Index

• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Method
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusion and Recommendations
• References

Abstract

The present work aimed to proactively prevent and overcome challenges that students with learning difficulties may encounter by identifying the reality of applying guidance and social services to students with learning disabilities from the perspective of their teachers. Additionally, it seeks to analyze the influence of key variables, including grade level, type of education, and teaching experience, on the provision of these services. The study sample included 50 teachers who were chosen randomly. A questionnaire with two domains was developed: one addressing guidance services and the other focusing on social services. The study found that there was a high degree of engagement in providing guidance and social services to students with learning disabilities at the primary level. Notably, no statistically significant differences were observed concerning grade level, educational type, or teaching expertise. Based on the findings, several recommendations were proposed. These include expanding training programs for school guides to enhance their ability to deal with students with learning disabilities and conducting further studies on the parents of students with special educational needs to assess the guidance and social services provided to their children.

Keywords: Educational needs, Guidance services, Learning disabilities, Social services, Students, Special education, Supportive services.

Received: 24 July 2023/ Revised: 18 September 2023/ Accepted: 10 January 2024/ Published: 9 February 2024

Contribution/ Originality

This study provides original insights by investigating the practical implementation of guidance and social services for students with learning disabilities, as perceived by primary stage teachers in Jordan. It also makes a distinctive contribution to the field by exploring the influence of key variables, including grade level, type of education, and teaching experience, on service provision, addressing a significant gap in existing literature.

1. INTRODUCTION

The domain of learning disabilities is one of the main domains in special education, which attracts the attention of specialists to understand the educational challenges encountered by students in schools, which prevent them from achieving their educational goals and ultimately impact their academic performance. In most cases, learning disabilities do not only express educational difficulties but also extend to include a group of social and psychological issues that affect students’ ability to adapt and achieve correct psychological compatibility (Al-Qahtani & Al-Sheikha, 2019).

School social and guidance services at the primary levels are one of the most important means of helping a student to integrate into the educational environment. These services also contribute in monitoring and addressing students' challenges and trying to provide advice and counseling thereto, to achieve students' personal compatibility due to the fact that student is in psychological, social, and educational terms because the student is the pivot of the educational process (Al-Harbi, 2022).

Students with learning disabilities do not suffer only from academic difficulties, but they may also have psychological, social, and other challenges; that hinder their overall development. This necessitates receiving supportive services in their environment; where they receive counseling, social and other services according to their needs; in order to help them face these challenges, and create an environment and circumstances conducive to achieving their goals (Al-Asmari & Al-Sayyad, 2019).

Supportive guidance services are a fundamental component of special education, which share many other terminologies; such as additional services, joint services, and assistive services in expressing the same purport; (Al-Wabli, 2017). Consequently, we recognize that the special educational programs offered to students with learning disabilities need support by meeting their needs necessary for educational growth, and helping and benefiting them of the services provided thereto; (Al-Qahtani & Al-Sheikha, 2019). In addition, creating psychological, social, and economic conditions helps students to avoid many challenges within the educational field. Therefore, there is a need to review school and social guidance services while addressing childhood issues (Al-Jedibi, 2018).

Recognizing the significance of specific guidance and social services, as well as the imperative to customize these services to meet the diverse needs of students with learning disabilities within schools, the study aims to guide and empower a substantial segment of the school community. The objective is to facilitate their journey towards achieving success and seamless program integration. By enhancing the quality of the provided services and addressing prevailing challenges in the field, the study explores the practicality and impact of selected guidance and social services for students with learning disabilities during their primary education phase. From a pragmatic standpoint, the results derived from this study possess the potential to provide invaluable assistance to primary school teachers in the broader realm of special education. Specifically, this research sheds light on the role and effectiveness of guidance and social services for this particular and critical category from primary school teachers’ perspective. The goal is to foster the development of a promising generation and a harmonious future for primary stage students with learning disabilities, seamlessly incorporating them into personalized educational plans

2. LITERATURE REVIEW 

The study conducted by Al-Freih (2022), titled "Related Services and its Availability in Learning Disabilities Programs from the Female Teachers' Viewpoint at Al-Qassim Region," aimed to identify and assess the availability of supportive services in learning disabilities programs as perceived by teachers in the Qassim region. The sample consisted of (42) teachers specializing in learning disabilities in the region. The study employed a descriptive methodology, utilizing a questionnaire to evaluate the level of availability of supportive services. The findings indicated that supportive services in learning disabilities programs were moderately available. Additionally, the results revealed statistically significant differences in the availability of supportive services based on variables such as qualification, experience, and number of courses.

