Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

James Miller

Abstract

In recent years, states have been interested in the amount of time students with moderate intellectual disabilities spend being educated in the general education environment. Students with moderate intellectual disabilities at a suburban high school in Illinois consistently spend more than 80% of their educational time in the special education environment. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the self-efficacy of secondary school co-teachers at the local level to support the academic needs of students with moderate intellectual disabilities in the general education classroom. The theory of teacher self-efficacy provided the conceptual framework for this study. The self-efficacy of eight special education co-teachers and 11 general education co-teachers at a suburban high school in Illinois was examined to determine their willingness to volunteer to co-teach in a general education classroom that includes students with moderate intellectual disabilities. Interviews were analyzed using typological analysis, with four themes emerging from the data: accommodations and modifications, professional development, personal experiences, and inclusion. Implications for social change include improving educational opportunities for students with moderate intellectual disabilities in the least restrictive environment. Based on these themes, a three-day professional development program was developed to provide special education and general education co-teachers with strategies to differentiating instruction in order to increase their self-efficacy when teaching students with moderate intellectual disabilities in the general education environment in the hope that it will improve the learning experiences for students.

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