Case study based on the opinions of teachers and parents regarding the special education primary school leisure time activities course

This study aimed to examine how the teachers conduct this lesson and the views of the special education teachers of students with mild intellectual disability who were studying in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades of special education primary school, and the families of these students about the leisure time and "leisure time activities course". The participants were seven special education teachers working in a primary school of the Ministry of National Education (MoNE), where individuals with mild intellectual disability are educated, and five parents whose children received education in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades of this school. The case study design, one of the qualitative research approaches, was adopted, and the data were collected using semi-structured interviews, document reviews and a researcher diary. The interviews were analysed via the MAXQDA 2020 program, and descriptive analysis was used for the data of document analysis. Findings reported that special education teachers and parents had a similar definition for the concept of leisure time and similar views on leisure time activities. According to participants, leisure time was important for individuals with intellectual disability, there were various limitations for them to evaluate this period, and families and teachers should cooperate. Besides, it was found that the teachers had a lack of knowledge about the " leisure time activities course", that the course contributed to the students, but there were problems regarding implementation and planning. Teachers made suggestions such as providing material support, cooperating with branch teachers, and developing the syllabus for the course in order for the course to be effective and productive. The findings were discussed in line with the literature, and suggestions were made for practice and further research.