Education Commons^™

Perceptions Of Secondary School Special Education Teachers Of Their Preparation For Coteaching, Vicki Zands

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to describe and explain how secondary school special education teachers perceived that their special education teacher education programs prepared them to work as part of a coteaching team and how secondary special educators described the benefits and challenges of working as part of a coteaching team and sought secondary special education teachers’ recommendations for how teacher education programs could better prepare candidates to serve as members of a coteaching team.

Methodology: A qualitative multicase study was used. The researcher conducted semistructured, in-depth interviews with 12 secondary-level special education teachers who were …

Improving Co-Teachers’ Relationship: How Teaching Experience Affects Perceptions Of Teamwork, Asher Samuel

Theses and Dissertations

Co-teaching is an instructional strategy wherein two teachers, a general education teacher and a special education teacher, share instructional responsibilities in a general education class that includes students with disabilities (SWDs) (Friend, 2010). Co-teaching has emerged as a strategy for ensuring that SWDs are taught to the general education curriculum while receiving specially designed instruction within the least restrictive environment (LRE) appropriate to their needs. One of the most important components of co-teaching is the relationship between the two teachers (Kohler-Evans, 2006), which has been described as a professional marriage (Friend, 2010). However, there is limited information on the factors …

The Two Faces Of Education: Educators' And Administrators' Perspectives On Collaboration And Co-Teaching, Lisa Penny

Dissertations

This phenomenological study investigated the experiences and perceptions of special education teachers, general education teachers, and administrators on inclusion, collaboration, and co- teaching in supporting the academic and behavioral growth of all students. The following themes were identified: (a) individual definition of collaboration, (b) school leader training, (c) support and feedback from administration, (d) teachers’ and principals’ perceptions, (e) student achievement, and (f) participants’ knowledge base of co-teaching models. The findings indicate that although co-teaching and inclusion has become common practice and educators generally believe in its virtues, there are some persistent difficulties based on limiting beliefs about students with …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Coteaching Relationships, Matthew Case

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Co-teaching is defined as a general education teacher and special education teacher, who may or may not have the same area of expertise, jointly delivering instruction to a group of students with special needs in a special education classroom. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of general and special education teachers in regard to forming coteaching relationships in a school setting organized to serve special education students through coteaching models. Participants were purposefully sampled following the typical case sampling strategy and included two public schools. Of the two schools, there were five special education …

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Coteaching, Geeta Gupta Kadakia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In response to the low passing rate of its students with disabilities, administrators at a small urban elementary school in south Texas implemented coteaching. Guided by Nonaka and Takeuchi's collaborative learning framework, this qualitative instrumental case study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of collaborative teaching in the elementary education setting. Data collection consisted of a group interview and classroom observations with a purposeful sample of 4 general education teachers and 2 special education teachers of Grades 3-5 math and language arts who were coteaching at the time of the study. Teachers' perceptions regarding the effects of their professional relationship …

Coteaching At An Elementary School Level In A Suburban Setting, Karen Ocque

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since leaders of a Central New York school implemented integrated cotaught (ICT) classrooms, no local investigation of ICT has taken place, leaving district administrators without empirical evidence of the value and effectiveness of the ICT services. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between ICT services and student academic achievement in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, as measured by the New York State ELA and mathematics assessments for 4th and 5th graders. Vygotsky's paradigm of cognitive development, which states that learners acquire knowledge through collaborative interactions with other students, guided this study because ICT classrooms emphasize …

Teacher Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Inclusion In Elementary Classroom Settings, Delicia Peacock Peacock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inclusion classrooms were introduced in the United States in 1990 when the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act required that special education students be instructed in a general education setting. Ensuing changes in instructional formats have caused role confusion for special and general education teachers, resulted in mixed attitudes toward teacher responsibilities, and lowered teachers' sense of efficacy about being able to teach their students. Guided by Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory, this bounded case study design in a rural elementary school in a southeastern state was used to understand the perceptions of general and special educators regarding their work in …

Elementary Coteachers' Understanding About Differentiated Instructional Practices For Students With Disabilities, Betty Smith King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite a rural Georgia school district's effort to increase the academic performance of all students, the achievement gap persists between general education and special education students. The purpose of the study was to explore what factors hindered coteachers from consistently applying differentiated instruction in elementary inclusion classrooms. The conceptual framework for the study emanated from Vygotsky's social development theory as it related to teachers learning from each other through professional collaboration. The research questions explored coteachers' perceptions about differentiated instruction for students with disabilities. Using a case study methodology and purposeful sampling of 6 general education and 6 special education …

Elementary Teachers' Understanding, Knowledge, And Perceptions Of Inclusion Best Practices, Jason Liggins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent legislative actions requiring schools in the local school system to increase the percentage of students served in the inclusion classroom has led to teachers having difficulty in implementing inclusion best practices. Using Vygotsky's social theory, the purpose of this case study was to examine teachers' understanding, knowledge, and perceptions of inclusive teaching strategies. The research questions were used to explore the teachers' understanding of inclusion, perceived effectiveness of strategies, and the resources that teachers feel are necessary to implement inclusion strategies. A purposeful sample of 10 teachers currently teaching in an inclusion setting were interviewed face-to-face using semistructured questions. …

The Perceptions And Experiences Of General Education Teachers Toward Cotaught Inclusion Classes, Beth Milhoan Feustel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project study addressed the low rate of general education teachers volunteering to coteach inclusion classes at a large urban high school in southeastern Georgia. This low volunteer rate caused administrators at this school to assign general education teachers, who did not opt in, to coteach inclusion classes. Teachers' efficacy was negatively impacted when they were required to teach classes that they did not volunteer to teach. The model of cooperative teaching advanced by Bauwens, Hourcade, and Friend's work served as the conceptual framework for this intrinsic case study. The purpose of the study was to examine how general education …

Impact Of Professional Learning Community On Coteaching, Lalita Karpen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A professional learning community (PLC) is designed to increase pedagogical knowledge and encourage collaboration amongst teachers. Many schools are using a variety of PLCs to increase collaboration and improve teaching and learning. The study school implemented a PLC, but collaboration and effective coteaching practice have not improved. Guided by social constructivism and social cognitive learning theories, the goal of this research was to explore coteachers' perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about the overall effectiveness of the PLC coteaching model to improve instructional strategies. A qualitative case study with semistructured interviews to collect data and a narrative analysis for reporting was utilized. …

The Leadership Role In Transitioning An Urban Secondary School From A Traditional Service Delivery Model To A Co-Teaching Service Delivery Model For Students With Disabilities: A Phenomenological Case Study, Ginni Elizabeth Mcdonald

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research studies the leadership role in transitioning from a traditional service delivery model to a co-teaching service delivery model for students with disabilities. While there is an abundant amount of information on the service delivery model of co-teaching, sustaining co-teaching programs, and effective co-teaching programs for students with disabilities, the actual studies for the leadership role in transitioning to co-teaching are fewer. This phenomenological case study explores the leadership role in effectively transitioning an urban high school from a traditional service delivery of special education services to a larger continuum of services, specifically co-teaching for students with disabilities. Participants …