Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs About Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities

TLDR

The study aimed to examine middle school general education mathematics teachers’ beliefs and self‑perceived knowledge about teaching students with learning disabilities in inclusive classrooms, including their views on administrative support and teacher preparation. The authors surveyed 228 teachers from 19 states and conducted telephone interviews with 26 participants, analyzing the survey data with frequency counts and chi‑square tests and summarizing interview responses. Findings revealed that teachers had limited understanding of the mathematics learning needs of students with LD, viewed collaboration as the most beneficial and available resource, and felt that preservice and in‑service teacher education programs were inadequate for preparing them to teach LD students in inclusive classrooms.

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate middle school general education mathematics teachers' beliefs and self-perceived knowledge regarding teaching students with learning disabilities (LD) in inclusive classrooms. Teacher beliefs regarding administrative support and higher education teacher preparation were also examined. The Survey on Teaching Mathematics to Students With Learning Disabilities in Middle School was completed by 228 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade general education mathematics inclusion teachers from 19 states. In addition, telephone interviews were conducted with a subset of 26 survey respondents. Frequency analyses were performed on the survey data, with χ2 tests comparing teachers on demographic variables. Follow-up interview responses were summarized to elaborate on the major research questions. The findings revealed three central issues: (1) teachers had a limited understanding of the mathematics learning needs of students with LD, (2) teacher collaboration was judged to be the most beneficial and available resource by general educators teaching students with LD in inclusive mathematics classrooms, and (3) teachers did not feel that teacher education programs at the preservice level and professional development at the inservice level were adequate in preparing them for teaching students with LD in inclusive mathematics classrooms. Implications and recommendations for teacher preparation and program implementation are provided.