The Readiness of College Students as Prospective Teachers in
Elementary School for Serving Children with Special Needs
Dedy Kurniadi and Sunaryo Sunaryo
Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia
Keywords: Serving, Children with Special Needs.
Abstract: The purpose of this research is to find out how the readiness of the teacher’s prospective for Primary school
at the one of Universities in Indonesia in they serving the exceptional Children (children with special
needs). The sample is taken from the students of Teacher Education of Elementary School (PGSD), The
Data of readiness student teachers in serving exceptional children is obtained through the test of
Comprehension the basic concept of Education of exceptional children and comprehension of the ways of
serving disabilities children, The data collected are then processed using simple statistics, namely the
quartile the result of the data showed that students do not have the readiness to serve children with
special needs, viewed from their understanding of basic concept of children with special needs as well as
their understanding of the ways serving the exceptional children.
1 INTRODUCTION
Elementary school teachers must have preparedness
in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes to help
learning basic Children with Special Needs. This is
because the development of the concept of inclusive
education (inclusion) which means there is no
separation between normal children a place to learn
with children with special needs (ABK). Along with
the rise of Issues on Human Rights (HAM). The
development of the concept of integrated education
and inclusion, is expected to be outstanding
educational trend in the future, because some of the
results showed that the application of the concept
has many advantages, especially in terms of output
aspect of academic, personal, and social.
Schwartz (1984) asserted that the policy of
mainstreaming in several US states have demanded
the ability or competence of teachers in order to
understand the condition of children with special
needs in accordance with the type of their ability.
The program structure S1 Primary School Education
(PGSD) the group can be divided into three subjects,
namely general education courses, professional basic
education programs, and educational programs of
study. The problems that arise in the field is whether
these three programs can equip prospective
elementary teacher’s readiness in serving
exceptional students?
This study aims to identify the readiness of
prospective primary school teachers in serving
exceptional students, readiness in question is
readiness in terms of its understanding of the basic
concepts of Education for Children with Special
Needs and understanding of the ways of serving
children with special needs Through this research is
expected to contribute to the development of
elementary teacher education programs so that
graduates can help the implementation of inclusive
education program in the field.
The essence of learning for children with special
needs are learning services that had been given by
considering the aspects of their incredibility of
children, particularly against owned limitations and
special needs at the individual as a result of their
incredibility. In choosing, deciding, designing, and
implementing learning programs Children with
Special Needs, which need to be considered by
teachers is that due to incredibility children have
problems in developing their potential in optimal
manner. It is necessary for appropriate learning
strategies according to the characteristics and needs.
Until now, one of the forms of learning programs
Children with Special Needs in schools that are
considered most appropriate is through the
Individualized Education Program (IEP) or in the
396
Kurniadi, D. and Sunaryo, S.
The Readiness of College Students as Prospective Teachers in Elementary School for Serving Children with Special Needs.
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences (ICES 2017) - Volume 2, pages 396-400
ISBN: 978-989-758-314-8
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

Indonesian language is translated into learning
programs are individualized or Teaching Program
Individual (PPI) , In designing this PPI, it should
contain five requirements: (1) The level of ability of
the child at this time, (2) general purpose (goal) is to
be achieved in one year and its formulation into
destination special-purpose (instructional objective),
(3) a special service for children and expansion to
follow the regular program, (4) projections about
when the commencement of activity and the time
will be used to provide services, and (5) evaluation
procedures and criteria the success or failure of the
program.
Sunardi (1996) states that the learning program
individual includes six components, namely (1) a
description of the level of ability of the child, (2)
long-term goals, (3) short-term goals, (4) special
type of services provided, (5) setting Award
services, and (6) a procedure and criteria for
evaluation. Reynolds and Birch (Sunardi, 1996)
states that there are seven principles that support the
learning profile children with special needs in
regular schools, namely:
 Setting the school's physical environment
 Social Integration of Children with Special
Needs
 Class management
 Optimizing Utilization of Academic Time
 Choosing Learning Materials
 Conducting Monitoring, Feed Back,
Encouragement, Repetition
 Utilizing Diagnosis Results in Learning
Meanwhile, according to Polite and Shevin
(Sunardi, 1996) there are five profiles inclusion of
learning in schools, namely:
 Creating and maintaining a warm classroom
community, accept diversity, and respect for
diversity
 Application of multilevel curriculum and
multimodality
 Prepare and encourage teachers to teach
interactively
 Equipping encouragement for teachers and
class continuously and the removal of barriers
relating to professional isolation
 Significant involvement of parents in the
planning process.
