Conection of capacities and difficulties, achievement motivation and professional interests of pupils of 5th – 8th grades of special needs education

Children requiring special needs education – a group of children of special education – account for approximately 20% of children with special needs and make one of the biggest groups with special needs. Psychological study data shows that children of special needs education, if compared with their contemporaries, suffer from bigger psychological difficulties, problems of bigger social and communication problems with their contemporaries. But the issue concerning factors of increased risks of psychological problems of these children is problematic and still open. And this project is aimed to study conection of strengths and difficulties, achievement motivation and professional interests of children of special needs for education, their mutual relations, if compared with a group of contemporaries of average studying level. For this purpose group (n=50) adolescents with special educational needs and group (n=50) adolescent without special educational needs were formed who completed the questionnaires of strengths and difficulties (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) (SDQ), Goodman, 1997, 2001), and Achievement motivation profile questionnaire (Achievement Motivation Profile AMP, Friedland, Mandel, Marcus, 1995). Research results show that children with special educational needs, as a group, encounter similar psychological difficulties as their contemporaries, who have no educational difficulties and are less vulnerable, so they do not have that many difficulties of behaviour and emotions. Pupils with educational disability tend more to plan and organise their vocational activities than their contemporaries of average results, but activity in this field hinders them to adapt to environment, demonstrate social behaviour. Statistical data analysis proved a hypothesis that special educational needs have no impact on professional ambitions: business interests are most intrinsic for both control and experimental groups. Children with special educational needs are persistent and inclined to cooperate, understand other people’s feelings and ideas expressed, what description of a business type profession requires. It is of high importance to know and be able to explain difficulties of pupils of special needs education, promote their efforts to overcome difficulties, help pupils to know themselves, increase their achievement motivation, adapt their motivations to their realisation in one or another profession.Švietimo akademijaVytauto Didžiojo universiteta