특수교육실무사의 근무실태와 역할수행의 어려움에 관한 개선방안 연구

Abstract

The Study on the Working Conditions of Special Education Practitioners and Possible Solutions for the Difficulties in their Work Performance The main objectives of this study are to do research on the working conditions of the special education practitioners and to find out the possible solutions for their difficulties. The following are the research topics for future improvements of the special education practitioners. First, what is the working environment of the special education practitioners like? Second, what are the difficulties in terms of performing as special education practitioners? Third, what could be the solutions for the difficulties in performing the job? In order to find out, I have sent questionnaires to special schools in Jeolla namdo, Jeolla bukdo, Gwang Ju, and Jeju and analyzed 113 responses. The conclusions are as follows: First, the work situation is that almost all the practitioners are performing their duties without a break from early in the morning until late afternoon. They have to care for the same students in the same class for almost a whole year. Public schools have more than 7 practitioners, yet private schools have only 5-6 practitioners working at the school. Second, I looked into the difficulties that discourage special education practitioners from performing their roles. Most special students tend to refuse the help from practitioners or be uncooperative. It turned out they can hardly take any kind of leave since they have to deal with the students’ personal needs, help during the meal time, and serve the students with multiple disabilities. They do not have designated space to do work and it is not clear which department they belong to. Special education practitioner as a job is not recognized enough socially and even among the teachers. They do not get paid during the vacations. Most seriously, they do not have any chance such as workshops or seminars to improve their qualification. Most of the seminars or workshops are mainly done online, where the practitioners are having a hard time acquiring basic knowledge about aid equipment and understanding the features of the special students. Third, the possible ways to improve the situation are as follows: The most urgent matter to be dealt with is the salary. Since they do not get paid during the vacation, it will be a good idea for the practitioners to participate in the two-week program during the vacation when students must come to school and get paid as much. Most practitioners are female but they are caring for boy and girl students’ personal needs. However, as the number of male practitioners is growing, this will be better handled. The practitioners cannot secure their lunch time because they help special students with the meal. It is their job to support the meal time but they also need time to have their own meal. While on the field trip or outside activities, extra assistant staff can help improve safety. While helping students with severe disability, measures should be taken to secure safety by removing the safety hazards. Better communication between the practitioners, head teachers, and homeroom teachers can solve the problems that stem from misunderstanding or not hearing the instructions.|본 연구는 특수교육실무사의 근무실태를 알아보고 역할수행의 어려움, 개선방안요구를 파악하는 데 목적을 두었다. 그에 따른 결론을 정리하면 다음과 같다. 첫째, 특수교육실무사의 직무실태를 살펴보면 가장 많은 특수교육실무사가 등하교지도와 방과 후 활동까지 근무 중 거의 온종일 직무를 수행하고 있고, 변인별로 30대 40대 이하는‘ 타교 원과 일반 근무시간에 근무’ 50대는 ‘등하교지도 및 방과 후 활동’까지 근무로 유의미한 차이를 보였다. 대부분 1년 동안 같은 학급 장애 학생을 지원한다는 의견이 높았으며, 변인별로 국공립과 공립의 경우 ‘1년 동안 동일한 학급의 학생을 보조한다.’가 대부분이었으나, 사립은 ‘일정 기간마다 담당 학급을 바꾸어가며 보조한다’는 의견이 제시되어 유의미한 차이를 보였다. 특수교육실무사의 직무 중 가장 잘 이루어지고 있는 부분은 개인 욕구 지원이었으며, 건강 보호 및 안전지원, 통학 보조와 교내지원 순으로 나타났다. 둘째, 특수교육실무사의 역할수행 어려움을 살펴보았다. 학생의 신변처리, 식사 중 전담 보조, 중도중복 장애 학생의 보조 시에 조퇴, 연가를 쓰는 것이 눈치가 보이며, 학생이 특수교육실무사를 따르지 않거나 거부, 개인 업무를 할 수 있는 공간이 없고, 부정확한 소속, 직업 인식은 낮은 편으로 결과가 나타났다. 셋째, 개선방안을 살펴보면 다음과 같다. 가장 시급히 개선되었으면 하는 것은 임금이었으며, 신변처리 보조(남녀학생 보조), 점심시간 보조(학생 보조하면서 동시에 본인 식사)로 나타났으며, 변인별 개선방안으로는 신변처리 보조는 보조하는 학생 인원수 별로 1명은 점심시간 보조가 61.5%로, 2~4명과 5~7명은 신변처리 보조가 65.9%와 46.9%로 나타나 유의미한 차이를 보였다.