Date of Conferral
7-17-2026
Date of Award
July 2026
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
Stephanie Gaddy
Abstract
Some elementary special education and general education teachers in New Jersey struggle to implement inclusion programs. The purpose of this study was to explore special and general education teachers’ experiences with the challenges they encountered teaching in inclusion classrooms. The conceptual framework for this study was Anderson’s ecology of inclusive education, which highlighted the importance of students having meaningful relationships with their peers. For this basic qualitative design, semistructured interviews were conducted with 19 participants, of whom eight were special education teachers, and 11 were general education teachers. Through inductive coding, the following three themes emerged: Special education and general education teachers noted the challenges in (1) adapting to change of having to work with a co-teacher; (2) social interactions with colleagues and parents; and (3) the environmental considerations of the physical layout of the classroom when multiple activities can be happening at once, as well as the need for privacy when talking with a student. School administration at the local site can promote positive social change by providing ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers and continuing conversations about effectively implementing inclusion. Then, teachers might be able to implement new practices in their classroom and share ideas with colleagues, which might benefit students.
Recommended Citation
Chardoussin, Katie, "General and Special Education Teachers’ Experiences With the Implementation of Inclusive Education" (2026). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 20399.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/20399
