Kvalitet odnosa vaspitača i dece sa smetnjama u razvoju

Abstract

Milana Rajić and Ivana Mihić’s research, The Quality of Relationships betweenTeachers and Children with Developmental Disabilities, is focused on research intothe quality of this relationship as well as the potential factors which could contributeto quality. Self-evaluations of teachers’ experiences with children were analysed togain insight into the quality of relationships between teachers and children. In orderto study the potential quality factors of this relationship, consideration was given toa) teachers’ characteristics – self-evaluated motivation and perceived competencesfor work with children with developmental disabilities, b) environmental features –estimated global conditions for work and the number of children in groups as wellas c) teachers’ beliefs about children. In terms of the quality of the teacher-childrelationship, the data indicates relatively expressed closeness, but equally expressedantagonism between teachers and pupils with developmental disabilities. As regardsthose factors which could influence such relationships, the findings show thatthose teaches who have fewer negative beliefs about children with developmentaldisabilities and who perceive themselves as competent and motivated for work withsuch children will establish relationships with children which are characterised byacceptance, positive emotional exchange and harmony. The authors recommend thecontinuous professional training of teachers based on relational perspectives with aparticular focus on mastering the knowledge and skills required to support childrenand strengthening teachers’ sensitivity towards them.