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As the inclusion of students with special needs in general education classrooms becomes more prevalent, it is imperative that all teachers possess a solid understanding of special education law and procedures. This thesis presents the results of a survey conducted among general education teachers, aiming to assess their level of knowledge regarding special education law, explore how they acquired this knowledge, and investigate instances in which they applied it. The study underscores the shift in responsibility from specialized educators to general teachers and seeks to pave the way for enhanced educational outcomes for students with special needs. The implications of this research extend to teacher preparation and training, advocating for potential changes in educational policies and teacher training programs. By shedding light on the current state of knowledge among general education teachers, this study aspires to stimulate further research and contribute to a more inclusive and effective educational environment for students with special needs.

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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 number of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are being served in the public school system has increased dramatically in recent years. During an increased focus on inclusion within education, research shows that students with ASD educated in the general education classroom generally do not have as many friends as their peers without ASD. However, some students with ASD are found to have more friends than other students with ASD. Therefore, additional research must explore potential factors that may be influencing the success with which students with ASD form friendships within the general education classroom. Using a multiple case study ecological approach, this study examines child, peer, and general education teacher factors related to the friendship patterns of three male students with ASD in fourth or fifth grade general education classrooms. Results from this study indicate that consistent with previous research, some students with ASD are found to be more socially embedded within the social network of the general education classroom and report greater levels of social satisfaction than other students with ASD. Findings suggest that for the three participants within this study, having two solid friendships, regardless of the social status of the friends of the student with ASD, may be related to a higher level of social network status and lower levels of self-reported loneliness for students with ASD. Factors that were found to be important for the three target students in this study included quality of social skills, quality of friendship, understanding of the construct of friendship, and general education teacher experience level. Factors that were found to be less important for the three target students in this study included peer attitudes towards children with disabilities, teacher attitudes towards inclusion of students with autism, teacher knowledge of autism, and teacher knowledge and use of evidence-based practices. Possible explanations for these findings, as well as limitations, directions for future research, and implications are discussed.

Collaboration is one of the most significant components of inclusive education, according to professional literature. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of intervention specialists in terms of collaboration with general education teachers in elementary school inclusive classrooms and administrative support of collaboration. The collaboration and the community of practice theories were used for the conceptual framework in this study to understand how collaboration is an ongoing interaction between people to achieve a common goal. Research questions were designed to understand the perceptions of intervention specialists who work in inclusive classrooms regarding collaboration and administrative support by documenting their experiences through interviews. In this basic qualitative study, 9 intervention specialists were interviewed. Interview data were analyzed using thematic coding. The results of this study indicated that each participant was a part of a weekly collaboration meeting with teachers, an administrator, and an instructional coach. Most participants reported that they had to complete a 5-step form, and it was not a good source of time because it did not directly focus on students' needs. Most participants also reported that they did not receive training in college or professional development at work on how to collaborate or work in inclusive classroom settings. Participants reported that their administrators were supportive, but some classroom teachers were not. The implications of social change for this study include insight on the importance of collaboration in inclusive classrooms and insight on how administrators can create training programs for the collaboration of all teachers who work in inclusive classrooms.

