Prigge, D. J. (1996). Supervising the special education paraprofessional in inclusionary settings (Supervision). Dissertation Abstracts International, 57(09A), 3893. (University Microfilms No. AAG97-04537
Institution: University of Washington
THE FOLLOWING ABSTRACT IS POSTED WITH THE
WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
The general education teacher is the primary individual to facilitate the provision of educational programs to students with disabilities in inclusionary settings. The inclusion of students with disabilities in inclusionary settings. The inclusion of students with disabilities often presents a distinct challenge to these teachers. One way of addressing this challenge is to offer additional instructional support to accommodate for the special needs of students with disabilities in the general education classroom. In most instances the instructional support is provided by a special education paraprofessional. The purposes of this study were to: (a) determine the perceived importance of classroom tasks completed by special education paraprofessionals in inclusionary classrooms, (b) specify the perceived degree of skill that special education paraprofessionals displayed in performing these tasks, and (c) identify strategies, from the perspective of teachers and special education paraprofessionals, which facilitate successful working relationships between general education teachers and special education paraprofessionals.
Survey responses from 35 general education teachers and eight special education paraprofessionals assigned to these teachers, and interviews of selected teachers and paraprofessionals, were used as the basis for: (a) identifying the importance of tasks performed, (b) determining the skill level of paraprofessionals in performing the given tasks, and (c) specifying effective partnership strategies utilized by teachers and paraprofessionals in inclusionary classrooms. No statistically significant differences were found for either the perceived importance of tasks or the perceived skill level of paraprofessionals in completing specified tasks in inclusionary settings. Other findings suggest training in effective communication skills is important for both general education teachers and special education paraprofessionals. Implications for preservice and inservice teacher training, and recommendations for future research, are discussed.
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