Educators' Perceptions of Collaborative Teaching Models for High School: A Qualitative Case Study

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2023

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The No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act prompted schools to explore better methods of educating all students. Collaborative teaching was presented as a solution where a general education teacher and a special education teacher work together with a group of diverse learners. The problem was the perceptions of both general education and special education teachers on collaborative teaching teams were unknown. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify the perceptions of both general and special education teachers on the benefits and challenges of the high school collaborative classroom. Self-efficacy and servant leadership theories provided the framework for the study to understand collaborative teachers’ perceptions. The research questions focused on identifying the experiences and perceived challenges and benefits of working in a collaborative classroom. Eight collaborative teams, consisting of one general education and one special education teacher, for a total of 16 participants comprised the study sample. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and collaborative team meeting observations and were coded using Braun and Clarke’s analysis model. Four major themes emerged: communication, team structure, student-driven, and support. Communication between teachers and student-driven focus were the greatest perceived benefits while determining team structure and support were the greatest perceived challenges. Recommendations include clarifying collaborative teaching models to beginning teams, scheduling planning time for co-teachers, and providing opportunities for co-teaching teams to meet together. Keywords: collaborative teaching, inclusion, teacher perceptions, differentiated instruction

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