Learning children with special needs in the
regular school through inclusion has attracted the
attention of many people and has been widely placed
as the best alternative, due to the application of this
concept has many advantages, especially in terms of
output this concept has many advantages, especially
in terms of output aspect of academic, personal, and
social on Children with Special Needs. Even fears of
a negative impact on academic achievement in
normal children is also not proven. Even Staub and
Peck (Sunardi, 1996) has identified excess inclusion
program, namely: (1) reduction in the fear of
individual differences and a greater sense of
confidence in Children with Special Needs, (2) a
normal child more tolerant of others and
increasingly feel positive about themselves, (3)
improve the status and self-concept in normal
children (4) increased commitment of normal
children on moral and ethical principles, and (5)
getting accustomed close to friendship and
understanding.
Each of Children with Special Needs in addition
has the same needs with normal children, also have
special needs. Therefore, children with special needs
requires understanding, the same as other normal
children. Besides, they need love, security, self-
esteem, a sense recognized as a member of the
group, as well as a sense of freedom, they also have
certain needs in accordance with incredibility. These
needs must be anticipated by teachers in primary
school, so that they can develop their potential
optimally.
Schwartz (1984) asserts that the policy of
mainstreaming in some states of America States has
demanded the ability or competence of teachers in
order to understand the condition of children with
special needs in accordance with the type of their
incredibility. The problem of school teachers plain
does not have the readiness sufficient to teach
various types of Children with Special Needs
effectively, they were not prepared, so the needed
information and encouragement from the
administrator or their colleagues to be able to reduce
their anxiety in a situation barn that and being able
to be positive to the presence of the Son Special
Needs in its class.
List of attitudes and skills that must be possessed
by the teachers who have exception students in
public schools,
 Knowing how to talk to children about their
incredibility
 Actively teach children self-control
 Learning how to encourage parents to meet
the special needs of children
 Learning how to talk to parents about the
incredibility of children in general (normal
students)
 Learning how to work with parents who reject
the presence of children with special needs in
mainstream schools
The Readiness of College Students as Prospective Teachers in Elementary School for Serving Children with Special Needs
397

 Learning how to help parents and children
through other services outside school
 Refine skills in individualized teaching
 Developing the ability to use a more
prescriptive teaching technique
 Learning to- work closely with experts in the
classroom
 Develop behavior modification techniques
lake
 Gaining awareness about the techniques and
goals of physical therapy
 Familiar with medical terms and diagnostics
 Recognizing the influence of medication
 Understand identification techniques formal
and / or informal as well as diagnostic
procedures
 Familiar with the rules of law relating to the
incredibility.
Schwartz (1984) asserted that the key to success
in mainstreaming is acceptance teacher to Children
with Special Needs and the responsibility to shape
the attitudes of their peers in the class so that
children with special needs can learn to be
comfortable together with other kids.
2 METHODS
This research uses descriptive method because it is
meant to describe a phenomenon that occurs in the
field as to provide practical input in policy decisions,
namely in formulating a good curriculum or
curriculum for Special Education curriculum PGSD
S1.
2.1 Samples
The sample in this study are students S1 PGSD
Campus Earth Siliwangi which has now entered the
last year (year 4) on the basis that they were
considered to have enough stock and shortly had
graduated and ready to be deployed to the field as a
teacher. Thus, the samples were done by purposive
sampling technique.
2.2 Instrument
The instrument used in this study is a multiple-
choice test about the understanding of the basic
concepts of the exceptional children of 30 questions
and multiple-choice test about the understanding of
serving exceptional as much as 20 questions.
2.3 Mechanical Analysis Instruments
To obtain accurate data, the instrument that will be
used in this research will be conducted several tests
that validity, reliability, discrimination, and the level
of difficulty.
2.4 Data Collection Technique
Data collection techniques to be performed in this
study is a test to find out of understanding about
exceptional children basic concepts and
understanding of service to the exceptional children
2.5 Mechanical Processing and Data
Analysis
Mechanical processing and data analysis will be
done in this research is through a simple statistical
approach percentage. At first calculated the number
of respondents on the item in question is then
calculated respondents who answered correctly.
