dr. E. (Erica) Kamphorst

Inclusive after-school care

All children have the right to grow up in inclusive environments. After-school care is an environment where many children spend an increasing amount of time. Notably, there is a lack of knowledge about how to design an inclusive after-school care centre. Using a scoping review and an interview study, we are identifying the barriers and facilitating factors for the inclusion of children with additional support needs in after-school care centres. The aim is to gain more insight into how childcare organisations can be tailored to be more inclusive. In this way, we hope to contribute to equal opportunities for all children.

Onderinstroom

In collaboration with school boards in the south of Limburg, we regularly discuss issues surrounding the transition from preschool to school for children with additional support needs. We try to support decision-making processes by means of scientific research. For example, in 2022-2023, we conducted a quantitative study to gain insight into the characteristics of children who start directly in a specialized educational setting. Last year, we conducted an evaluation of the Startklassen facility.

Sense of belonging

The feeling of “belonging” or “connectedness” is essential to every person's well-being. In this project, we (dr. Florianne Rademaker and I) therefore see it as an essential condition for the success of inclusion in environments where children grow up and develop. Our goal is to better understand what constitutes a sense of belonging or connectedness in children aged 4 to 8. Together with parents and professionals from education and childcare, we will explore how this feeling manifests itself in children: what do you see in their behaviour, what do they say, and how can you accurately capture this? This is important because existing theories about sense of belonging are mainly written for older children and adults. For young children, there is still no suitable way to accurately measure this feeling.

NRO guidelines for mathematics in special needs education

Together with emeritus professor Hans van Luit (Utrecht University) and Dr Anne van Hoogmoed (Radboud University), I am developing guidelines for mathematics education in specialised educational settings. With these guidelines, we make scientific insights accessible and applicable to educational practice. We are collaborating with a team of education professionals in order to make evidence-informed mathematics education as easy as possible. For more information and previously published guidelines, see: https://www.onderwijskennis.nl/leidraden