Teacher Educators’ Perspectives: Preparing Preservice Teachers to Provide Access to the General Curriculum

Abstract

Teacher educators play a critical role in preparing preservice teachers to provide students with significant disabilities access to the general curriculum. This qualitative study investigated 11 teacher educators’ definitions of access and their self-reflections on their practices to prepare preservice teachers to provide students with significant disabilities access to the general curriculum. Teacher educators described their practices, which included shaping preservice teachers’ philosophies and dispositions and preparing them with the knowledge and skills to provide access. Findings from this study could translate into improved outcomes for teacher educators, preservice teachers, and ultimately students with significant disabilities.

Keywords

teacher preparation access to the general curriculum low-incidence disabilities

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Agran

Alper

Wehmeyer

(2002). Access to the general curriculum for students with significant disabilities: What it means to teachers. Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 37, 123–133.

Ashby

(2012). Disability studies and inclusive teacher preparation: A socially just path for teacher education. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 37, 89–99. doi:10.2511/027494812802573611

Brantlinger

Jimenez

Klingner

Pugach

Richardson

(2005). Qualitative studies in special education. Exceptional Children, 71, 195–207. doi:10.1177/001440290507100205

Browder

D. M.

Trela

Jimenez

(2007). Training teachers to follow a task analysis to engage middle school students with moderate and severe developmental disabilities in grade-appropriate literature. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 22, 206–219. doi:10.1177/10883576070220040301

Cameron

D. L.

Cook

B. G.

(2007). Attitudes of preservice teachers enrolled in an infusion preparation program regarding planning and accommodations for included students with mental retardation. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 42, 353–363.

Copeland

S. R.

Keefe

E. B.

Calhoon

A. J.

Tanner

Park

(2011). Preparing teachers to provide literacy instruction to all students: Faculty experiences and perceptions. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 36, 126–141. doi:10.2511/027494811800824499

Darling-Hammond

(2000). Studies of excellence in teacher education. Washington, DC: The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

Delano

M. E.

Keefe

Perner

(2008). Personnel preparation: Recurring challenges and the need for action to ensure access to general education. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 34, 232–240.

Dymond

S. K.

Renzaglia

Gilson

C. L.

Slagor

M. T.

(2007). Defining access to the general curriculum for high school students with significant cognitive disabilities. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 32, 1–15. doi:10.2511/rpsd.32.1.1

10.

Garmon

M. A.

(2004). Changing preservice teachers’ attitudes/beliefs about diversity: What are the critical factors? Journal of Teacher Education, 55, 201–213. doi:10.1177/0022487104263080

11.

Harvey

Yssel

Bauserman

Merbler

(2010). Preservice teacher preparation for inclusion: An exploration of high education teacher-training institutions. Remedial and Special Education, 31, 24–33. doi:10.1177/0741932508324397

12.

Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-446, 118 Stat. 2647 (2004).

13.

Jimenez

B. A.

Saunders

A. F.

(2014). The additive effects of scripted lessons plus guided notes on science quiz scores of students with intellectual disability and autism. The Journal of Special Education, 47, 231–244. doi:10.1177/0022466912437937

14.

Kurth

Foley

J. A.

(2014). Reframing teacher education: Preparing teachers for inclusive education. Inclusion, 2, 286–300. doi:10.1352/2326-6988-2.4.286

15.

Merriam

S. B.

Tisdell

E. J.

(2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

16.

Mims

P. J.

Browder

D. M.

Baker

J. N.

Lee

Spooner

(2009). Increasing comprehension of students with significant intellectual disabilities and visual impairments during shared stories. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 44, 409–420.

17.

Morningstar

M. E.

Allcock

H. C.

White

J. M.

Taub

Kurth

J. A.

Gonsier-Gerdin

. . . Jorgensen

C. M.

(2016). Inclusive education national research advocacy agenda. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 41, 209–215. 10.1177/1540796916650975

18.

Morningstar

M. E.

Shogren

K. A.

Lee

Born

(2015). Preliminary lessons about supporting participation and learning in inclusive classrooms. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 40, 192–210. doi:10.1177/1540796915594158

19.