Furthermore, in the second step using analytical
techniques using the formula quartile
(1)
with:
b = lower limit Ki class, class is the interval where
ki is located
p = length of the class Ki
F = number of frequencies with smaller mark than
the mark Ki
f = frequency of class Ki
i = 1,2,3
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
For the importance of processing and data analysis,
the assumptions made in advance to be used as
criteria for determination of appropriate decision-
making problems posed. In line with the research
problem, assuming the proposed reference to the
principle of mastery learning theory (mastery
learning). According to this theory, the student is
considered successful in their learning if able to
master at least 75% of the material being taught. By
paying attention to the proportion of the population,
then in this study was generally assumed that
students are considered own readiness when at least
75% of the students were able to master at least 75%
of the material that tested.
ICES 2017 - 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences
398

Based on the assumptions above and in line with
the proposed formulation of research problems, then
it is assumed that:
 Judging from comprehension about the basic
concepts of Special Education, students PGSD
considered to have the readiness, when at least
75% of the students were able to master at least
75% of the test materials on the basic concepts
of Special Education.
 Judging from the ways of dealing with
exceptional children, PGSD Students are
considered to have the readiness, when at least
75% of the students were able to master at least
75 of all the test materials on ways of dealing
with the exceptional children in public school.
 PGSD students can be considered own readiness
in the face of exceptional students, when at least
75% of the students were able to master at least
75% of the total material tested.
Based on the formula quartile (Ki) which is used
to process the test data PGSD students about
understanding the basic concepts and exceptional
children services obtained from the data in Table 1
on students of PGSD readiness in serving
exceptional children.
Table 1: Readiness PGSD students in serving Children
with Special Needs.
Aspect
Understanding of
the basic
concepts of
Exceptional
Children
Education
Understanding
of serving
exceptional
children
number of
Students
76 people
76 people
75%
Number of
Students
57 people
57 people
number
Problem
30 items
19 items
75%
Number of
matter
23 items
14 items
Ki minimal
> = 23
> = 14
Ki count
18.94
10.204
Conclusion
K1 count <K1
K1 count <K1
Not to have the
readiness
Not to have the
readiness
Based on the table, if the terms of an
understanding of the basic concepts of Special
Education, about ways to serve children with special
needs, and readiness to serve exceptional students in
elementary schools, giving meaning to us that
students of S1 PGSD not have preparedness
Children Special Needs in Primary Schools. This is
understandable because PGSD S1 students are not
prepared to face the child with special needed and in
the new curriculum PGSD S1 is given an
introduction to the basic concepts of educational
inclusion. Therefore, in this study does not question
the basic concept of as long as Special Education has
been mastered, as well as their readiness in the face
as long as the child with special needed the primary
school, since the problem is not directly related to
the curriculum that has been set in the education of
prospective primary school teachers.
One thing that seems to be thinking more is how
to equip knowledge of exceptional children for any
prospective elementary teachers. This is necessary in
view of the direction of education for the child with
special needed today and in the future, are integrated
or inclusive education, where children with special
needs regular study together with normal children in
general. Because it is an elementary school teacher
someday inevitably be faced with children with
special needs in the school, so that seems to be
anticipated early on the debriefing of knowledge of
Special Education in preparing candidates for
primary teacher’s professionals.
4 CONCLUSIONS
Judging from understanding the basic concepts of
special education / Education of Children with
Special Needs, as well as the readiness of the ways
of dealing with children with special needs are
enrolled in primary school, students of S1 program
of PGSD University of education Indonesia Bumi
Siliwangi does not have the readiness to serve
exceptional children who attend in elementary
school. Students S1 PGSD University of Education
Indonesia Bumi Siliwangi also does not have the
readiness to serve children with special needs are
enrolled in primary school because the student has
not been equipped S1 PGSD program as a candidate
for elementary school teachers about education
services the child with special needed, Besides, it is
still at least the material lectures in connection with
child needs special services.
REFERENCES
Schwartz, L. L., 1984. Exceptional Students in the
iviainstrearning, Wadsworth Inc. Belmont-California.
Sunardi, S., 1996., The tendency in Special Education,
Department of Education, the Director General of
Higher Education, PPTA. Jakarta.
The Readiness of College Students as Prospective Teachers in Elementary School for Serving Children with Special Needs
399

Sunardi, S., 2001., Master Care Improvement Model
Dalain Penzbelajaran Children with Special Needs in
Ordinary Schools Study Analytical Descriptive
Against Teacher-teacher primary school has
Exceptional Students in Bandung, Project Research
Report DUE-Like Year 2000/2001.
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