The Salamanca Accord advocating the implementation of inclusive education for learners with special needs was signed in 1994, as well as the Convention of the Right of Person's with Disabilities in 2006. Yet, Sierra Leone faces challenges to implement fully inclusive education in schools. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine teachers' attitudes towards inclusion in mainstream classrooms. The conceptual framework for this study was premised on Azden's theory of planned-behavior, which maintains that attitude and behaviors are products of experiences acquired. Using a Spearman rho correlations and descriptive statistics to analyze the data, gender, age, educational background, and teaching experience were examined to determine if they had any significant relationship with attitudes of teachers towards inclusion in Sierra Leone. In this mixed-method study, 100 primary and secondary teachers in Sierra Leone completed the Attitudes toward Inclusion in Africa Scale, and 10 teachers took part in a one-on-one interview. The results showed no significant relationship between the independent variables (gender, age, educational background, and teaching experience) and the dependent variables (attitudes towards inclusion). Despite the absence of a statistically significant relationship, the participants' interview data analyzed using Nvivo revealed an in-depth understanding of the negative attitude of teachers toward inclusive education in Sierra Leone. Findings may encourage positive social change by providing information that may be used by the Ministry of Education to develop a comprehensive inclusion model with the help of teachers. This study could be used to help create a platform for teachers' training that will ensure a positive attitude towards inclusive education in the country.

Researchers have shown the importance of effective transition services for students with learning disabilities entering college. Few studies, however, have explored the perceptions of students with learning disabilities going through the transition process while pursuing postsecondary options. To address that gap, this study analyzed how students with learning disabilities perceive the effectiveness of their secondary transition services and preparedness for college. The conceptual framework was based on Rogers's theories of learning, which suggest learning includes feelings and emotions as well as cognitive development. Education should promote the type of learning that leads to this personal growth and development. A phenomenological approach was chosen, and a research protocol was developed for the participants. Nine students with learning disabilities who completed at least 1 year of college were interviewed about their perceptions of the effectiveness of their secondary transition services and their perceptions of their preparedness for college. These interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. The data was hand coded, analyzed, and organized to discover emerging themes. The data revealed the majority of the participants had not perceived their transition plans and services to have prepared them for college. The participants' role was minimal in their individualized education program meetings and in the development of their transition plans. The implication for positive social change is to develop the resources required for school districts, administrators, and teachers to better prepare postsecondary students with learning disabilities for the rigors of higher education.

Educational reformers have mandated inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom. However, general education teachers often do not regularly receive training in inclusive practices, and this lack of training can affect teachers' attitudes and levels of self-efficacy, which may ultimately affect their ability to successfully teach students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in general education and special education teachers' attitudes towards inclusion of students with disabilities and if levels of self-efficacy (overall and 3 subscales), gender, education level, teacher type, and grade level taught were predictors of Teachers' Attitudes Toward Inclusion. The theoretical framework for this cross-sectional study was Bandura's theory of self-efficacy. The sample consisted of 118 elementary and middle school teachers in a rural district in South Carolina. Data were collected using an online survey, and a 2-way ANOVA and multiple regression were conducted to answer the research questions. Results indicated that special education teachers' attitudes towards inclusion were significantly more positive than those of general education teachers and that teacher type and the 3 self-efficacy subscales were predictors of Teachers' Attitudes Toward Inclusion. For each, higher levels of self-efficacy were associated with more positive attitudes toward inclusion. Social change may be achieved if school district administrators implement teacher training to improve teacher self-efficacy regarding inclusive practices. By doing so, teachers might increase their appropriate use of inclusive strategies, which might ultimately improve student outcomes.

