Evaluation of the educational diagnosis and assessment process of individuals with special needs according to the opinions of RAM employees (İstanbul example)

The purpose of this research is to reveal the problems experienced in the educational diagnosis and evaluation process of individuals with special needs in the Guidance and Research Centers (RAM) and to determine solutions for these problems. The case study model, one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the research. Working group; It consists of a total of 30 participants, including 2 assistant principals, 11 special education teachers, and 17 guidance teachers/psychological counselors working in the Guidance and Research Centers in Arnavutköy, Esenler, Eyüpsultan, Gaziosmanpaşa, Güngören and Sultangazi districts of Istanbul during the 2021-2022 academic year. In the research, "Personal Information Form" and semi-structured interview form prepared by taking expert opinion were used as data collection tools. Participants were selected from 6 RAM employees in Istanbul with purposive sampling method. The data obtained from the opinions of the participants were analyzed by the content analysis method. Findings as a result of the research; It was formed under 2 main themes: "Problems Related to the Educational Diagnosis and Evaluation Process" and "Presenting Solution Suggestions Regarding the Process". Codings and subcodings of the determined themes were created and a total of 435 codes were made. Results and recommendations were determined by interpreting the research findings. When the results obtained from the participants in the study were examined, many problems of different dimensions were detected in RAM. The awareness and knowledge level of the parents who applied to RAM is low, the physical environment is insufficient and there are deficiencies in the materials used in the diagnosis, the communication between RAM and the stakeholder institutions is weak, It has been determined that the biggest problem in the placement decision process, which is taken as a result of educational diagnosis and evaluation, is the quota limit in special education schools and classes.