Special Educational Needs In The Santa Elena Canton: Situational And Prospective Analysis

Abstract

This research aims to characterize the increase of students with special educational needs (SEN) in the Santa Elena canton of the province of the same name in the pre-pandemic school years. For this purpose, a quantitative approach of exploratory type was applied. The data collection instrument was the survey of the directors of the public educational units of the canton. This research arises from the concern about the lack of statistical and academic information on an increasingly worrisome issue, such as the increase of students with specific educational needs in the canton of Santa Elena and the lack of actions that contribute to eliminating barriers to access to regular education. The importance of this research is based on the presentation of reliable statistical information that allows making visible the issue of the number of students with these conditions both at the canton and parish level, becoming a tool for decision making