Perspectives on Employing a Structured Fifth-Grade Mathematics Curriculum Based on a Learning Outcomes Model with Students with Special Educational Needs in Kuwait Mainstream Schools

This study aimed to investigate the use of a structured learning outcomes approach for fifth-grade mathematics instruction, with a focus on students with difficulties in learning mathematics, across two mainstream schools in Kuwait. Three special education teachers, across three classes, who worked with 30 focus students, participated in the study. Teachers implemented a structured approach to curriculum and pedagogy based on a focus on learning outcomes, simultaneously supported by a dedicated technology platform, with the aim of encouraging a focus on differentiation to meet individual learning needs. This study employed a mainly qualitative approach involving interviews to gauge teacher perceptions of the extent to which this approach supported them in thinking more effectively about individual learning needs. Links are made to the extant literature in this area, and recommendations are made for future research using this learning outcomes approach based on a wider sample of mainstream schools and classrooms.