Thesis advisor: Richard M. Jackson / Belonging in schools is an often-researched topic. However, the lived experiences of students with disabilities as related to belonging have not been explored in great depth. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to begin to understand the lived experiences of belonging for middle school students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) through a relational lens (relational here was meant as more than just focusing on relationships). This phenomenological approach allowed for an in-depth exploration of how participants understand belonging and how it impacts their lives. Ten student participants were interviewed over a series of four interview sessions in which they discussed their experiences with and understanding of belonging in school. Findings revealed complex and multifaceted subjective lived experiences of belonging. Findings are presented here through participant summaries, across participants in broader descriptive themes, and through the creation of a participant model. Interpretive themes are also presented to help guide further analysis and understanding of the findings. Considering the qualitative nature of this study, these themes are not meant to be reductive, but rather to generate additional questions. In keeping with this purpose, a Generative Model of Belonging was created from the broader literature base on middle school belonging, and this model was revisited and revised based on the findings of this study. It was also used to create the aforementioned participant model. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to illustrate how experienced teachers of students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EB/D) working in middle school settings conduct their work. In the current context of public education, the work of teaching students with EB/D is considered stressful and undesirable by many individuals and has resulted in a shortage of adequately prepared and experienced special educators willing to teach this vulnerable population (Westat, 2002). In response to the shortage, school districts may resort to hiring improperly prepared individuals-- a practice that impedes the provision of an appropriate education to students with disabilities (Kauffman, 2001; Turnbull & Turnbull; 1998). In order to understand the work of those special educators who have remained in the field of teaching students with EB/D, this exploratory case study examined the work of four experienced special education teachers teaching students with EB/D in various instructional settings in middle schools in Virginia. Activity theory (Engeström, 1999) provided the conceptual framework in this study. The results of this study support the current research literature on the work of teaching students with EB/D. The teachers spent their workday (a) supporting their students’ progress in the general education curriculum, (b) developing their students’ prosocial skills, and (c) fulfilling multiple non-teaching related duties. Efforts to teach their students were impeded by (a) difficulties in working relationships with certain general education teachers and (b) meeting the complex responsibilities of being a special educator in the current context of public middle schools. / Ph. D.