Inclusive Education: Educator Preparedness and Student Success

Overview & Synopsis

Special education and the laws that govern it have changed dramatically over the past 50 years. With these changes there continues to be a strong push to educate students with moderate to severe disabilities in inclusive general education classroom settings. Research is needed to determine what teachers need to feel successful in order to teach students with moderate to severe disabilities that are receiving special education services within the general education classroom setting. A lack of research also exists related to the success and growth of students with moderate to severe disabilities receiving special education services that are educated in inclusive general education classroom settings. The purpose of this descriptive study was to utilize a qualitative approach to identify teacher perceptions about training they receive in teacher preparation programs, professional development and other learning opportunities to be able to appropriately teach students with moderate to severe disabilities that are receiving special education services in inclusive general education classrooms kindergarten through sixth grade. The purpose of this study was to also identify if teachers perceived students with moderate to severe disabilities were able to show growth in inclusive general education settings. To examine perceptions of general education teachers, two in-depth virtual focus groups were utilized consisting of five open ended questions. Through focus group discussions five major themes emerged: (1) Training and Professional Development, (2) Resources and Supports, (3) Collaboration (4) Best Practices and (5) Barriers to Success. The five identified themes helped to answer the research questions guiding this study. Results from this qualitative study revealed teachers do not perceive their preservice training is adequate to effectively teach students with moderate to severe disabilities in inclusive general education classrooms. Teachers also perceived professional development opportunities intended to help them to learn strategies and methods for teaching students with moderate to severe disabilities in the general education classroom were significantly lacking. Results also indicated teachers believed students with moderate to severe disabilities could show growth in the general education classroom when the following were put into place: appropriate resources and supports, best practices, collaboration, and when barriers were limited. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]