Social Skills Instruction Carried Out by Teachers Working at Private Special Education Institutions in Turkey

Abstract

As social beings, humans have to learn social behaviors, too. The social behavior repertoire is increased by learning, and is affected by any factors that may impact learning. Individuals with developmental disabilities need systematic teaching in order to acquire social skills (SS) in natural settings. Via SS instruction, SS are taught to individuals who have social inadequacies or; in other words, such individuals are taught how to use the skills they already have in their repertoire. In this study, in order to determine the SS teaching practices of teachers who work at private special education centers, semi-structured interviews were conducted and the data collected have been analyzed by using inductive analysis procedures. The participants of this study were 14 teachers. The results demonstrated that teachers were having serious problems and inadequacies regarding SS instruction. It can be said that, there is a need for supportive services for systematic planning of SS instruction for pre-service and in-service teachers.