Teaching support needs of special education teachers handling students with mental retardation in special education centers in Manila

This study determines the teaching support needs of special education teachers handling children with mental retardation. Specifically, it looks into their profile such as age, gender, civil status, length of teaching experience in both regular and special education setting and their socio-economic status and extent of various teaching support services needed. How these variables are associated with teaching support need is one of the focus of the study. It employed the descriptive method of research utilizing a researcher-derived questionnaire. It included 62 special education teachers from the Division of City Schools Manila, handling children with mental retardation. Based on the findings the following conclusions were drawn: 1. Majority, 95% of the special education teachers handling children with mental retardation are female below sixty years old have earned masteral units in special education have teaching experience and 55% received monthly family income of 20,000 pesos and below and with regards to civil status, 68% of respondents were married. 2. The special education teachers handling children with mental retardation very much needed administrative, and government teaching support and needed suports were peer, parental and community teaching support. 3. The various teaching supports namely: administrative, peer, parental, community and government teaching support are not associated with selected personal variables