all over the world. In Ghana, education for children with mobility impairments (MI) is one area that needs attention because little research has explored the experiences of these children and youth in basic educational settings. The research question that guided this research was: What are the educational experiences of children and youth with MI in education in Ghana? Understanding educational experiences of children and youth with MI will allow policymakers, the Ministry of Education, and educational researchers to develop educational support systems for children with MI. This is very important especially in the low-and-middle-income countries like Ghana where resources are limited. This study drew on three theoretical frameworks: Disability studies in education; Bronfenbrenner's ecological system theory and post-colonial theory. These theoretical frameworks guided the exploration of the educational experiences of children and youth with MI in four basic school settings (mainstream, inclusive, rehabilitation and special schools) with consideration to the implementation of inclusive education in Ghana. The child development and learning processes were researched in terms of complex systemic interactions between children with MI and their environment, and the advancement of liberation and the colonial legacy of the study in context. Data were drawn from 20 children with MI, from four head teachers and from 20 parents of children with MI through in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. This study revealed inequities in the basic school curriculum within the four school settings. These inequities that existed in the school curriculum contributed to parents not achieving the expected results they had hoped for by sending their children to the rehabilitation centre and the special schools. This study also showed the inadequacy of the educational support systems (for example, student support teams, parents support teams, teacher support teams and education support teams) in the four educational settings. The study concludes that the absence of educational support systems contributed to the struggle that children with MI and their parents experienced during their children's educational trajectories. From the findings of this study, it is imperative to have further research to consider a general basic school curriculum to promote inclusivity in all four school settings. The study critically showed how the experiences of children and youth with MI were characterised by the inequity of basic school curriculum, negative attitude towards disability and the unavailability of an educational support system. This study also contributes towards the development of inclusive schooling practices in Ghana by providing a framework which promotes inclusion of children and youth with MI. The new knowledge not only adds to the limited literature on the educational experiences of children with MI, but also assists policymakers, stakeholders of education and researchers to promote practices that encourage inclusive education.
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    Spare the rod and save the child: Assessing the impact of parenting on child behaviour and mental health
    (2015) Ward, Catherine L; Gould, Chandré; Kelly, Jane; Mauff, Katya
    Parenting has a considerable impact on children’s behaviour and mental health. Improving child health and behaviour requires an understanding of the relationship between parenting practices; contexual factors such as parental mental health, intimate partner violence, substance abuse and poverty; and children’s behaviour. In this article the authors report the findings of a survey of parenting and child behaviour in a small rural South African community. The findings show that corporal punishment, the stress of parenting and parental mental health are significantly associated with both children’s internalising (depression and anxiety) and externalising (rulebreaking and aggression) symptoms. Intimate partner violence in the home was also associated with children’s externalising symptoms. These findings imply that parent support and training, and an increase in services to address intimate partner violence and mental health problems, should be prioritised as part of a national violence reduction strategy.
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    TEDI 1 Week 2 - Teacher educational needs
    (2019-06) Kelly, Jane
    This week focuses on teacher empowerment and what teachers need to know to better support learners with disabilities. We begin by sharing with you what the Teacher Empowerment for Disability Inclusion (TEDI) project's research findings revealed about teachers’ educational needs. This week we hear powerful personal testimonies of individuals living with disabilities about their schooling which highlights the importance of the empowered teacher in their lives when they were learners. This is video 3/6 in week 2 of the Disability Inclusion in Education: Building Systems of Support course..
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    TEDI 1 Week 3 - How do Teachers Feel They are Supported, or not Supported
    (2019) Kelly, Jane
    This week focuses on the systemic support structures that are available to teachers and educators in order to support learners with impairments. A former teacher and two district officers share their experiences of support structures and the roles they had to shape and implement policies within the spaces they found themselves in. We will also explore some insights from the TEDI research project on how teachers feel they are supported. This is video 3/7 in week 3 of the Disability Inclusion in Education: Building Systems of Support course.
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    TEDI 2 Week 1 - Promoting Resilience in Deaf Children
    (2019-06-01) Kelly, Jane
    In this video, Jane Kelly defines resilience and focuses how to use resilience as a framework within the landscape of deaf education. She unpacks the concept of resilience, linking it to the social model of disability, and looks at how it can it can be applied in the context of teaching deaf children holistically. She underscores the relationship between teachers’ and learners’ resilience, drawing attention to the environmental/contextual factors that can promote well-being. This is video lecture 5/7 of week 1 of the course: Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher.
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    TEDI 2 Week 1 - TEDI Project: Challenges of Teachers in Deaf Education
    (2019-06-01) Kelly, Jane
    In this video, Jane Kelly, provides an overview of the Teacher Empowerment for Disability Inclusion (TEDI) Project. She focuses on the research methods used and the situation analysis of the educational needs of learners with disabilities in South Africa. Drawing on the themes discussed during interviews with the teachers in the project, Jane highlights the challenges these teachers, from both schools for the deaf and full service schools, face in teaching children with severe to profound hearing impairments. This is video lecture 4/7 in week 1 of the course: Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher.