The opinions of students with authism spectrum disorders about scientific based practices in the context of field qualifications of special education teachers

The aim of the study is to determine the opinions of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) about evidence-based practices (EBP) in the context of field competencies of special education teachers. The participant group consists of 18 special education teachers working with individuals from OIZ in a school affiliated to the Ministry of National Education (MONE). The data of the study, which is a qualitative research approach, was collected with a researcher diary and semi-structured interview questions and analyzed with content analysis. The findings of the study indicated that effective special education teachers should be understanding / patient, individualizing / adapting, and having qualified professional knowledge. The teachers stated that the teaching process should be planned in all stages determining the methods and techniques, they stated that the individual differences of the students should be taken into consideration and should be appropriate to the subject to be explained. Most of the teachers stated that they did not know the term and scope EBP. They stated that the applications were selected by the academicians as research-based. The teachers made different suggestions about the points that should be considered during the education planning process which will be realized by using EBP. Within the scope of the findings, it is recommended that teachers prepare practical and informative materials in the OIZ field. Again, it is recommended to increase theoretical and practical trainings for evidence-based practices in special education departments of universities. It is recommended that these research findings for advanced research should be used as a guide for further research. Keywords: Evidence-based practices, Autism spectrum disorder, Teacher opinions, Qualitative research, Semi-structured interview.