Teachers' perceptions of their experiences with including students with special needs in the general education classroom setting throughout public and private schools in Texas

by Finegan, Jane Elizabeth

The purpose of this study was to identify teacher perceptions about educating

students with special needs in the general education setting, to examine relationships

between teacher perceptions and years of teaching experience, grade level, and type of

institution in which the teachers were employed, and to identify beliefs about the critical

issues involved in implementing inclusion. A total of 1341 general and career and

technology educators in grade levels PreKindergarten through grade 12 were surveyed

regarding (a) the extent of previous training received in working with students with

disabilities and perceived needs for additional training, (b) the frequency of

communication between special and general education teachers, (c) the perceived

helpfulness of suggestions given to general educators by special educators, (d) teacher

participation in IEP team meetings and parent involvement in such meetings, (e) the

provision of related services, and (f) teacher perceptions of their personal experiences

with including students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Semistructured

interviews were conducted with an additional 25 teachers selected from the

entire sample as well. Results indicated that teachers in Texas public schools generally

favor traditional special education service delivery models over full inclusive practices.

However, results also indicated that teachers perceive additional training, support from

special education personnel and administrators, teacher communication and

collaboration, and access to related services are necessary in order to meet the needs of

their students with disabilities in the general education setting.