Date of Conferral
4-15-2025
Date of Award
April 2025
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
Maureen Ellis
Abstract
At a large school system in the northwestern United States, students who received specially designed instruction services at the middle school study site were not always included with nondisabled peers in general education classes to the extent possible. The theoretical framework guiding this study was Vygotsky’s social constructivist paradigm, which says shared experiences shape people. Using a mixed methods, nonexperimental research design, data were collected using a concurrent, embedded strategy using a pre- and posttreatment online survey with 17 teacher-participants for the pretreatment survey and 11 participants for the posttreatment survey. The treatment in this study was a district-approved professional development provided through a YouTube linked slideshow, offered to staff at the study site. Follow-up face-to-face, semistructured interviews were conducted with eight teachers. Seven main themes emerged: (a) implementing inclusion seems too big to some educators, (b) most participants felt more knowledgeable about inclusion after viewing the presentation, (c) some participants did not feel knowledgeable enough to implement inclusive changes, (d) participants felt educators need training about inclusion, (e) inclusion is an issue of civil rights, (f) educators are open to dialogue about inclusion, and (g) resources are needed to increase and improve inclusion. Positive social change may occur through informed administrators and educators supporting students with disabilities to attend fewer segregated classrooms improving their educational opportunities and career choices leading to improved future outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Berger, Rebecca Kay, "K-12 Administrator’s and Teacher’s Perceptions of Legal Requirements for Providing Inclusive Education" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 17486.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/17486
