Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Tammy Hoffman

Abstract

The problem prompting this study was the low achievement levels of elementary students with intellectual disabilities (S-ID) in a large urban school district in the southeastern region of the United States where there was a lack of high-quality teacher professional development (PD) pertaining to the specialized needs of these students. It is important to provide effective support for teachers to provide quality education that increases student achievement for this population of students. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the perceptions about the PD of elementary general education teachers who teach S-ID in the general education setting to determine if the available PD was providing the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the academic needs of S-ID in their classrooms. The conceptual framework for this study was Knowles’ adult learning theory of andragogy. In this basic qualitative design, data were gathered from six elementary general education teachers who educate S-ID in the general education setting using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The results of this qualitative study revealed that additional PD is needed to prepare elementary general education teachers who teach S-ID in the general education setting. Participants perceived the current PD model is not preparing them to educate S-ID. Based on the findings, a PD workshop was designed to provide strategies to meet the needs of S-ID. The results of this study and the project may promote social change by providing teachers with training and resources to increase academic achievement for elementary S-ID in the general education setting.

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