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are spending greater amounts of time in inclusive classroom settings. The perceptions of teachers regarding the educational placement of children with ASD are a critical topic of study, since teachers are primarily responsible for the implementation of inclusion (Soodak, Podell, & Lehman, 1998). While there is a substantial research base that has examined the attitudes of teachers about inclusion, less research has focused on ASD that compared the attitudes of general and special education teachers. As reported in the literature, there are multiple barriers that prevent successful inclusion, particularly in high-poverty, urban districts. Since teachers are key stakeholders in decision-making processes for students' educational placement, their attitudes are important to assess as they may act as either barriers or facilitators of inclusion. These high-stakes decisions inevitably alter students' trajectories in terms of developmental outcomes, and therefore warrant further examination. Identifying teachers' specific resource needs is also crucial in determining how to make inclusion more successful for this population of students. Two similar surveys were developed and administered to 27 Autism Support (AS) and 28 general education (GE) teachers who presently had students with ASD in their classrooms. The surveys included quantitative items presented through a Likert-type scale, as well as open-ended items. They were designed to gather information on teacher demographics, students' current and recommended placement, teachers' perceptions of child and context-related variables found in the literature to impact inclusion, and resource needs. Overall, both AS and GE teachers felt their current students' placement was appropriate, though AS teachers' ratings of appropriateness were significantly lower. AS teachers reported they were likely to recommend more time in the general education setting for a majority (70%) of their students with ASD. While GE teachers believed a majority of their students (86%) should be included for most or all of the school day, they recommended less time in general education for 27% of students. GE teachers also expressed more concerns about the functioning of their students with ASD than they did about their own ability to teach those students or aspects related to the classroom context. AS teachers, on the other hand, felt less confident in the supportiveness and prior experience of the general education teachers at their school, whereas they felt their students were prepared to meet general education classroom demands. For both groups of teachers, their beliefs about child-related factors were associated with their recommendations for more time in an inclusive classroom. Identified barriers at the classroom and school-wide levels differed significantly for AS and GE teachers, with AS teachers focused more on skill development among general educators, and GE teachers indicating a greater need for external supports (e.g., classroom assistants, paraprofessionals). AS teachers also indicated a need for a more inclusive climate and greater acceptance than did GE teachers. Findings provide insight into the unique perspectives of AS and GE teachers, in terms of their perceptions of inclusion and their identified resource needs. Results indicate that the survey measures had good internal consistency α = 0.86) and a factor structure that clustered roughly as intended, despite the small sample size. Thus, this measure may be a valuable tool for use in future research on this topic. / School Psychology

Functional behavior assessment is a process that should involve all individuals that work closely with a student who is engaging in problematic behavior that impacts their own or others’ learning. General educators are typically involved in this process through indirect or descriptive assessments, such as collecting antecedent-behavior-consequence data (ABC). However, there are many factors that can impact a general educator’s ability to collect accurate ABC data. Inaccurate data can misinform appropriate responses and interventions for challenging behaviors made by a student’s decision-making team, such as an Individual Education Program (IEP) team. Therefore, it is critical that researchers empirically evaluate training interventions that can be used to provide instruction on this skill. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of behavioral skills training (BST), with video vignettes used for modeling and rehearsal, to train pre-service general educators how to collect accurate antecedent-behavior-consequence (ABC) data using a structured recording format via a single-case research design. This study also sought to program and assess generalization of the skill to a narrative format. This format is typically used in schools but often yields less reliable and more subjective data. Lastly, four administrations of a pre- and posttest were used to assess incidental learning of non-target information provided via instructive feedback. Results indicate BST was effective for training pre-service general educators to collect ABC data using a structured recording format. Participants were able to generalize the skill to a narrative recording format. Performance on non-target information posttests were variable across participants. These findings extend the literature on BST and highlight a way for researchers to facilitate generalization within the context of an experimental design.

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Federal mandates ensure that each and every child regardless of race, national origins, and socioeconomic status, is entitled to a high-quality education. Reports from the Department of Education have stated that over 80% of exceptional students receive their academic instructions within general education classrooms. There is limited research on exceptional students learning outcomes in general education classrooms with general education curriculum. The purpose of this quantitative study was to test the theory of self-determination that explains the impact of teacher characteristics (N = 85 educators) on the academic outcomes of exceptional students in the special and general education classrooms. Teacher characteristics such as, experience, training, and attitude were measured by the Teacher's Attitude Towards Inclusion scale (TAIS) scores, and student learning outcomes, were reports of student performance ratings and standardized scores, of the exceptional students. Results revealed significant correlations between specific inclusive TAIS attitudes and student learning outcomes. The independent sample t test results indicated that the years of experience and student outcomes of students of general education teachers were significantly higher in comparison to special education teachers. Availability of Instructional Options was also measured; it did not moderate the relationship between teachers' characteristics and academic outcomes of exceptional students. Positive social change thus can be initiated by training teachers in the instructional practices, identified by this study, who deliver the optimal academic outcomes for the exceptional students. This will initiate positive social change for the special child, their families, and the community as a whole.