When policy clashes with practice: The case of teaching assistants in the Czech Republic

SLEZÁKOVÁ, Katarína, Lenka KISSOVÁ and Lenka FELCMANOVÁ. When policy clashes with practice: The case of teaching assistants in the Czech Republic. Journal of Pedagogy. Sciendo, 2022, vol. 13, No 2, p. 77-103. ISSN 1338-1563. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.2478/jped-2022-0009.

Basic information

• Original name: When policy clashes with practice: The case of teaching assistants in the Czech Republic
• Authors: SLEZÁKOVÁ, Katarína (703 Slovakia, guarantor, belonging to the institution), Lenka KISSOVÁ (703 Slovakia, belonging to the institution) and Lenka FELCMANOVÁ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution).
• Edition: Journal of Pedagogy, Sciendo, 2022, 1338-1563.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Article in a journal
• Field of Study: 50302 Education, special
• Country of publisher: Poland
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14410/22:00129603
• Organization unit: Faculty of Education
• Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/jped-2022-0009
• Keywords in English: inclusive education; policy; post-socialist countries; qualitative research; teaching assistants
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

Since the mid-2010s, Czech Republic has been implementing inclusive education measures on a wide scale. Five stages of supportive measures have been introduced, including the assignment of teaching assistants (TAs) for students with special educational needs. In the four years since the main reform, the assignment of TAs has become the most implemented supportive measure, even as their role in promoting inclusive education has been questioned in the scholarly literature. We base our findings on empirical research in primary schools and relevant policy docu-ments. This paper focuses on the clashes between policy intentions and the practice of incorporating TAs into classrooms. We organise the findings into four categories of policy/practice conflicts: (1) ambiguous TA job descriptions; (2) insufficient TA quali-fications; (3) combined TA contracts due to lack of funding; and (4) inconsistencies in TA appointments. Our findings suggest that, in practice, policy-regulated measures often do not correspond to the actual needs of schools.

Links

• TL02000064, research and development project: Name: Bariéry v inkluzi a jejich překonávání - implementace v prostředí českých základních škol

Investor: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, BeIN: Tackling Obstacles in the Way of Inclusion - Implementation at Czech primary schools