Implementation of co-teaching model practices and their impact on outcomes for students with learning disabilities in middle school mathematics classrooms

Keywords

Learning disabled children -- Education (Middle school), Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Middle school), Teaching teams

Abstract

This research was situated within the context of a Professional Development School in partnership with the University of Central Florida. University faculty and the researcher worked collaboratively with administrators and teachers to increase the effectiveness of the co-teaching model in this middle school. The DeBoer and Fister (1998) model for Collaborative Teaching Roles and Responsibilities was adapted for professional development provided to co-teaching teams. The model focused on practices associated with three co-teacher roles, sharing, accommodating, and enhancing. This study sought to identify differences in the implementation of co-teaching model practices between four co-teaching teams in sixth and seventh grade mathematics classrooms. In addition, it sought to measure the impact of implementation of those practices on the mathematics achievement of sixty-one students with learning disabilities (LD). Teams were identified as higher and lower implementers of co-teaching model practices based on triangulation of data from three instruments, the Co-teacher Interaction Observation Recording, the Colorado Assessment of Co-Teaching, and the Co-Teacher Roles and Responsibilities Inventory. Differences identified across teams in model implementation included, (a) amount of special educator interaction, (b) parity between the special and general educator, (c) role of the special educator in whole group instruction, (d) implementation of sharing formats, and ( e) teachers' perceptions of the presence of critical components of effective co-teaching. Data collected for four mathematics achievement measures revealed 87% of students with LD earned passing grades in cotaught mathematics classrooms. In addition, a statistically significant difference was found between pretest and posttest scores for grade level basic skills inventory tests. For one of the four student outcome measures, there was a statistically significant difference between grades earned by students with LD taught by higher implementers and lower implementers. This research may help to inform (a) co-teaching practice in middle school mathematics classrooms, (b) the selection and development of instruments to assess application of co-teaching model practices, and ( c) future studies that seek to identify coteaching model practices associated with enhanced student outcomes.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2004

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Education

Format

PDF

Pages

258 p.

Language

English

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Identifier

DP0029483

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Education; Education -- Dissertations, Academic

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