When graduate students enter special education programs, they arrive with dispositional knowledge that can assist or hinder them in their professional development. Over the course of two years, the researchers in this study assessed the dispositions of beginning teachers in a special education program at a west coast state university. The researchers gathered data using qualitative methods, which included analyzing vision statements, survey questions, and interviews. The results of this study describe how students entered the program with a variety of perceptions and attitudes and how course work and clinical experiences in these programs affected students' attitudes, as instructors began building on students' prior experience and knowledge.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abernathy, T. V. (2002). Using a storybook prompt to uncover in-service and preservice teacher dispositions toward struggling students.The Teacher Educator, 38, 78–98.
2.
Bradley, J. F., & Monda-Amaya, L. E. (2005). Conflict resolution: Preparing preservice educators to work in collaborative settings.Teacher Education and Special Education, 28, 171–184.
3.
Carlson, E., Lee, H., Schroll, K., & Pei, Y. (2004). Identifying attributes of high quality special education teachers.Teacher Education and Special Education, 27, 350–359.
4.
Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S. L. (1999). Relationships of knowledge and practice: Teacher learning in communities.Review of Research in Education, 24, 249–305.
5.
Davis, W. E. (1983). The special educator: Strategies for succeeding in today's schools. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
6.
deBettencourt, L. U. (1999). General educators' attitudes toward students with mild disabilities and their use of instructional strategies: Implications for training.Remedial and Special Education, 20, 27–36.
7.
Feiman-Nemser, S. (2001). From preparation to practice: Designing a continuum to strengthen and sustain teaching.Teachers College Record, 103, 1013–1055.
8.
Fullan, M. G. (1993). Change forces: Probing the depths of educational reform. London: Falmer Press.
9.
Greene, M. (1995). Releasing the imagination: Essays on education, the arts, and social change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
10.
Haberman, M. (1996). Selecting and preparing culturally competent teachers for urban schools. In J. Sikula, T. Buttery, & E. Guyton (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Teacher Education (pp. 747–760). Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
11.
Hammerness, K. M. (2006). Seeing through teachers' eyes: Professional ideals and classroom practices. New York: Teachers College Press.
12.
Hansen, D. T. (1995). The call to teach. New York: Teachers College Press.
13.
Hansen, D. T. (2001). Exploring the moral heart of teaching: Toward a teacher's creed. New York: Teachers College Press.
14.
Hastings, R. P., & Oakford, S. (2003). Student teachers' attitudes towards inclusion of children with special needs.Educational Psychology, 23, 87–94.
15.
Jordan, A., Lindsay, L., & Stanovich, P. (1997). Classroom teachers' instructional interactions with students who are exceptional, at risk, and typically achieving.Remedial and Special Education, 18, 82–93.
16.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dream keepers: Successful teachers of African-American children. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
17.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
18.
McLeskey, J., Waldron, N. L., So, T. H., Swanson, K., & Loveland, T. (2001). Perspectives of teachers toward inclusive school programs.Teacher Education and Special Education, 24, 108–115.
19.
Morrow, R. A., & Torres, C. A. (2002). Reading Freire and Habermas: Critical pedagogy and transformative social change. New York: Teachers College Press.
20.
Murray, M. M., & Mandell, C. J. (2005). Innovative family-centered practices in personnel preparation.Teacher Education and Special Education, 28, 74–77.
21.
Noddings, N. (1992). The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education. New York: Teachers College Press.
22.
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative analyses and interpretation. In M. Q. Patton (Ed.), Qualitative evaluation and research methods (pp. 371–425). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
23.
Popkewitz, T. S., & Brennan, M. (1997). Foucault's challenge: Discourse, knowledge, and power in education. New York: Teachers College Press.
24.
Praisner, C. L. (2003). Attitudes of elementary school principals toward the inclusion of students with disabilities.Exceptional Children, 69, 135–145.
25.
Shippen, M. E., Crites, S. A., & Houchins, D. E. (2005). Preservice teachers' perceptions of including students with disabilities.Teacher Education and Special Education, 28, 92–99.
26.
Sockett, H. (1993). The moral base for teacher professionalism. New York: Teachers College Press.
27.
Sockett, H. (Ed.). (2006). Teacher dispositions: Building a teacher education framework of moral standards. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
28.
Soto, G., & Goetz, L. (1998). Self-efficacy beliefs and the education of students with severe disabilities.Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 23, 134–43.
29.
Stempien, L. R., & Loeb, R. C. (2002). Differences in job satisfaction between general education and special education teachers: Implications for retention.Remedial and Special Education, 23, 258–267.
30.
Watson, M. (2003). Learning to trust: Transforming difficult elementary classrooms through developmental discipline. San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons.
31.
Wubbels, T. (1992). Taking account of student teachers' preconceptions.Teaching and Teacher Education, 8, 137–149.
