Integration of Technology in the Instructional Process for Students with Special Needs

Teachers are the main guides in supporting students’ physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. Classrooms have diverse learners, including those with special needs; thus, appropriate instructional methods are highly needed to support such environments. Students with special needs experience difficulties in almost every avenue of life; hence, especially in learning at school, they require special teaching approaches. Technology has provided an avenue for reducing barriers and increasing inclusion during instruction. The current study aims to establish whether technological tools and multimedia motivate, engage, and support students with special needs in both learning and classroom integration. A quantitative approach was adopted, in which 25 items of a questionnaire were completed by teachers, assistants, and psychologists from rural and urban primary schools in Gjilan, Kosovo. Results reveal that increased use of technology enhances both inclusion and motivation for students with special needs and that limited staff training acts as an inhibitor of effective implementation. The outcomes also demonstrated greater integration in private schools and lower use of technology among older and more experienced teachers.