Research on School-Based Collaborative Educational Support for Students With or At-Risk Learning Disabilities

In 2023, the number of students with learning disabilities in Korea showed the lowest percentage among all students with special needs. In this regard, educational researchers and practitioners continue to voice concerns about the professionalism in screening and diagnosing learning disabilities, which is currently depriving early detection and opportunities for educational support of students with or at-risk learning disabilities. Therefore, this study aims to explore collaborative educational support for students with or at-risk learning disabilities in school-based education. A SWOT analysis of the literature and a survey for validation and implementation were conducted among academic, administrative, and field experts in learning disabilities. The results were as follows. First, for the in-class level, professional training for collaborative teaching and increasing the number of teachers were mentioned in the ’co-teaching system’, ‘leading inclusive school’, and 'basic education teachers and supplementary teacher' sections. Second, the need to enhance the expertise of teachers in ’supplementary education’ at the in-school level and the need for individual training about students with or at-risk learning disabilities in ‘parent education’ were mentioned. Third, expanding the expertise of learning coaching teams and learning counselors was mentioned for out-of-school ‘learning clinics’. Fourth, at the system level, it was suggested to improve the identification of students in need of support and the definition of basic education in order to provide appropriate educational support to students with or at-risk learning disabilities. This study has implications in that it explored the current educational support system for students with learning disabilities within the education policy in Korea to overcome the limitations and provide practical support. Furthermore, this study suggested school-based plans for collaborative educational support and a universal educational design.