Olson

A. J.

Leko

M. M.

Roberts

C. A.

(2016). Providing students with severe disabilities access to the general education curriculum. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 41, 143-157.

20.

Pajares

M. F.

(1992). Teachers’ beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62, 307–332.

21.

Patton

M. Q.

(2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

22.

Pennington

J. L.

Brock

C. H.

Abernathy

T. V.

Bingham

Major

E. M.

Wiest

L. R.

Ndura

(2012). Teacher educators’ dispositions: Footnoting the present with stories from our pasts. Studying Teacher Education, 8, 69–85. doi:10.1080/17425964.2012.657033

23.

Petersen

(2016). Perspectives of special education teachers on general education curriculum access. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 41, 19–35. doi:10.1177/1540796915604835

24.

Roberts

C. A.

(2013). Identity development of literacy teachers of adolescents with significant cognitive disabilities (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3588529)

25.

Rubin

H. J.

Rubin

I. S.

(2005). Structure of the responsive interview. In Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data (pp. 115–130). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

26.

Ruppar

A. L.

Roberts

C. A.

Olson

A. J.

(2015). Faculty perceptions of expertise among teachers of students with severe disabilities. Teacher Education and Special Education, 38, 240–253. doi:10.1177/0888406414552331

27.

Ruppar

A. L.

Roberts

C. A.

Olson

A. J.

(2017). Perceptions about expert teaching for students with significant disabilities among teachers. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 42, 121–135.

28.

Ryndak

D. L.

Clark

Conroy

Stewart

(2001). Preparing teachers to meet the needs of students with severe disabilities: Program configuration and expertise. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 26, 96–105. doi:10.2511/rpsd.26.2.96

29.

Ryndak

D. L.

Moore

M. A.

Orlando

Delano

(2008). Access to the general curriculum: The mandate and role of context in research-based practice for students with extensive support needs. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 34, 199–213. doi:10.2511/rpsd.33.4.199

30.

Ryndak

D. L.

Taub

Jorgensen

C. M.

Gonsier-Gerdin

Arndt

Sauer

. . . Allcock

(2014). Policy and the impact on placement, involvement, and progress in general education: Critical issues that require rectification. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 39, 65–74. doi:10.1177/1540796914533942

31.

Saldaña

(2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.

32.

Shogren

K. A.

McCart

A. B.

Lyon

K. J.

Sailor

W. S.

(2015). All means all: Building knowledge for inclusive schoolwide transformation. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 40, 173–191. doi:10.1177/1540796915586191

33.

Smith

B. R.

Spooner

Jimenez

B. A.

Browder

(2013). Using an early science curriculum to teach science vocabulary and concepts to students with severe developmental disabilities. Education and Treatment of Children, 36, 1–31. doi:10.1353/etc.2013.0002

34.

Spooner

Dymond

S. K.

Smith

Kennedy

C. H.

(2006). What we know and need to know about accessing the general curriculum for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 31, 277–283. doi:10.1177/154079690603100401

35.

Stake

(2010). Qualitative research studying how things work. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

36.

Timberlake

M. T.

(2014). Weighing costs and benefits: Teacher interpretation and implementation of access to the general curriculum. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 39, 83–99. doi:10.1177/1540796914544547

37.

Wehmeyer

M. L.

(2006). Beyond access: Ensuring progress in the general education curriculum for students with severe disabilities. Research and Practice for Persons With Severe Disabilities, 31, 322–326. doi:10.1177/154079690603100405

38.

Wehmeyer

M. L.

Lattin

Agran

(2001). Promoting access to the general curriculum for students with mental retardation: A decision-making model. Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 36, 329–344.

39.

Wehmeyer

M. L.

Lattin

D. L.

Lapp-Rincker

Agran

(2003). Access to the general curriculum of middle school students with mental retardation: An observational study. Remedial and Special Education, 24, 262–272. doi:10.1177/07419325030340050201

40.

Wilson

S. M.

Floden

R. E.

Ferrini-Mundy

(2001). Teacher preparation research: Current knowledge, gaps, and recommendations. Seattle: University of Washington.