The study conducted by Al-Mutairi (2022), titled " Related services for students with learning disabilities in the primary level," aimed to investigate the supportive services for students with learning disabilities and identify the roles of providers of such services. The study employed a descriptive-analytical approach and concluded with several results, including learning disabilities manifest in one or more psychological processes, involving understanding and using of both written and spoken language. The study also found that supportive services should be documented in the individualized educational plans for students with learning disabilities before being implemented by a multidisciplinary team. The study highlighted various types of supportive services, such as psychological, social, and school counseling services, parental counseling and training, assistive technology, speech and language therapy, as well as physical and occupational therapy. Moreover, the study accentuates the pivotal significance of these related services, as they contribute to enhancing the educational process, achieving school and curriculum objectives, nurturing self-confidence, cultivating positive learning attitudes, and fostering student engagement and independence in the learning journey. Moreover, these services empower families through the provision of family counseling, enabling them to support their children's educational advancement.

In a study titled “Level of Support Services Provided to Students with Learning Difficulties in the Basic Schools in Al-Balqa'a Directorate Based on student's point of view.” Al-Zoubi and Al-Hadidi (2020) aimed to evaluate the quality of supportive services available to students with learning disabilities. The study involved 100 participants, all of whom had been diagnosed with learning disabilities. The sample has been selected randomly, and the study adopted a descriptive methodology. The study found no statistically significant differences were observed in service quality across various parameters, including school gender, supervising authority, dimensions, and the overall assessment score. Al-Haythami (2020) titled "The Quality of Counseling Services at the Secondary Level from the Point of View of School Leaders in the Al-Qunfudhah Education Department," focused on identifying the quality of guidance services as perceived by school instructors. The study employed a descriptive approach, using a developed questionnaire that was administered to a sample of (30) educational instructors. The findings indicated a high quality of psychological, educational, social, and vocational guidance services directed to secondary school students.  The study undertaken by Al-Rahamneh, Al-Ziyadat, and Al-Rahahleh (2020) with the title "Identifying the current assistive services offered to students with disabled people in Al-Balqa' Applied University from their perspectives " aims to identify the current landscape of assistive services extended to students with disabilities at Al-Balqa' Applied University, as perceived through the lens of the students themselves. Employing an analytical descriptive approach, the researchers devised an assessment tool derived from Ahmed (2017), encompassing four distinct dimensions: admission and registration services, library services, building facilities, and college services. This tool was administered to a cohort of 32 students with disabilities. The findings unveiled that the present implementation of assistive services for students with special needs garnered moderate ratings across all dimensions evaluated by the instrument. Furthermore, statistically significant disparities emerged in the current practice of assistive services concerning students' gender, favoring males, and student's field of specialization, which demonstrated a preference for humanities majors. Importantly, no statistically significant differences were noted in the current practice of assistive services based on the type of disability.

Al-Asmari and Al-Sayyad (2019) conducted a study entitled " The Reality of Some Related Services and Barriers of its submission to Those with learning disabilities in the Primary Level from Their Female Teacher's Perspective." The study aimed to examine the availability of supportive services and the challenges associated with providing them to students with learning disabilities. The sample for this study consisted of (77) primary school teachers. The findings indicated that the most prominent guidance services were represented by guidance counselors, while the least prominent services were related to the cooperation between student guides and teachers of students with learning disabilities. Regarding social services, the most significant aspect was collecting information to identify the reasons behind the problems, whereas the least prominent service was parental assistance in accessing such services. The study also revealed that the main obstacles to providing social services were communication difficulties with students' parents, while a shortage of time in the school to engage in social activities was identified as the least significant obstacle.

The study conducted by Ghneim, Abu Al-Basal, and Al-Hassan (2019), titled "Educational Services Provided in Learning Resource Rooms for Students with Learning Disabilities in Government Schools in Al-Salt, From the Perspective of Educational Counselors," aimed to explore the educational services provided in learning resource rooms for students with learning disabilities from the perspective of educational counselors. The study's sample consisted of (75) male and female counselors. The study utilized a questionnaire comprising (48) items distributed across (5) domains: behavioral and social domain, the domain of methods and aides, the domain of the functioning of the educational process, the domain of parental participation, and the domain of preparation of resource rooms. The study's results revealed that learning resource rooms offer (11) educational services to a very high degree, (30) educational services to a large extent, (5) educational services to a moderate degree, and (2) educational services to a low degree. Furthermore, the results indicated the absence of statistically significant differences in the counselors' assessment of educational services provided in learning resource rooms attributed to gender. However, the results did show statistically significant differences in the counselors' assessment, favoring those with higher academic qualifications and postgraduate studies.

