An investigation into the balance of the school curriculum content for pupils with a visual impairment in Turkey by Önder İşlek A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Education College of Social Sciences University of Birmingham September 2016 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract This thesis investigated the educational curriculum experienced by students with visual impairments in Turkey. The study made a distinction between the traditional academic curriculum and the concept of an ‘Expanded Core Curriculum’ (ECC) which includes a range of disability-specific areas (e.g. Mobility, Braille), and aimed to determine the balance of the curriculum experienced by individuals with visual impairments in Turkey. The study specifically examined the barriers to, and enablers for, an appropriate curriculum balance which would develop individuals’ independence. The study made use of an exploratory inductive research approach implementing a cross-sectional research design. Mixed method measures were drawn upon to capture the views of twelve young adults with visual impairments and thirteen educators of children and young adults with visual impairments who had a wide range of schooling and teaching experiences across Turkey. The analysis revealed an emphasis on teaching the academic curriculum with relatively little attention given to ECC. As a consequence, it was found that individuals with visual impairments were not fully prepared to be independent and encountered a number of barriers including: remaining dependent on others; isolation; and psychological challenges in their everyday life. A number of barriers to the teaching of ECC were revealed, including: educational policy priorities in Turkey which give little or no remit to teaching a broader curriculum (teachers were fixed upon teaching the inflexible academic curriculum); little resource is given to specialist teaching support in mainstream schools; and specialist teacher training appears not to align to the educational context in which they work. Finally, the research identified other barriers to developing an individual’s independence which are beyond the teaching of ECC, including inaccessible environments and equipment, and inadequate accommodations and adjustments. i Contents page Abstract i Contents page ..................................................................................................................... ii List of figures ...................................................................................................................... v List of tables ....................................................................................................................... v Glossary ............................................................................................................................. vi Dedication ......................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1. Introduction..................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Who I am, how, and why I became interested in this research project ...................... 1 1.3 The nature of the study ............................................................................................ 3 1.4 An overview of the thesis ......................................................................................... 5 1.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2. Literature review ............................................................................................. 9 2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 9 2.2 The context: education in Turkey ........................................................................... 14 2.3 How is the education of children with visual impairment conceptualised?............... 23 2.4 The notion of an additional curriculum .................................................................... 25 2.5 A key example of the additional curriculum – Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) ... 28 2.6 Teacher preparation and ECC uptake in the USA .................................................. 36 2.7 The consequences of ECC training ........................................................................ 39 2.8 Barriers to teaching ECC ........................................................................................ 42 2.9 Alternative and nuanced views of the additional curriculum .................................... 49 2.10 Linking back to Turkey ........................................................................................... 58 2.11 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 63 Chapter 3. Methodology ................................................................................................. 66 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 66 3.2 My decision to conduct this research and the research questions .......................... 66 3.3 Philosophical standpoint ......................................................................................... 70 3.4 Validity, reliability, and reflexivity ............................................................................ 76 3.5 The research design .............................................................................................. 79 3.6 Study 1: the views of twelve young adults with a visual impairment........................ 83 ii 3.7 Study 2: the views of thirteen educators of children and young adults with a visual impairment ............................................................................................................. 86 3.8 Data analysis ......................................................................................................... 87 3.9 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 92 Chapter 4. Study 1: the views of twelve young adults with a visual impairment ....... 93 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 93 4.2 The experienced balance of curriculum content ..................................................... 95 4.3 Consequences of the experienced balance of curriculum content ........................ 103 4.4 The ‘ideal’ curriculum balance .............................................................................. 112 4.5 The barriers to and enablers for the implementation of a balanced curriculum ..... 113 4.6 The additional factors influencing independence (beyond ECC and associated teaching) .............................................................................................................. 120 4.7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 135 Chapter 5. Study 2: the views of thirteen educators of children and adults with a visual impairment ...................................................................................... 136 5.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 136 5.2 The experienced curriculum content..................................................................... 138 5.3 Consequences of the experienced balance of curriculum content ........................ 145 5.4 The ‘ideal’ balance of curriculum .......................................................................... 153 5.5 The barriers to and enablers for the implementation of a balanced curriculum ..... 156 5.6 Barriers to and enablers for independence beyond the ECC ................................ 167 5.7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 175 Chapter 6. Discussion .................................................................................................. 177 6.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 177 6.2 The experienced curriculum balance .................................................................... 178 6.3 Consequences of the experienced balance of curriculum content ........................ 187 6.4 The ‘ideal’ balance of curriculum .......................................................................... 199 6.5