Perceptions Of Elementary General Education Teachers On Inclusive Practices

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate elementary general education teachers' perceptions of inclusive practices in two suburban school districts in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The researcher analyzed responses from 36 elementary general education teachers in two suburban school districts. The participants completed a researcher designed survey constructed of both Likert-style statements and open ended responses. Individual interviews with five participants provided insight into interviewees' perspectives on inclusive practices. Findings affirmed that general education teachers perceived themselves as responsible for the instruction of special education students when included in classrooms, as well as implementing accommodations and modifications of instructional content and the SDI in each student's IEP.Data demonstrated that special education teachers are responsible for the IEP development, however, there was data to suggest that general education teachers want more involvement in developing the IEP. Fidings identified that participants perceived a need for professional development, shared planning time, collaborative partnerships, additional staffing, and administrative support in order to successfully implement inclusion. Data supported that teachers are confident when instructing students with needs related to a specific learning disability, an intellectual disability, or high functioning autism. However, teachers did not perceive themselves as confident when instructing students with special education needs related to attention, focus, or behavior issues. The findings could potentially aid school administrators in identifying professional development initiatives and additional support structures to further enhance collaborative partnerships to best scaffold teams when including special education students in the general education classroom.