The study carried out by Al-Fayez (2018), titled " Obstacles of Services Supporting Female Students with Learning Difficulties and Ways to Overcome Them from the Point of View of Elementary Schools Female Teachers in Riyadh," aimed to identify the necessary support services for female students with learning disabilities and determine the obstacles hindering the provision of these services from the perspective of primary school teachers in Riyadh. The study involved a sample of 226 female teachers. and showed several significant findings, including the ranking of the most important services in the following order: psychological services, counseling services, parental counseling and training, assistive technology, and social services and yielded several significant findings.

2.1. General Commentary on Previous Studies

The researcher benefited from reviewing previous studies to identify the research gap, construct the theoretical framework, develop the tool, and interpret the results. The current study aligns with the research of Al-Asmari and Al-Sayyad (2019) and Al-Freih (2022) in selecting the sample of "teachers of students with learning disabilities." However, it differs from the studies of Al-Zoubi and Al-Hadidi (2020) and Al-Haythami (2020) in its focus on specific guidance and social services provided to female students with learning disabilities. These services are incorporated into individual educational plans for learners with learning difficulties, aiming to support their progress and enhance their overall performance. This study can be valuable for professionals in the field of special education, guiding them on effective engagement with female students with learning disabilities during the primary stages. The study emphasizes the importance of understanding their psychological characteristics and advocates for the provision of specialized personnel in the psychological and social domains to deliver counseling programs that contribute to enhancing support services for learners with learning disabilities. Additionally, it may pave the way for further studies exploring the comprehensive support services required by female students with learning disabilities at the secondary level.

2.2. Problem Statement 

The guidance and social services offered by schools are essential components of private educational services, which should be included in the individual educational plan and clearly defined for each student with learning difficulties. These services play a crucial role in modifying and acquiring new behaviors, thereby addressing existing shortcomings. By incorporating these services, the aim is to proactively prevent and overcome challenges that students with learning difficulties may encounter. Based on the researcher's teaching expertise and recognizing the importance of providing social and guidance services as supportive services, particularly for students facing learning difficulties, the study aims to investigate the current reality of guidance and social services. These services are integral to the broader scope of supportive services and play a crucial role in assisting those who experience learning difficulties. The study seeks to shed light on the actual implementation and effectiveness of guidance and social services, emphasizing the significance of offering these services to individuals who encounter learning difficulties. In the  light of the foregoing, the problem of the study is crystallized in the main question:  "What is the reality of school guidance and social services offered to students who suffer learning difficulties, from the point of view of their teachers in the primary stage?" This main question gives rise to the following sub-questions:

1. What is the school guidance services reality, offered to students who suffer learning difficulties, from point of view of their teachers, in the primary stage?
2. What is the school social services reality, offered to students who suffer learning difficulties, from their teachers' point of view in the primary stage?
3. Are there differences of statistical significance at (α=0.05) level in the school social and guidance services offered to students who suffer learning difficulties, from their teacher’s point of view pursuant to grade level variable, education type, and teaching expertise.

2.3. Significance of the Study

The significance of this study can be highlighted in the following aspects:

1. Providing a scientific article related to the reality of school guidance and social services for students with learning difficulties.
2. Improving the provision of services offered to such category at the site.

2.4. Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to contribute proactively in preventing and overcoming challenges that students with learning difficulties may encounter by identifying the reality of applying guidance and social services to students with learning disabilities from the perspective of their teachers.

2.5. Limitations of the Study 

The study is subject to certain limitations, which include:

• Thematic boundaries: The focus of the study is on examining the reality of specific school guidance and social services provided to students experiencing learning difficulties, from point of view of their teachers of the primary stage, at Aqaba province – Jordan
• Spatial limits: This study is limited to schools in Aqaba Province, Jordan.
• Human limits: The study specifically targets students who are facing learning difficulties at the primary stage.
• Time limits: This study was performed in the 2nd. study session of academic year 2022/2023

3. METHOD

3.1. Study Approach

The Analytical descriptive method has been employed in this study to gain a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon under investigation, this method involves the systematic collection and analysis of data to accurately describe the reality of school guidance and social services for students with learning difficulties.

