Challenges and Inspirations: Student Teachers’ Experiences in Early Childhood Special Education Classrooms

Abstract

Preparing teachers to meet the needs of children with disabilities remains a complex challenge. General education teachers feel unprepared, and attrition and teacher shortages in special education remain high. Despite a trend toward inclusive education, many children continue to be educated in segregated settings. This study explores the potential challenges and learning opportunities that self-contained settings offer early childhood special education teachers in training. Five early childhood preservice students seeking dual certification reflected on their placements in self-contained early childhood special education classrooms. Through an analysis of their weekly student teaching journals, we explored students’ experiences in segregated early childhood special education classrooms and implications for teacher education. Our findings revealed that including a self-contained setting as one of several field experiences encouraged future teachers to think flexibly about teaching children with special needs while enhancing their understanding of the principles behind the continuum of services.