Peer-reviewed article
The Effect of Distance Learning on Learning Outcomes of Children with Special Needs in Inclusive Schools in the New Normal
Nur Indah Sholikhati, Muhaimi Mughni Prayogo, Joko Santoso ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how distance learning affected children with special needs in inclusive schools in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers interviewed 15 teachers and special education advisors from 12 inclusive schools in Yogyakarta about their experience with online learning. The findings showed that distance learning had positive effects on Indonesian language skills, with improvements in reading, listening, writing, and speaking. The quality of learning media used was the most important factor affecting learning outcomes, with more interactive media producing better results.
Key points
- Distance learning in inclusive schools used various online and offline media for course distribution, communication, and examinations
- Children with special needs showed improved mastery of reading, listening, writing, and speaking competencies in Indonesian language through distance learning
- The interactivity of learning media was the most influential component for learning effectiveness
- Teachers collaborated with parents to improve the effectiveness of distance learning despite obstacles
- Online learning encountered challenges, though the document does not specify what these were
Limitations
The study is based on teacher and advisor perspectives rather than direct measurement of student learning outcomes or comparison with traditional classroom learning. The document does not specify which types of special needs were included or provide quantitative data on learning gains.
Abstract
Distance education is an organized educational process that bridges the separation between students and educators mediated by the use of technology and minimal face-to-face meetings. Distance education evolved from correspondent education to education through e-learning across time and space. Currently, in Indonesia, even in all countries in the world there is an outbreak of Covid-19 which results in learning in the field of education having to change from face-to-face learning to distance learning. The purpose of this study was to determine how the effect of distance learning for children with special needs in inclusive schools in the new era of normality. The method used in this research is qualitative research with online interview data collection techniques, documentation, and literature studies related to children with special needs during the COVID 19 pandemic. Qualitative data analysis was carried out through the stages of data reduction, data presentation, concluding, and verification. Based on the purposive random sampling technique, this study involved 15 informants consisting of classroom teachers and Special Advisors from 12 inclusive schools in all districts in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. The results of the study revealed that distance learning which is applied in inclusive elementary schools in Yogyakarta is learning that is carried out online by utilizing various learning media both using the internet network and not Course materials are distributed online, communicated also carried out online, and all forms of examinations are also carried out online. The result of implementing distance learning in inclusive elementary schools is that learning the Indonesian language that is carried out remotely has a positive effect in the form of increased mastery of reading, listening, writing, and speaking competencies for children with special needs during the Covid-19 pandemic. The learning component that has the most influence is the selection of the learning media used. The more interactive the media used, the more effective the learning outcomes obtained by students. Even though online learning also encountered some obstacles, teachers continued to strive to improve the effectiveness of distance learning for children with special needs by collaborating with parents or guardians of students.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
Problem
Children with special needs may have difficulty learning effectively during distance education
- Intervention
- Implementation of distance learning in inclusive schools using various interactive online and offline media, with parent-teacher collaboration
- Population
- Children with special needs attending inclusive elementary schools in Yogyakarta, Indonesia during COVID-19
Key finding
Positive effect on mastery of reading, listening, writing, and speaking competencies in Indonesian language