3.2. StudyPopulation

The study population comprises teachers who work with students with learning difficulties at the primary stage, specifically in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th levels during the academic year (2022-2023). The study focuses on teachers located in Aqaba Governorate.  Those teachers are (500) teachers distributed according to grade levels as indicated in Table 1.

3.3. Study Sample

The study sample consists of (50) teachers, representing (10%) of the study population, who were selected randomly; please refer to Table 2.

3.4. Study Tool

The researcher created a questionnaire to assess the actuality of some guidance and social services provided to students with learning challenges after reviewing the educational literature and earlier studies concerning guidance services. The questionnaire encompassed a total of (22) services, systematically categorized into two domains: guidance services and social services.

3.4.1. Validity of the Tool

To establish the validity and accuracy of the questionnaire, it was submitted to a panel of (10) experts, including educational counselors, teachers, and school principals, for their evaluation. The researcher considered the insights and recommendations provided by the expert panel, resulting in the deletion, addition, and modification of certain questionnaire items.

3.4.2. Tool Stability

To ensure the reliability and stability of the tool, the researcher administered it to an experimental sample comprising (20) teachers drawn from the study population, outside the study sample. After two weeks, the same questionnaire was re-administered to the same sample. Pearson's correlation coefficient was employed to calculate the degree of consistency between the participant's responses in the two administrations.

To assess the internal consistency of the questionnaire's sections, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was computed, yielding a robust value of (α = 0.885). This high reliability coefficient underscores the instrument's suitability for the objectives of this study (See Table 3 for details).

3.5. Study Variables

• The independent study variables are represented by three variables: (grade level, type of education, and teaching experience).
• The dependent variable; guidance and social services according to fields: (the reality of school guidance services, the reality of school social services).

3.6. Statistical Processing Methods

In this study, various statistical methods were employed to analyze the data to achieve the study's objectives, including:

• Frequencies and percentages were used to provide an overview of the study sample's characteristics.
• Simple Moving Average (SMA) and standard deviations were utilized to assess individual responses to each paragraph within the questionnaire.
• The internal consistency and validity of the questionnaire were examined using Pearson's correlation coefficient.
• Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to evaluate the questionnaire's stability.
• Mann-Whitney U test was employed to determine the significance of differences between two independent groups.
• Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to assess the significance of differences among more than two independent groups.

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The following is an overview of the study results and their discussion, and relating them to the literature review:

The results of the answers to the main question: "What is the reality of some school guidance and social services offered to students who suffer learning difficulties, from the point of view of their teachers in the primary stage?"  To answer this question, the SMAs' averages and standard deviations of the respondents' responses; as to the reality of some guidance and social services for students, were calculated, the results of these calculations are presented in Table 4. It shows that both domains of guidance and social services achieved high levels of implementation. school guidance services registered the highest SMA valued at (3.95), followed by the domain of school social services registered SMA valued at (3.74).

The total domains obtained registered SMA valued at (3.86), indicating a high degree of application. This indicates that the implementation of guidance and social services for students with learning disabilities, from the point of view of their teachers in the primary stage registered high degree. Based on the results, it is evident that the school has shown significant interest in providing guidance and social services for students with learning disabilities. This is achieved through early identification of students within this category, aiding them in proper adaptation and interaction within their familial, educational, and societal environments. which facilitates their preparation for future life. These results are consistent with the study conducted by Al-Haythami (2020).

First Sub-question answers outcomes; "What is the school guidance services reality, offered to students who suffer learning difficulties, from point of view of their teachers, in the primary stage?" To answer this question, the SMAs and standard deviations of the respondents ' responses in terms of the reality of school guidance services provided to students with learning disabilities, were calculated, and the results are presented in Table 5:

Table 5 presents that the SMAs’ of the school guidance services application degrees provided to students; with learning disabilities ranged between 2.84 and 4.54. Notably, paragraphs 11, 1, 12, 4, and 8 registered very high application degrees, the highest of which was paragraph No. 11, which states “Training students on good memory skills”, which registered the highest Simple Moving Average (SMA), value at (4.54), This can be attributed to the proper preparation of teachers before and throughout their service. This result is consistent with the study by Al-Mutairi (2022). On the other hand, paragraphs 3 and 9 demonstrate moderate application degrees, with paragraph No. 9, stating "School guidance service is not activated," as it registered the lowest SMA, valued at (2.84); This can be attributed to several factors, including the limited employment of qualified counselors in the school, weak collaboration and communication with parents, excessive workload imposed on the counselor beyond her designated responsibilities in the school, and a shortage of training courses, these factors constitute significant barriers that impede the effective provision of services, these findings are consistent with a study conducted by Al-Haythami (2020).

