A Companion to Research in Teacher Education

13.8 Discussion

Throughout its 50-year long history in Norway, the education and training of
disability pedagogues has been and still is primarily focused on supporting people
who have developmental difficulties of one kind or another. At the same time,
disability pedagogues have extended their social pedagogic and clinical skills to
other areas of care. Arguably, the main function of the disability pedagogue is to
nurture perceived individual and collective efficacy. On the societal level, this
involves standing up for people who are rarely given the chance to assert their right
to active user participation and to do this in cooperation with disability pedagogues.
Provided that clinical and social/pedagogic support from disability pedagogues
is available, people who have developmental difficulties can learn, rehearse and

Table 13.1 (continued)

Semantic codes Illustrative text

Show empathy, respect and equality Engage the service user with empathy, respect

and as an equal, irrespective of age, sex, culture,

belief and interpretation of reality

Foster perceived self- and collective efficacy

(“mastery”)

Plan and conduct practical & methodical

psycho-social environmental [i.e.,social

pedagogic] work, emphasising well-being and

optimal mastery

Ability to foster agentic change in the best

interests of individual service users & groups of

service users

Cooperation, user participation and user

influence

Identify interests, resources and limitations in

cooperation with service users

Focus on service user influence and participation

Possess necessary clinical skills Understand the consequences of different

performance challenges and the most common

somatic and psychological disorders

Provide appropriate medication

Understand normal development and

developmental disabilities

Communicate and negotiate ethically Communicate and negotiate in an ethical way

with service users and affected parties, such as

relatives

Critique ideologies in policy circles, comply

with local and national decisions, & map

societal/individual circumstances

Appraise ideologies and resources in the health

and social apparatus and act on decisions made

at local and national levels

Ability to analyse and map the relationship

between societal conditions and individual

service user circumstances

Critique own practice Document, evaluate and secure high quality

professional work

Handling conflict Prevent and deal with different types of conflict

200 P. Stephens