The purpose of the study was to compare the role of the special education teacher aide as perceived by special education administrators, special education teachers, and special education teacher aides in classes for trainable and severely/profoundly mentally retarded. The study involved sixty-four special education administrators, sixty-one special education teachers, and one hundred three special education teacher aides. Data were gathered by use of a questionnaire containing one hundred items representative of behavioral tasks usually performed by special education teachers or special education teacher aides. Participants were asked to respond to each of the one hundred items by marking one of five response categories ranging from "exclusively or primarily the teacher-aide's responsibility to exclusively or primarily the teacher's responsibility." Data were analyzed statistically by use of chi-square and the .05 level of significance was chosen.Only school corporations or special education joint cooperatives employing ten or more special education teacher aides in classes for trainable and severely/profoundly mentally retarded were utilized in the study.Fifty-six of the one hundred questionnaire items met the requirements for statistical significance on the basis of a threeway group comparison at the .05 level. Subsequent, two-way chi-square tests were utilized to determine the response disparities for each possible two-way comparison among the three groups.Conclusions from the findings of the study were:1. Perceptions held by special education administrators, special education teachers, and special education teacher aides differed concerning the role of the special education teacher aide.2. Based upon more frequent involvement of statistically significant two-way comparisons, special education teacher aides perceived the role of the special education teacher aide less clearly than special education administrators and special education teachers. 3. Based upon more frequent involvement of statistically significant two-way comparisons, special education administrators perceived the role of the special education teacher aide less clearly than special education teachers.4. Based upon less frequent involvement of statistically significant two-way comparisons, special education teachers perceived the role of the special education teacher aide more clearly than special education administrators or special education teacher aides.5. Pre-service and in-service training programs do not provide the necessary congruent role adaptation and role integration for clear definition of role and role relationships.6. Role responsibilities have not been identified for the special education teacher aide.Data supported similar findings of other researchers that I individual efficiency of the job performance of a special education teacher aide is lessened when role and role relationships are not clear.Data supported similar findings of other researchers that organizational effectiveness is lessened when the special education teacher aide is not efficient in job performance.The emergence of role and role relationships of the special education teacher aide evolved from the interaction between the special education teacher and the special education teacher aide and not through definition.The possibility of conflict or incongruency may occur when individual need-dispositions are not the same as the organizational expectations of the role.The possibility of conflict or incongruency may occur when role incumbents are expected to conform and perform simultaneously to different reference groups.Evaluation and supervision of the role incombents would be spurious due to different reference groups expectations.Instruction questionnaire items had the greatest perceptual response disparity between and among the special education administrators, special education teachers, and the special education teacher aides.Clerical questionnaire items had the next greatest perceptual response disparity between and among the special education administrators, special education teachers, and special education teacher aides.The least differences of perceptual response disparity regarding the role of the special education teacher aide were in the areas of supervisory and custodial duties.3

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Georgia Southern University, 2007. / "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education." In Education Administration, under the direction of Linda M. Arthur. ETD. Electronic version approved: December 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 140-144) and appendices.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Toronto, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-124).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Bowling Green State University, 2008. / Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 270 p. Includes bibliographical references.

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Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University. / Includes tables. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Florence B. Stratemeyer. Dissertation Committee: Robert L. Thorndike. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 286-288).

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