Date of Conferral
2023
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
Glenn Penny
Abstract
The number of students with disabilities educated in the general education classroom has increased over time. As a result, administrators in inclusive settings have more expectations and responsibilities as an instructional leader. Therefore, the research problem addressed is that administrators are struggling to provide instructional leadership for teachers in the inclusive classroom. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore administrators’ and teachers’ experiences and perceptions regarding administrators’ instructional leadership for teachers in the inclusive classroom. The conceptual framework was based on Waters’ theory of balanced leadership. There were two research questions that guided this study. The first addressed administrators’ experiences and perceptions of the instructional leadership they provided to teachers in the inclusive classroom. The second addressed teachers’ experiences and perceptions of the instructional leadership provided to them by their administrators in the inclusive classroom. Semistructured interviews were conducted with three certified administrators and seven certified teachers. Data were coded to identify central themes. The findings indicated that administrators provided teachers with support, such as feedback, assistance with modifying the curriculum and implementing differentiation. However, teachers continued to have challenges teaching in the inclusive classroom, including challenges with differentiation, managing behaviors, and implementing modifications and accommodations. The implications for positive social change include filling a gap in practice in administrators’ instructional leadership and skillset centered around special education and addressing the local problem that administrators are struggling to provide instructional leadership for teachers in the inclusive classroom.
Recommended Citation
Crook, Tenesia, "Administrators’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Administrators’ Instructional Leadership in the Inclusive Classroom" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 14065.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/14065
