The Intensive Special Education Endorsement (VETURI) research project was funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. The project was grounded in research that recognizes the importance of intensive specialized support services for students with severe Special Education Needs (SEN) that require co-operation of field professionals for ensuring the quality of learning, teaching, and rehabilitation. The focus was on students who have severe mental health problems, emotional disabilities, physical disabilities, developmental or intellectual disabilities, or Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

The project places equal emphasis on research for necessary in-service teacher education, professional cooperation,
and career development. The project duration was four years (2011 – 2015).

Research Interests:
1. Focus groups’ current teaching arrangements
2. In-service teacher education.

The research goal was to examine the current teaching arrangements of the SEN focus groups utilizing action research principles. Therefore, a national survey about the current intensive special education endorsement arrangements was conducted in the spring of 2012. The following topics are covered in the research:

• Effects of Basic Education Act reform in SEN teaching
• IEP processes
• Current SEN teaching arrangements
• Intensive endorsement arrangements
• Co-operation of professionals
• Integration & Inclusion
• In-service teacher education


In co-operation with:

University of Helsinki, Department of Teacher Education, Elina Kontu PhD, Terhi Ojala & Henri Pesonen
mail: firstname.lastname(at)helsinki.fi

University of Jyväskylä, Department of Education, Raija Pirttimaa PhD & Tiina Kokko & Lauri Räty
mail: firstname.lastname(at)jyu.fi