ARTICLES IN SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS THAT ADDRESS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Abstract

The professional development of teachers to work with children with disabilities is a recurring theme in the literature, as it is one of the keys to effective educational inclusion. However, studies carried out so far have mainly focused on training elementary school teachers. Given this context, this study sought to investigate: the occurrence of articles whose main objective is professional development for teachers of early childhood education to work with children with disabilities; and the methodology used in the professional development programs assessed by those papers. Articles published from 1990 to 2012, in the following journals, were analyzed: Educação e Pesquisa (USP), Revista Psicologia Escolar e Educacional, Pro-Posições (Unicamp), Revista Brasileira de Educação Especial e Revista Educação Especial (UFSM). After selecting the journals, the titles of all articles published within the period considered were read. Articles deemed relevant articles were read in full, and analyzed, according to the purposes of this research. The results indicated that within the period considered, and based on the journals chosen for investigation, there were no specific articles on the subject directly, although there have been articles that touch on the issue. This literature review emphasizes the importance of expanding research on the subject, in order to widen knowledge in the area, especially knowledge aimed at contributing to early childhood education and the professional development of its teachers.