An evaluative study of the educational therapy services provided by the Roman Catholic and Integrated School Boards of the Burin Peninsula

King, James (1991) An evaluative study of the educational therapy services provided by the Roman Catholic and Integrated School Boards of the Burin Peninsula. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The present study was designed to evaluate the educational therapy services provided by the Roman Catholic and Integrated School Boards of the Burin Peninsula, Newfoundland. -- Educational therapy is a relatively new program in the Newfoundland educational system that has expanded province wide since its introduction in 1979. Since its inception there has been some controversy surrounding issues such as therapists' role and program success. -- The aim of the study was to evaluate the design and delivery of educational therapy services. In addition, opinions were solicited from the various stakeholders regarding the importance of such services and ratings were obtained of their satisfaction with these services. -- The sample consisted of all educational therapists and principals of schools with educational therapy services, all parents of core therapy students and six teachers from each of the 10 schools involved. Each individual in the sample received a questionnaire designed especially for that particular group. -- The key findings of this study are as follows: -- 1. There is a high level of satisfaction with educational therapy services and strong advocacy from all groups in the study that educational therapy services be retained and enhanced. -- 2. There are a number of inconsistencies with the procedures used among various schools in the delivery of educational therapy services. -- 3. There are good communications reported among educational thereapists, principals, parents, and most teachers involved with core therapy students. However, 25% of teachers expressed dissatisfaction with current communications. -- 4. Most educational therapists (66%), which represents six out of nine counsellor/therapists are satisfied with the various aspects of their current position. -- 5. Parents are usually consulted and involved in case conferences concerning their children's problems. However, less than 50% of parents who responded have been involved in the development of IPP's for their children. -- 6. All four groups are satisfied with the outcomes achieved from the educational therapy program. Even though all four groups rated the outcomes positively, teachers' ratings are consistently lower than the other three groups on all eight categories used to measure outcome. -- 7. A majority of educational therapists feel that the dual role assignment of counsellor/therapist has an adverse effect on the delivery of quality educational therapy services. -- 8. Principals and educational therapists generally agree that procedures currently used by the Newfoundland Government for allocating educational therapy units to school boards will have a negative effect on the delivery of educational therapy services. -- 9. Teachers and principals indicate a need for more staff inservice to create a better awareness of the roles and responsibilities of educational therapists. -- 10. All of the educational therapists involved in this study are qualified for such a position and meet the requirements outlined by the Newfoundland Department of Education in its policy manual (1986). -- 11. There is no general consensus of agreement regarding disciplinary procedures for educational therapy students. -- 12. There is a high degree of consistency among educational therapists related to procedures used and information gathered for identification purposes and exit procedures. -- 13. There is general agreement that students should have input into entrance and exit procedures for educational therapy services. However, input should depend on the age and maturity of the child, as well as the reason for referral. -- 14. Principals and teachers are generally aware of the role of educational therapists. However, a significant number of teachers (31%) are unsure of the role of this professional. -- 15. There is no significant relationship between parents' ratings of the personal characteristics of educational therapists and satisfaction with educational therapy services provided. -- 16. All four surveyed groups consider educational therapy services very important services for schools to provide. -- In general, the educational therapy program was found to be well organized in its delivery of therapy services. The program received high overall ratings despite some disagreements on individual issues. In the final chapter, several recommendations have been developed to help improve existing services.

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