Attitudes Toward Teaching Disabled Students in Inclusive Classes

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Recommended: Reflections on teaching students with disabilities

Purpose and Hypotheses of the Study

The purpose of the study by DeSimone & Parmar (2006) was to scrutinize the beliefs and knowledge of general education teachers of mathematics at the middle school level concerning teaching learning disabled students in inclusive classes. The study explored the following four questions:

1. What are the generally held beliefs of general education teachers of mathematics in the middle school toward including learning disabled students in the general education classroom?

2. What knowledge base does the general education teachers of mathematics in the middle school have about the learning needs of learning disabled students who are in their class and their skill at adapting instruction?

3. What is the impression of the general education teachers of mathematics in the middle school concerning administrative support and resources allocate for inclusion classes?

4. What is the impression of the general education teachers of mathematics in the middle school concerning the preparation they have received in their pre-service programs for teaching in an inclusive class?

Sample

Names of possible participants were obtained through professional organizations and school districts. Surveys were sent nationwide to 361 middle school mathematics teachers with inclusion classes. The researchers received 228 responses from 19 different states from all over the United States. The sample appeared to be a reasonable representation of middle schools across the country (DeSimone & Pamar, 2006). The respondents were approximately 71% female, 80% completed or pursuing a Master’s degree, with varying years of experience from one year to 15 or more.

Methods and Procedures

The survey consisted of a three-part...

... middle of paper ...

...ssues. Most of the participants had limited understanding of specific strategies that could be used to increase the success of the student with learning disabilities in the mathematics class. The second issue revealed was that teacher collaboration was the most valuable resource for the general education teacher, specifically special education teachers, aides, and school psychologists. The third issue was the inadequacy of pre-service and in-service training that teachers receive. The training the general education teacher receives is severely limited in addressing skills or strategies that are needed to teach all students (DeSimone & Pamar, 2006).

Works Cited

DeSimone, J. R. & Parmar, R. S. (2006). Middle school mathematics teachers’ beliefs

about inclusion of students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities

Research & Practice, 21(2), 98-110.

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