Learning Support Zones: The Unheard Voices of Students exhibiting Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties

This research sets out to examine the Learning Support Zone (LSZ) initiative, introduced in
Maltese state secondary schools to promote the inclusion of secondary students exhibiting
social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). A mixed-methods research design was
employed with the purpose of exploring the level of application and implementation of LSZ
provisions across colleges in Malta, as well as eliciting the students’ views about their
experience of the service and the influence this initiative has had on their life at school. The
participants included in this study consisted of 18 LSZ co-ordinators and nine secondary
students exhibiting SEBD. The findings stemming from this research indicate that a
significant number of state secondary schools in Malta have subscribed to the LSZ initiative,
and have thus assimilated this provision in their respective schools. The students enrolled in
LSZs highlighted the pivotal role such provisions occupy in their education. They also
emphasized the effective contribution LSZs are providing to students exhibiting SEBD, in
terms of the support that is offered in coping with the difficulties they experience, in
mainstream educational settings.