2- Research of Literature on Contemporary Issues in Residential Education

Module 2: Research of Literature on Contemporary Issues in Residential Education
unsure if it is an essay or a critical writing.
focus on United Kingdom boarding schools – undiagnosed SEN issues
Module 2: Critical Analysis of Literature Assignment 2
Module 2: Research of Literature on Contemporary Issues in Residential Education

Research of Literature on Contemporary Issues in Education
Using your existing working title write a critical analysis of related literature.
You might like to consider the following questions/issues
• What does the most relevant literature contribute to the debate on your area of focus?
• What are the most significant points from a range of authors?
• Which author is closest to your current point of view?
• What are the most significant arguments that counter your argument?
• How do these counter arguments impact your current point of view?
• Why do you believe it is still important to research your topic after you have reviewed this literature?
IDEAS TO DEVELOP FOR MY RESEARCH PROJECT :
• An evaluation of the potential impacts of undiagnosed and unreported mild to moderate SEN conditions on the wellbeing and overall boarding experience of Chinese and Japanese students in UK boarding establishments.
• The focus of my master will be on undiagnosed Special Education Needs – with a particular attention on inattentive ADHD and level 1 Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Ash 2014) within the context of international boarding schools. Particular emphasis will be placed on researching the challenges faced by Japanese and Chinese students. The research will aim at developing a guide to professionals to embed simple and immediate SEN support and inclusive material to be used in the boarding houses, which can be delivered by non SEN trained staff. By providing suggestions on guidelines on processes and ideas on tools and practices, it is hoped to create better and more positive outcomes for undiagnosed SEN students. This specific topic is of particular interest to me as I have witnessed first hand the need for more SEN inclusive tools and process within an international boarding environment.
• The rationale and interest of my master’s research are based on having been working in progressively more senior roles in a boarding environment IN THE UNITED KINGDOM for the past 15 years, always focusing on international students for whom English is a second language, which has provided me with a special insight into international students’ outcomes. The past 5 years working in a fully international environment where students’ language abilities are particularly low, has offered an added dimension to my observation of the challenges that some students were experiencing in understanding, adapting and thriving in a boarding school environment. Aside from the language barrier and the profound cultural differences, it has become progressively clear to me that some students were struggling more than others. This clearly had an element of personality traits, but I have also observed the presence of potential neurodivergent traits and non-neurotypical behaviours and attitudes. Drawing from my personal experience of neurodiversity and interest in Special Education Needs, I have detected with increasing frequency that a statistically significant percentage of students would be presenting with mild to moderate SEN issues which have not been diagnosed or have not been reported at admission. In my experience, this was particularly true for Chinese and Japanese students, and for students originating from other Asian countries. Whilst the focus of the international boarding school environment is to support students in their English language learning and to prepare them to be competent and successful students in the subjects of their choice in their second language, very little attention, training, and reflection seems to have been placed on the potential presence of barriers to learning, which are independent of the language difference. As highlighted in an extract from a TES EduCare article , during a recent COBIS Conference (2018), keynote speaker Samantha Garner a renowned trainer and speaker on Mental Health, SEN, and Access Arrangements, opened the floor to discussions about the growing trend of the influx of students requiring additional specialist support. The audience agreed to have witnessed such a trend and that the growth was due to an increase in diagnosis, but also of a tendency seen in several countries to dismiss, ignore or deny issues, where SEN requirements are clouded in stigma, and families tend to regard SEN challenges as a poor reflection on the family.

I am particularly interested in delving into the aspects of the cultural barriers of reporting, acknowledging, and even recognising the full array of SEN presentations in international boarders. These will inform further consideration of the impact on general student well-being, mental health, and academic potentials and outcomes.
I am excited about being able to approach a range of academic institutions, international boarding sector SEN experts, and equally a range of students and boarding establishments to garner data to support my research.

Whilst this topic has received some attention in recent years, there may still be very little published data and analysis on the topic and may therefore present limited published external data in the UK. Additionally, I can envisage further barriers in so far as families, students, and indeed education settings would be reluctant to disclose a diagnosis, challenges, and potential what is perceived as under achievements. Furthermore, there may be a limited number of resources available to benchmark my research and findings.