Seventh-grade and eighth-grade special education students struggle to learn higher-order thinking skills in pre-algebra and algebra that can be addressed by using technology. However, little is known about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers' attitudes toward use of and their actual use of calculators and technology to access students' development of higher-order thinking skills. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of rural middle school Grade 7 and 8 STEM teachers in one Western state. This study used Gardner's multiple intelligences and Armstrong's neurodiversity theories as a framework. Participants were 10 Grade 7 and 8 STEM teachers in a Western state. Data sources included interviews, surveys, and teacher journals. Open coding allowed the identification of similar threads, common words, or expressions that were then examined for themes and patterns. The emergent themes included a need for training, teachers' technological expectations, and whether teachers could meet grade level standards and students have success. This study assists social change by informing school administrators and teachers how technology is and is not being used in the classroom and how its use can be facilitated in the future.

The No Child Left Behind Act changed the way educators taught students with disabilities (SWD), as this population has now become part of all districts' annual yearly progress. The problem this qualitative study addressed was that many biology teachers in a Texas suburban district were not effectively implementing evidence-based strategies for SWD. The study's conceptual foundation was based on Vygotsky's cognitive development theory that students achieve at higher levels when working in their zone of proximal development with support from peers or adults. The guiding question was intended to determine what strategies biology teachers were using to provide this support at schools with higher passing rates for SWD and how these strategies differed from those used by teachers in schools with lower passing rates. Participants interviewed were 6 biology teachers and 4 administrators from schools with both higher and lower passing rates for SWD to examine differences in strategies used by the two groups. Transcripts were coded and analyzed for common themes. Triangulation, member checking, and a second researcher re-coding selected data samples were used to insure data trustworthiness. Results indicated that SWD who had biology teachers using evidence-based strategies with follow-up activities scored higher on the state biology exam than those who did not and that participants would like to have special education teachers assist in developing effective biology lessons with the follow up activities for SWD. These findings were used to create a staff development project to help biology teachers use more evidence-based strategies and follow up activities. Based on results, SWD may have a greater array of career choices and may be prepared to make more informed biology and health-related decisions, thus promoting social change.

The purpose of this study was to identify general and special education teachers' understanding of professional learning communities (PLCs) at 2 public suburban elementary schools in the western United States. Both schools were in the second year of implementation of PLCs but seemed to be using PLC time to plan lessons. This quantitative descriptive survey sought to to identify the teachers' overall understanding of the 6 dimensions of the Professional Learning Communities Assessment - Revised (PLCA-R) and to determine if there was a difference between general and special education teachers' perceptions of PLCs. This survey was administered to general and special education teachers who had at least 3 years of teaching experience and at least 1 year of participation in a PLC. A total of 23 general education teachers and 10 special education teachers participated. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data from the 6 dimensions and the PLCA-R. The results indicated that both groups understood the PLC process and had favorable perceptions of PLCs. The results of the ANOVA for each of the 7 hypotheses showed that there was no significant difference between general and special education teachers' perceptions of PLCs. The dissemination of results will help administrators focus on the 6 dimensions of a PLC to provide teachers with an in-depth understanding of PLCs, which can help students to achieve their potential.

The No Child Left Behind Act changed the way educators taught students with disabilities (SWD), as this population has now become part of all districts' annual yearly progress. The problem this qualitative study addressed was that many biology teachers in a Texas suburban district were not effectively implementing evidence-based strategies for SWD. The study's conceptual foundation was based on Vygotsky's cognitive development theory that students achieve at higher levels when working in their zone of proximal development with support from peers or adults. The guiding question was intended to determine what strategies biology teachers were using to provide this support at schools with higher passing rates for SWD and how these strategies differed from those used by teachers in schools with lower passing rates. Participants interviewed were 6 biology teachers and 4 administrators from schools with both higher and lower passing rates for SWD to examine differences in strategies used by the two groups. Transcripts were coded and analyzed for common themes. Triangulation, member checking, and a second researcher re-coding selected data samples were used to insure data trustworthiness. Results indicated that SWD who had biology teachers using evidence-based strategies with follow-up activities scored higher on the state biology exam than those who did not and that participants would like to have special education teachers assist in developing effective biology lessons with the follow up activities for SWD. These findings were used to create a staff development project to help biology teachers use more evidence-based strategies and follow up activities. Based on results, SWD may have a greater array of career choices and may be prepared to make more informed biology and health-related decisions, thus promoting social change.

