The lived experience of general educator inclusion teachers
by Phillips, Melissa, Ph.D., WALDEN UNIVERSITY, 2007, 142 pages; 3250076

Abstract:

While most educators agree with the ideology that inclusion is beneficial for students with disabilities, the majority also agree that current strategies for inclusion do not successfully implement that ideology. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to allow general education teachers with minimal special education training to express their experiences, attitude and beliefs relating to the facilitators and impediments of inclusion based on Bandura's theory of self-efficacy. The study's research methodology was derived from structured, prearranged interview questions and participants' reflection on their personal experiences. Data were analyzed using constant comparative and coded in order to identify emerging categories. The QSR NU*DIST software allowed the researcher to search for common words usage, attach codes to those selected textual patterns, and develop those commonalities into specific themes. The data collected supported the notion that although general educators believed students with disabilities should not be excluded from the general education classroom, nevertheless they felt ill-prepared to teach inclusion due to a lack of training and time to adequately prepare and modify lesson plans, the inability to meet the needs of the students with disabilities in overcrowded classrooms, and inadequate administrative support and pertinent training. The study is relevant for parents, teachers, school administrators, and anyone interested in ensuring all students with disabilities are provided with an appropriate education in preparation for societal assimilation, thus increasing the prospect of enacting positive social change.

 
AdviserMarilyn Simon
SchoolWALDEN UNIVERSITY
SourceDAI/A 68-01, p. , May 2007
Source TypeDissertation
SubjectsSpecial education; Secondary education
Publication Number3250076
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