Results of the answers to the second sub-question; "What is the school social services reality, offered to students who suffer learning difficulties, from their teachers' point of view in the primary stage?"

Table 6 shows that the SMAs of applying school social services degrees offered to students of learning disabilities ranged between (2.12 and 4.50). Notably, paragraphs (14, 13,16) demonstrate very high application scores. Among them, paragraph No. 14, emphasizing "Training students with learning disabilities on social skills and communication," obtained the highest SMA at a value of (4.50). This indicates the identification of individuals within this category in schools and the implementation of suitable educational interventions, thus alleviating the burden on regular classroom teachers. Consequently, equal opportunities were realized, and this outcome is consistent with the findings of the study conducted by Ghneim et al. (2019), On the other hand, paragraph No. 17, which states “the social specialist assists parents to obtaining guidance services or financial support,” registered the lowest SMA, valued at (2.12), indicating a low application degree, indicating a deficiency in financial support from both the Ministry of Education and parents. This result is consistent with a study conducted by Al-Asmari and Al-Sayyad (2019).

4.1. The First Variable: Grade Level

The results of the answers to the third sub-question: " Are there differences of statistical significance at (α=0.05) level in the school social and guidance services offered to students who suffer learning difficulties, from their teacher’s point of view pursuant to grade level variable, education type, and teaching expertise?"  Kruskal-Walli’s test was used herein, to find out the significance of differences in school guidance and social services. The results are shown in Table 7:

Table 7 shows that, according to the variable of the grade level, there are no statistically significant differences in the guidance and school social services offered to students with learning disabilities. This indicates that the students receive the same supportive services. This result is consistence with a study conducted by Al-Zoubi and Al-Hadidi (2020).

4.2. The Second Variable: Type of Education

Mann-Whitney U test was used herein, to find out the significance of differences in school guidance and social services according to the type of education. The results are presented in Table 8:

Table 8 shows that there are no statistically significant differences in the school guidance and social services for students with learning disabilities, and this means the similarity of school guidance and social services applications offered to students who suffer from learning disabilities, from the point of view of their teachers, regardless of the type of education. This finding is consistent with a study conducted by Al-Zoubi and Al-Hadidi (2020).

4.3. The Third Variable: Teaching Experience

"Kruskal-Wallis" test was used to find out the significance of differences in school guidance and social services offered to students with learning disabilities. The results were as follows:

Table 9 shows that there are no statistically significant differences in school guidance and social services among learning disability students, according to the teaching experience variable. This means the similarity application degrees of guidance and social services of the students suffering learning disabilities, from their teacher point of view, regardless of their teaching experience, this finding is in line with a study conducted by Al-Zoubi and Al-Hadidi (2020).

5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The study discussed the reality of implementing guidance and social services for students with learning disabilities from the perspective of their teachers.

A sample of (50) teachers was randomly selected for the academic year (2022-2023). The results indicated that both guidance and social services domains received high degree implementation with an average mean of (3.86) and there were no statistically significant differences at the (0.05) significance level in counseling and school social services based on the variables of grade level, type of education, and teaching experience. This finding reflects the early detection of individuals within this student category, prompting increased emphasis on delivering effective guidance and social services for students with learning disabilities.

Based on the results of the study, the researcher recommends the following:

• Increase the number of qualified counselors to provide guidance and social services in schools.
• Enhance collaboration and communication with parents to improve the quality of guidance and social services schools.
• Activate and implement educational programs and individual plans for students with learning disabilities in schools involving a multidisciplinary team.
• Alleviate the additional responsibilities placed on counselors that may extend beyond their designated roles, enabling them to consistently and effectively offer guidance and social services.
• Conduct training courses for counselors to effectively deliver guidance and social services to students with learning disabilities.
• Provide all the necessary opportunities and resources to ensure the success of the multidisciplinary team as service providers for students, efficiently addressing their deficiencies and needs through cooperation.
• Conduct further studies to explore other variables related to individuals within this category.
• There is a need to expand the development of training programs for school counselors, particularly in dealing with students experiencing learning disabilities.
• It is recommended to conduct additional studies focusing on the satisfaction of parents whose children receive guidance services within special education programs.
  

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