Jurnal Penelitian dan Pengembangan Pendidikan Luar Biasa

Integrative Leadership Practices in Improving Educational Quality in Special Education Schools

Ismail Bakri — 2026-07-01

Previous studies on school leadership have predominantly examined single leadership styles in general education settings, while limited attention has been given to how principals integrate multiple leadership approaches to improve educational quality in special education contexts, particularly in relation to the standards of educators and educational personnel. This study aims to explore integrative leadership practices employed by the principal in improving educational quality in a special education school. This research adopted a qualitative exploratory approach. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations involving the principal, classroom teachers, subject teachers, and educational staff. The findings reveal that the principal applies an integrative leadership approach by combining democratic and transformational leadership styles, supported by situational and Path–Goal leadership elements. Democratic leadership is reflected in openness to feedback, participatory decision-making, and collaborative school forums, while transformational leadership is demonstrated through vision-building, motivation, exemplary conduct, and individual professional support. Situational and Path–Goal leadership elements enable adaptive supervision, removal of work obstacles, and goal clarification based on staff readiness. This study contributes theoretically by extending leadership studies through the concept of integrative leadership in special education settings. Practically, the findings provide insights for school principals and education stakeholders in designing adaptive leadership strategies to improve the quality of educators and educational personnel in special education schools.

Development of Learning Materials for Social Skills Based on Augmented Reality For People with Autism

Ilham Rizky Ramadhan — 2026-07-01

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience difficulties in social skills, including empathy, peer interaction, and appropriate social behavior. These challenges require learning media that are engaging, interactive, and compatible with the visual learning characteristics of students with autism. This study aimed to develop Augmented Reality (AR)-based social skills learning materials and examine their validity, practicality, and effectiveness for students with autism. The study employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach using the ADDIE model, consisting of Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation stages. The participants were 10 students with autism enrolled in the lower grades of a special school in Surabaya, Indonesia. Data were collected through expert validation questionnaires, user practicality questionnaires, and pretest-posttest assessments. The developed product is an Android-based AR application containing instructional videos, interactive 3D objects, quizzes, and reinforcement features. Validation results indicated that the media was highly feasible for use in learning. Practicality assessments also showed positive responses from users. Furthermore, the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test revealed a significant improvement in students’ social skills after using the media (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that AR-based learning materials are valid, practical, and effective in supporting the development of social skills among students with autism.

Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of an Emotional Engagement Scale Indonesian Secondary Education

Nadia Salsabila Lutfha — 2026-07-02

This study aimed to adapt and conduct a preliminary psychometric evaluation of an Emotional Engagement Scale for junior high school students in Indonesia. Emotional engagement is considered an important dimension of student engagement, particularly in supporting students’ academic participation, emotional well-being, and classroom inclusion. However, standardized instruments specifically measuring emotional engagement among Indonesian junior secondary school students remain limited, particularly for heterogeneous and inclusive educational settings. This study employed a preliminary psychometric validation design involving 50 seventh-grade students selected through purposive sampling. The adaptation process followed cross-cultural procedures, including forward translation, synthesis, back translation, expert review, readability testing, and pilot testing. Item validity was assessed using Corrected Item–Total Correlation, while reliability was evaluated through Cronbach’s Alpha internal consistency analysis. Results indicated that six out of seven items demonstrated acceptable validity, while one item was excluded due to inadequate psychometric performance. The final six-item scale demonstrated good internal consistency (α = 0.821). These findings suggest that the adapted instrument has potential utility in assessing students’ emotional engagement within Indonesian secondary education contexts. Nevertheless, further psychometric studies involving larger samples and factorial analyses are recommended to strengthen construct validity

Pedagogical Gaps in Teaching Braille Quran Reading to Visually Impaired Children

Safaruddin — 2026-07-02

Teaching Braille Qur'an reading to visually impaired children was a critical issue in special education and Islamic religious education, as it directly impacted students' access to religious literacy, independent learning, and spiritual participation. This article aimed to analyze pedagogical gaps in Braille Qur'an reading instruction based on a conceptual review of the characteristics of visually impaired children, the complexity of Braille literacy, and the prevailing tendency toward technically focused learning. The method used was a conceptual study employing a narrative literature review approach of internationally reputable literature from the past 10 years discussing Braille literacy, education for children with visual impairments, tactile learning, assistive technology, and meaningful learning. The results indicated that pedagogical gaps emerged in five main forms. First, instruction remained heavily oriented toward technical decoding, with little attention to students' conceptual understanding of Qur'anic text. Second, tactile experience was rarely scaffolded into coherent cognitive organization, leaving students unable to construct meaning from what they felt. Third, the complexity of Braille Qur'an symbols was frequently introduced without a structured learning sequence, overwhelming students before foundational skills were secured. Fourth, auditory approaches often overshadowed tactile reinforcement, creating dependency on listening rather than active reading. Fifth, the design of existing learning models failed to accommodate students' diverse individual needs, resulting in a one-size-fits-all approach that undermined meaningful participation. This article concluded that Braille Qur'an reading instruction needed to be directed toward a more explicitly structured and meaningful model, so that students were not only able to recite the text but also understand the relationship between Braille symbols, the sounds of the Hijaiyah letters, vowel marks, and the overall structure of the Qur'anic text

