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Professional Development and Teacher Self-Efficacy in Supporting Students with Special Needs

abstract: The purpose of the Inclusive Instruction Program (IIP) action research study was to explore the potential relationship between a new professional development cluster and general education teacher self-efficacy in supporting students with special needs. The IIP was designed to address teacher areas of needs as identified in a prior cycle of action research. During the needs assessment cycle, teachers suggested that they needed help with differentiation, behavior management, collaboration, and progress monitoring. As a result of this information, the IIP study workshops were developed around these topics. The study was grounded in a constructivist framework with aspects of self-efficacy and sensemaking theories being explored. The literature review includes studies centered on professional development for teachers in special education related topics. The IIP study participants included 11 fourth through sixth grade general education teachers. Participants completed a presurvey, attended four workshops over the course of six weeks, and completed a postsurvey. Before each workshop participants wrote journal reflections, and after each of the workshops participants completed feedback forms. Six of the 11 study participants were randomly selected to complete 30-minute individual interviews. The results of the study indicated that providing participants with professional development in special education related topics did increase their self-efficacy. Additionally, study findings revealed that participants made sense of their professional learning with individual reflection and collaboration with peers and administration to further discuss and integrate into their individual practice. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Administration and Supervision 2019

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:asu.edu/item:53487
Date January 2019
ContributorsWoodland, Emerald (Author), McArthur Harris, Lauren (Advisor), Rotheram-Fuller, Erin (Committee member), Teyechea McNeil, Nicole (Committee member), Arizona State University (Publisher)
Source SetsArizona State University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeDoctoral Dissertation
Format128 pages
Rightshttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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