Beginning Special Education Teachers' Classroom Reading Instruction: Practices That Engage Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Researchers conducted a study that examined the classroom reading practices of beginning special education teachers and each teacher's ability to promote student engagement. The researchers observed 14 beginning special education teachers over a 6-month period and identified the teachers as most engaging, highly engaging, moderately engaging, or low engaging. Through qualitative data analysis, researchers identified 4 themes related to instructional engagement that differentiated the teachers: instructional quality, responsiveness to student needs, socioemotional climate of the classroom, and student autonomy. Although the most engaging and highly engaging teachers were relatively consistent in demonstrating these themes, most other teachers were not. This article discusses these findings in light of previous research on beginning teachers and makes suggestions for additional research.