The Effect of Neurocognitive Mobilisation on Attention and Response to Instruction of Students with Physical Disabilities in the Intervention Class

Anik Agustin — 2026-07-08

This research examined the impact of neurocognitive mobilisation on the attention and responsiveness to classroom instruction of BS, a student with motor impairments enrolled at SLB Negeri 1 Gianyar. The study employed a quantitative methodology using a Single Subject Research (SSR) design with A–B phases, comprising an initial baseline stage followed by an intervention stage. Data collection was conducted through systematic classroom observations using an instrument designed to evaluate several behavioral indicators, including attention, concentration, motor coordination, motor control, and responses to teacher instructions across the intervention period. The validity of the observation instrument was assessed using Aiken's V, yielding a coefficient of 1.00, which indicates excellent content validity. Reliability was examined through Interobserver Agreement (IOA) to ensure consistency between observers. Comparison of the baseline and intervention phases revealed notable improvements in the participant's performance after the implementation of neurocognitive mobilisation. These improvements were reflected by an upward trend in scores, stable behavioral patterns during the intervention phase, and a relatively low percentage of overlapping data (20%) between phases. Overall, the findings suggest that neurocognitive mobilisation has the potential to enhance attention, active participation during classroom learning, and responsiveness to instructional cues among students with motor impairments in special education contexts. However, because the study involved only a single participant, the results should be interpreted with caution. Future research is recommended to include a larger number of participants and apply more robust research designs to provide stronger empirical support and improve the broader applicability of the findings

The Effect of the Traditional “Bola Boy” Game Using Numbered Cans on Improving Number Symbol Recognition Skills in Students with Mild Intellectual Disabilities

Ot Bil Wilson Selan — 2026-07-14

This study aims to determine the effect of modifying the traditional "bola boy" game with numbered cans on the ability of students with mild intellectual disabilities to recognize number symbols. Despite previous interventions using picture cards and videos, these students continue to face difficulties in distinguishing number symbols. A quantitative pre-experimental design with a one-group pre-test post-test approach was employed, involving six fourth-grade students from the Bhakti Luhur Baumata Special Education School selected through total sampling. Data were collected using written tests assessing counting, matching, sequencing, and number completion skills, and analyzed using a Paired Samples t-test with SPSS version 25.0. The results revealed a significant improvement in number symbol recognition, with mean scores rising from 58.67 (SD = 15.01) in the pre-test to 81.83 (SD = 12.95) in the post-test, representing an average gain of 23.16 points. Learning mastery increased from 33.3 percent to 100 percent. The paired samples t-test produced a t-value of -16.269 with p < 0.001, indicating a statistically significant difference. The effectiveness of this medium is attributed to its alignment with the concrete operational learning characteristics of these students, its integration of motor and cognitive activities providing multisensory experiences, and its facilitation of learning stages based on Dienes' Theory. The modified "bola boy" game with numbered cans is therefore proven to be an effective and valuable tool for teaching basic number symbol recognition in special education settings

Obstacles in the Implementation of Inclusive Education: A Case Study of Schools in Surakarta

Rama Aji Prasetya — 2026-07-17

Guarantee for all citizens to access the right to equal education is accommodated through inclusive educational policy. However, many factors have made the policy implementation not running optimally. This research aims to analyze obstacles in the implementation of inclusive education in Surakarta City. As the pilot project of child-friendly city since 2006, the fulfillment of educational rights for children, including children with disabilities, is the prioritized program. The method employed was descriptive qualitative with case study conducted in six schools organizing inclusive education in Surakarta City. A series of interviews and observations have been carried out as main techniques of collecting data. Interview was carried out with three informants involved in the implementation of inclusive education at school: Shadow teacher, Inclusive Coordinator, and Students. Meanwhile, observation was carried out in learning practice and interaction in the class. The result of research indicates that main obstacles include five interrelated structural factors: deficit in quantity and quality of shadow teachers, limited inclusive training for regular teachers, parents’ declination to recognize children’s condition, governmental regulation inconsistency related shadow teacher and educational basic data, and limited facilities and infrastructures not fully accessible to students with disabilities. To deal with the obstacles synergy is needed between regional government, school, and community through reinforcing regulation related to shadow teachers, teacher training, and facility and infrastructure improvement to achieve non-discriminatory inclusive education oriented toward each student’s unique potency.