The Laws and Regulations for Students with Special Needs at the University of Ljubljana and also at the University of Trieste regulate and define the rights of students with specific learning difficulties in the in the admission procedure for enrolment in higher education studies and in the field of adjustments of the study environment, the way of conducting studies, the fulfilment of study obligations and the coordination of activities to support students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD).
The aim of the Master's thesis is to examine the legislation that regulates the rights of students with SpLD in Slovenia and Italy, the knowledge of this legislation by students with SpLD, how the legislation is taken into account when exercising their rights, the procedures for obtaining the status of a student with SpLD, the adjustments to which students with SpLD are entitled and how adjustments are made in Slovenian and Italian higher education programmes. In the theoretical part of the Master's thesis we defined the legal basis of education for students with SpLD and possible forms of support and assistance for students with SpLD in Slovenia and Italy. We presented students with SpLD in higher education, the regulations of the Universities of Ljubljana and Trieste governing their rights, self-advocacy skills and their importance for students with SpLD.
In the empirical part, a questionnaire was used to investigate the advantages, disadvantages, opportunities and barriers to inclusion of students with SpLD and compliance with legislation in both Slovenia and Italy. In the research we used descriptive statistics and a causal, non-experimental research method with a qualitative and quantitative research approach. We created a non-random sample of 95 students from the University of Ljubljana and the University of Trieste who have been diagnosed with SpLD and have the status of a student with special needs. Data were collected using the electronic questionnaire 1ka.
The results of the research show that more than half of the students with SpLD do not receive information about obtaining the status of a student with special needs/ SpLD in higher education before enrolment. More than half of the enrolled students receive information about the status of a student with special needs only later, when they are already enrolled in a higher education institution. The results show that students with SpLD are mostly aware of and familiar with the laws and regulations at both universities. In terms of legislation and related regulations, students with SpLD at both universities mostly have the same or very similar adjustments. The main difference is that in Italy, students with SpLD are treated in their own laws and regulations like other groups of students with special needs, for whom there are separate laws and regulations. In Slovenia, on the other hand, the law applies to all groups of students with special needs and there is no separate law for students with SpLD. We also note that students with SpLD are more often granted adjustments at the University of Ljubljana than at the University of Trieste. However, students at both universities feel that their adjustments are less often taken into account and have been implemented at school rather than during their studies.
The most common obstacles faced by students with SpLD at the University of Ljubljana and the University of Trieste are difficulties in studying for exams and in preparing for several exams at the same time. The results also show that students with SpLD at both the University of Ljubljana and the University of Trieste have well-developed self-advocacy skills.
|
