Preparation and use of individualised education plans in prevocational training in selected special education units on the Copperbelt Province, Zambia

This study sought to determine the reasons why majority of the special education teachers do not prepare and use individualised education plans in teaching pre-vocational skills on the Copperbelt province. The objectives of the study were to: establish the reasons why the majority of special education teachers do not prepare individualised and use education plans in teaching pre-vocational skills to pupils with intellectual disabilities on the Copperbelt province of Zambia; to determine the benefits of individualised education plans in pre-vocational skills training on pupils with intellectual disabilitiesin schools where these plans were used on the Copperbelt province; and to establish the role of the individualised education plan team (IEP team) inthe selected schools on the Copperbelt province.
A descriptive research design was used in this study. The population of the study was one hundred and sixty (160) pupils with intellectual disabilities and thirty three (33) teachers teaching pre-vocational skills to pupils with intellectual disabilities on the Copperbelt province. The sample comprised fifty (50) pupils and thirty-three (33) teachers, purposively selected. Data was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire and interview guides. The data collected was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and thematic analysis, respectively.
The findings of the study revealed that special education teachers did not prepare and use individualised education plans in teaching pre-vocational skills because they were not trained in pre-vocational skills, were not familiar with assessment and placement procedures, the vocational needs of pupils and also because of congestion in classes.
The study further established that inadequate teaching materials and lack of teamwork among the individualised education plan team members posed as challenges in the teaching of pre-vocational skills.
Major recommendations made were that the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education should constantly send Special Education Standards Officers to monitor whether teachers prepare and use individualised education plans to aid the teaching of pre-vocational skills in schools and that teacher training colleges should start training teachers in pre-vocational skills.