RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHER ASSISTANT SUPPORT AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS OF EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS IN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Through qualitative research this study investigated the relationship between teacher assistant support and academic achievements of exceptional students in Azerbaijan which also suggests universal implication. With semi-structured interview the researcher looked at the above-mentioned relationship through class teachers’ eyes and with observation through his own eyes. The findings clearly imply that there is definitely a strong relationship between teacher assistant performance and academic development of students with special educational needs. However, involvement of assistant teachers into inclusion might lead to isolation within classes if they take superior position to class teachers. For the sake of effective start and progress of inclusive practice, education reforms should be implemented in order to increase class teachers’ capacity in order to enable them to lead inclusive education. INTRODUCTION Depending on what country you live in, the personnel hired by schools to assist classroom teachers and special educators in their efforts to educate students with disabilities are known by a variety of names such as teaching assistant (TA), learning support assistant (LSA), teacher aide, paraprofessional, paraeducator, and special needs assistant (SNA) (Giangreco & Doyle, 2007). The utilization of teacher assistants to support the education of students with disabilities has increased in several throughout the world (Giangreco & Doyle, 2007, Logan, 2006). Teacher assistant’s performance is considered a necessary mechanism to support inclusive education. Teacher assistants have become almost exclusively the way, rather than a way, to support students with disabilities in general education classrooms, especially those with severe or low-incidence disabilities (Giangreco, 2013). While teacher assistants engage in a wide variety of duties, their roles have become increasingly instructional over time (Carter, et al., 2009, Groom & Rose, 2005, Riggs & Mueller, 2001). Relevant literature suggests that when teacher assistants are utilized to support instruction a basic set of foundational practices should be in place. First of all, any potential instruction provided by teacher assistants should be supplemental, not primary or exclusive. Second, teacher assistants should be working from professionally prepared plans developed by teachers or special educators based on evidence-based approaches, thus not putting teacher assistants in the inappropriate role of making pedagogical decisions. Third, teacher assistants should be trained to implement these teacher-developed plans with procedural fidelity. Fourth, teacher assistants should be trained to constructively manage and respond to challenging student behaviors that might arise during instruction. Fifth, teacher assistants should receive ongoing monitoring and supervision from qualified professionals — not be left to fend for themselves. In addition to supplemental instructional roles, teacher assistants can undertake valuable noninstructional roles that allow teachers and special educators more time to work directly with students and collaborate with each other (Giangreco, 2013). These practices seem logical and desirable. However there is also the literature which suggests that they are the exception rather than the norm (Webster et al., 2010, Rutherford, 2011). Some recent research reports that teacher assistants can be effectively trained to undertake a variety of academic and social tasks that result in positive student outcomes (Malmgren, et al., 2005, McDonnell et al., 2002). But other observations of teacher assistants involved in instruction suggest that they may have difficulty implementing interventions with fidelity and are prone to engaging in instructionally unhelpful behaviors (Rubie-Davies et al., 2010). A key overall finding from a largescale, longitudinal study in the UK reported consistently negative relationships between the amount of support from teacher assistants and pupils’ academic progress (i.e., English, maths, science) that was not accounted for by pupil characteristics. As stated at the outset, this is not meant to blame teacher assistants; they are not trained teachers and should not be expected to function interchangeably as if they were teachers (Webster et al., 2010 as cited in Giangreco, 2013). One of those most fundamental conceptual and practical problems associated with the heavy reliance on teacher assistants to support the academic and social needs of students with disabilities is the simple truth that we are assigning the least qualified personnel to students who present the most complex learning challenges (Brown et al., 1999; Rutherford, 2011). Descriptive research has documented that the seemingly well-intended assignment and excessive proximity of a teacher assistant to a student with a disability The Online Journal of New Horizons in Education April 2016 Volume 6, Issue 2 www.tojned. net Copyright © The Online Journal of New Horizons in Education 93 can lead to a wide range of inadvertent detrimental effects such as (a) separation from classmates, (b) unnecessary dependencies, (c) interference with teacher engagement, (d) interference with peer interactions, (e) insular relationships between students and teacher assistants, (f) stigmatization, (g) limited access to competent instruction, (h) loss of personal control by students with disabilities, (i) loss of gender identity, and (j) risk of being bullied (Giangreco, 2013). Research suggests that the training, deployment and teacher relationships of TAs can determine the impact they have. There are calls for more focused training for TAs entering the profession, particularly as there may be a mismatch between the training they receive and the demands of their role (Groom and Rose 2005, Blatchford et al., 2011). The impact of TAs can vary depending on how they are deployed. For example, TAs who are used to deliver specific interventions have a more positive impact on pupil performance than those who are not (Farrell et al. 2010). Similarly, TAs who work with small groups may be more effective than those working with individual pupils (Howes 2003). With regard to teacher relationships, TAs would appreciate, amongst other things, more joint planning time with the teachers they support, as they often arrive at lessons without knowing what they will be doing. Clearly, the use of TAs is a complex issue that needs to be better understood if they are to facilitate the inclusion of pupils with special needs (Symes and Humphrey 2011, Farrell et al.,1999; as cited in Symes & Humphrey, 2012). THE ROLE OF A CLASS TEACHER (CT) As a result of the inclusive education movement, classroom teachers have become significantly more involved in the education CSN. The attitude of the class teacher (CT) towards students has a major impact on the success of all students, particularly those with special needs. Classroom teachers must be able to perform different skills, such as the following: acting as a team member on assessment and “individual education plan” committees; being innovative in providing equal education opportunities for all students, including CSN; and individualizing instruction for CSN; advocating for CSN. To sum up, classroom teachers control educational programs for all students (Smith et al., 1998). Studies suggest (Sanders and Horn, 1998; Bailleul et al., 2008, as cited in European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, 2010) that the quality of the teacher contributes more to learner achievement than any other factor suck as class size, class composition, or background. Reynolds (2009, as cited in European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, 2010, p. 7) says that it is the knowledge, beliefs and values of the teacher that create an effective learning environment for all students, making the teacher a critical influence in education for inclusion and the development of the inclusive school. European Commission Communication Improving the Quality of Teacher Education (2007) states that teachers need to have the full range of subject knowledge, attitudes and pedagogic skills to be able to help young people to reach their full potential by responding to specific needs of each student applying a wide range of teaching strategies. Moreover, in the same document it is highlighted that Higher Education institutions have an important role to ensure that their teacher education courses are based upon solid evidence and good classroom practice (European Commission Communication Improving the Quality of Teacher Education, 2007, p. 15). Following a survey of primary school teacher training Franzkowiak (2009, as cited in European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, 2010, p.27) recommended that introductory courses on inclusive education should be mandatory for all teacher education students, and bachelor and masters courses should include inclusive education and combined degree programs. Moreover, regular trainings are very important for teachers. Studies conducted by Avramidis et al. (2000) indicate that teachers who participated in trainings of high quality feel to be more competent in teaching inclusive classes. With professional trainings teachers get detailed information and necessary skills in inclusive education, and consequently get self-confidence in teaching profession which increases their eagerness to take responsibilities of a classroom with diverse needs (Opdal et al., 2000). THE ROLE OF A TEACHER ASSISTANT (TA) Students with disabilities who attend in inclusive schools are now likely to be allocated a TA for further support to benefit from education with their peers. So the relevant response to inclusive education is to make sure that there is an extra teacher available in the classroom whose role is important for success of inclusive practice (Lacey, 1999). Farrell et al. (1999, as cited in Vincett et al., 2005) clearly present the dist