Bullying has plagued U.S. public schools: special education students become victims on a consistent basis and their academic outcomes may be adversely affected. Few studies have focused on the collaboration of teachers to reduce bullying. The purpose of the qualitative study of 12 special education teachers and counselors was to understand the process they use when they collaborate on reducing the bullying problem in a small Midwestern school in the United States. Montiel-Overall's theory of collaboration and Shulman's model of pedagogical content knowledge reflected the focus of the 2 research questions that informed this study. Participants described their collaboration and the influence it had on their knowledge, pedagogy, and curriculum. Analysis of open coding of interviews led to 5 themes. The value of collaboration in special education theme defined and described collaboration from the teachers' perspectives. The theme of the dynamics of the collaboration described the school's unique collaborative culture. Specific pedagogy and implementation of school curricula and initiatives were influenced by collaboration on bullying. Limitations of the study include the school culture influenced by frequently transferring students. The implications for action include the potential for the findings to be used as a guideline to formatively evaluate special education teachers' collaboration to reduce bullying. Implications for further research suggest observing collaborations about bullying, as this study only included interviews. Implications for positive social change include using a collaborative, cyclical social process to prevent bullying and to support students in order to contribute to a more peaceful and inclusive society based on civil behavior and a civil society.

In the local state special education transition aged postoutcome survey measurements, high school students with disabilities (HS-SWDs) continue to demonstrate problems with unemployment, independent living, and postsecondary education as they transition to adult life. HS-SWDs receive instruction from transition planning teams (TPTs) to address educational attendance, independent living, agency collaboration, and employment skills. When these knowledge and skills are not acquired, HS-SWDs cannot gain employment or attend postsecondary institutions. The purpose of this qualitative, bounded case study was to explore the TPT members' perspectives of the transition planning process. Kohler's transition taxonomy guided this study. The research questions were used to identify TPT members' perspectives of the transition planning process. A purposeful sample of 3 special education teachers, 2 general education teachers, 3 district administrators, 3 agency representatives, 2 graduated HS-SWDs, and 3 parents volunteered and participated in semistructured interviews. An inductive approach was used to analyze the interview and data were coded using open and thematic coding strategies. Participants identified challenges in student-centered planning related to family involvement, student development, support and resources, and TPT team collaboration. Based upon the findings, an electronic meeting preplanning tool was created to increase team member participation and input in the transition planning process. These endeavors may lead to positive social change when TPT members increase participation in student-centered meetings to provide quality transition planning that results in HS-SWDs' success in attaining employment or postsecondary education as well as adult independence.

Integrated learning systems (ILS) are effective ways to increase academic achievement for students, including those with disabilities. However, many teachers do not fully or properly implement this type of educational technology in their classroom teaching. The purpose of this qualitative bounded case study was to examine the perceptions of high school educators and administrators toward ILS use. The study was grounded in Ely's conditions of change theory. Research questions focused on educators' perceptions of barriers toward implementation of an ILS in the classroom. Participants included 8 inclusive secondary school teachers and 2 local administrators in a rural school system in a southeastern U.S. state. Administrator participants were familiar with the ILS USATestPrep (UTP) and teacher participants had either limited or discontinued their use of that ILS in the classroom. Data were collected through the use of semi structured interviews and then analyzed for key themes. Findings showed that barriers of time, leadership, and available resources affected full implementation of the technological program in the local setting. Recommendations for future technology implementation included encouraging school leaders to provide teachers with time for implementation and pursue grant funding to minimize the impact of insufficient technological resources. Improving access to an ILS such as UTP may help teachers enhance the learning of students including those with disabilities and foster positive student successes and social change in the school and community environments.