Varied Meanings and Practice: Teachers' Perspectives regarding High School Inclusion

Abstract

This study examines teachers perspectives in a ninth grade class that included students with disabilities in regular classes. Observations and interviews yielded data on how the teachers thought about inclusion of students with disabilities in their classes, and how they thought about a student with Down syndrome who was also in their class at the time of the study. Data collected over 7 months of a school year included variability in the interpretations and practice of inclusion and varied expectations for some students with disabilities. Teachers who supported inclusion of the student with Down syndrome differed in their expectations of him and the other students with and without disabilities. Variable standards for classroom attendance was a primary example. Findings suggest the importance of further research into the meanings and practices of inclusion as they relate to perceived purposes of schooling, the application of structures supporting inclusion in high schools, and the merging of social and academic goals for high school students with severe disabilities.