Teaching Students with Extensive Support Needs in Malaysian Special Education: Teachers’ Challenges, Current Practices, and Priorities for Instructional Support

Abstract

Malaysia’s expanding special education enrolment increases the need for instructional approaches that can respond to students who require frequent, intensive, and systematic support. This study examined special education teachers’ challenges, current practices, available supports, implementation constraints, and priorities for developing practical instructional support. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted between July and August 2026 involving 100 teachers who taught students with special educational needs requiring high levels of support. A needs-analysis instrument assessed eight domains. Descriptive statistics and internal consistency diagnostics were used. Teachers reported relatively high instructional challenges (M = 3.69, SD = 0.42) and implementation constraints (M = 3.76, SD = 0.47), while current practices were less consistently enacted (M = 3.50, SD = 0.39) and available resources and supports were rated near the scale midpoint (M = 2.91, SD = 0.54). The highest-rated challenges involved determining appropriate levels of assistance and when to fade support (M = 3.93), managing behaviour or emotional regulation while teaching others (M = 3.90), and teaching students with heterogeneous support needs simultaneously (M = 3.88). Priority instructional supports included systematic prompting (M = 4.39), fading with feedback (M = 4.28), and translating individualized plan objectives into daily instruction (M = 4.24). Findings support a cross-category, support-needs-oriented approach to teacher development that combines flexible access with systematic intensification and practical decision tools.