Comparative Study on Inclusive and Special Education Curricula in Hungary

Overview & Synopsis

Study aim: To compare the National Core Curriculum (NCC) and the special education curriculum regarding how much they are suitable for children with disabilities in the field of physical education and sports. Material and methods: Content analysis of Hungarian NCC and of 5 special schools curricula was employed to obtain information on specific issues from both general education and physical education (PE) programmes. Results: Special schools were found to take the guidelines of NCC into consideration, but local curricula were more specified and modified in terms of goals, tasks, specific requirements, subject matters, contact hours and evaluation forms. Since NCC does not specify how to modify the goals, tasks or requirements when there is a child with disability in the class, PE proved to have a more important role in special education curriculum than in the NCC. Conclusions: Teachers with little or no information on inclusive education need an indepth and thorough explanation and a detailed plan of action regarding the specificity of teaching students with disabilities. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)