General Education Teachers' Beliefs, Skills, and Practices in Planning for Mainstreamed Students with Learning Disabilities

TLDR

Teachers identified as effective in working with students with learning disabilities were selected for the study. The study investigates general education teachers' beliefs, skills, and practices in planning and adapting instruction for mainstreamed students with learning disabilities. Sixty teachers across elementary, middle, and high school completed a survey on beliefs, skills, and practices, and a subset of twelve participated in interviews and classroom observations for deeper insight. Results showed that even skilled teachers exhibit gaps between beliefs, practices, and skills, with differences observed across elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate general education teachers' beliefs, skills, and practices in planning and making adaptations for students with learning disabilities (LD) mainstreamed into general education. Participating teachers were identified by administrators and peers as being effective in working with students with LD. Sixty teachers (20 elementary, 20 middle school, and 20 high school) completed a survey instrument assessing teachers' beliefs, skills, and practices. A subset of the initial cohort of teachers (n = 12) also participated in extensive interviews and classroom observations to provide additional insight into their adaptive instructional practices. Results indicated that even among skilled teachers gaps exist between beliefs, practices, and skills. Discussion focuses on teacher beliefs, skills, and practices and differences among teachers in the three grade groupings.