Co-Teaching: Loss of professional space from the perspective of special education and general education teachers

Author

Cordelia Azumi Yates, University of the PacificFollow

Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Educational Administration and Leadership

First Advisor

Linda Skrla

First Committee Member

Rod P. Githens

Second Committee Member

Marilyn E. Draheim

Abstract

This study investigated the perspectives of special and general education teachers on the loss of their professional space because of the co-teaching program. This was accomplished through the qualitative methods of data collection and analysis, by in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews that were recorded using an electronic device and note taking. The interviews were conducted individually with six high school teachers from public schools, of which four were special education teachers and two were general education teachers. These interviews revealed that teachers defined professional space as personal identity and felt that the loss of their professional space emotionally impacted them. The interviews further revealed the lack of acceptance of the program by the teachers, who felt that administrative support was insufficient. Also, the findings revealed that the special education teachers felt marginalized and disrespected by the students in the co-taught classroom. This was largely because of the visual impact of the small space allocated to them in the co-taught general education classroom; while the general education teachers felt inconvenienced and pressurized into making space for the SPED teachers. The study concludes that school leaders, program developers, and policymakers should consider the perspectives of co-teachers and include them in the decision-making process before program implementation, thereby fostering teacher acceptance and program effectiveness, that would ultimately benefit the students. The key suggestions of this study are the need for the school district to hire new teachers, specifically for the co-taught program, and to provide training for both school leaders and the teachers.

Pages

143

Recommended Citation

Yates, Cordelia Azumi. (2018). Co-Teaching: Loss of professional space from the perspective of special education and general education teachers. University of the Pacific, Dissertation. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/3573