Special education needs activities for children with language difficulties: A comparative study in Belarusian and Norwegian preschools

The purpose of this study is to investigate how activities for children with special needs (in this case language difficulties) are carried out in the physical space available in preschools in Belarus and Norway.

The authors use four main categories to describe differences between the two countries' organisation and execution of specially organised activities for children with language difficulties:

1. Regulated/flexible
   Where the observed activities for children with language difficulties in Belarus follow a strictly regulated plan and the physical frameworks are specifically designed and decorated for the purpose of the activity, activities in Norway are more loosely structured and flexible in terms of decor and design, use of materials and the course of the activities.
   
   
2. Pre-defined/diffuse
   In Belarus, the activities are pre-defined and the content was consciously selected. In Norway, however, the activities were more diffuse in some cases they were pre-defined, whereas in others they seemed to follow a random concept. The authors find that the content of the activities in Norway grew spontaneously out of the communication practiced in relation to the children's play. 
   
   
3. Consequential/casual 
   In Belarus, the observed language activities formed a chain that led to specific, expected goals. In Norway, however, the activities occurred in a more episodic and unforeseen way without following a fixed route towards a specific goal.
   
   
4. Repetitive/disruptive
   While in Belarus, focus was on repetition with time to summarise, evaluate and reflect on knowledge gained, there was no common retrospective summarising or reflection on the exercises and activities carried out in Norway.

On the basis of the above, the authors conclude that the observed preschools in the two countries represent very different orientations in terms of activities for children with language difficulties.

The authors used a qualitative, comparative case study design that compared conditions in the two countries using video observations of activities for children with language difficulties. Altogether, ten preschool employees from five different public preschools in each country were observed. The informants worked with children at the age of 5 and were responsible for planning and executing activities for children with language difficulties. The analysis aimed at different aspects of the observed activities and physical frameworks, including the design of the physical environment (rooms, furniture, materials and decor) and organisation of the activities. The empirical material was analysed using a qualitative content analysis (QCA) with additional support from Muller's and Bernstein's concepts of knowledge construction

Hanssen, N. B., & Hansén, S. (2017). Special education needs activities for children with language difficulties: A comparative study in Belarusian and Norwegian preschools. Education Inquiry. DOI: 10.1080/20004508.2017.1380486.

Hannås & Hanssen (2016). Special needs education in light of the inclusion principle: an exploratory study of special needs education practice in Belarusian and Norwegian preschools. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 31, 1-524.