Kimberly A. McDuffie

Co-Teaching in Inclusive Classrooms: A Metasynthesis of Qualitative Research

Thirty-two qualitative investigations of co-teaching in inclusive classrooms were included in a metasynthesis employing qualitative research integration techniques. It was concluded that co-teachers generally supported co-teaching, although a number of important needs were identified, including planning time, student skill level, and training; many of these needs were linked to administrative support. The dominant co-teaching role was found to be “one teach, one assist,” in classrooms characterized by traditional instruction, even though this method is not highly recommended in the literature. The special education teacher was often observed to play a subordinate role. Techniques often recommended for special education teachers, such as peer mediation, strategy instruction, mnemonics, and training of study skills, self-advocacy skills, and self-monitoring, were infrequently observed.

Case Studies in Co-Teaching in the Content Areas Successes, Failures, and Challenges

This article presents recent findings from several long-term qualitative investigations of co-teaching in science and social studies content-area classes, in which collaborating teachers and students with and without disabilities were observed and interviewed regarding effective practices and challenges associated with inclusion. In some sites, collaborating teachers were provided with research-based effective strategies and materials for including students with disabilities in specific activities. Results were equivocal in that in some cases, collaboration was extremely effective and conducive for promoting success for students with disabilities in inclusive classes. In others, challenges remained that presented barriers for successful collaboration and inclusion for students with disabilities. Important mediating variables were identified as academic content knowledge, high-stakes testing, and co-teacher compatibility. Findings are discussed with respect to both successes and remaining challenges.

Differentiated Curriculum Enhancement in Inclusive Middle School Science Effects on Classroom and High-Stakes Tests

This investigation compared quantitative outcomes associated with classwide peer tutoring using differentiated hands-on activities vs. teacher-directed instruction for students with mild disabilities in inclusive 8th-grade science classes. Thirteen classes of 213 students (109 males; 104 females), of whom 44 were classified with disabilities, participated in 12-week sessions in a randomized field trial design. Experimental classes received units of differentiated, peer-mediated, hands-on instruction, while control classes received traditional science instruction. Results indicate that collaborative hands-on activities statistically facilitate learning of middle school science content on posttests and on state high-stakes tests for all students and that students enjoyed using the activities. Implications for practice indicate use of supplemental peer mediated hands-on activities may provide necessary review and practice for students with disabilities. Future research would help uncover additional critical instructional variables.

Differential Effects of Peer Tutoring in Co-Taught and Non-Co-Taught Classes: Results for Content Learning and Student-Teacher Interactions:

Differential effects of a peer-tutoring intervention on the academic achievement of 203 7th-grade science students with and without disabilities in co-teaching and non-co-teaching settings were examined over an 8-week period. Impact of peer tutoring was assessed using a 2 condition by 2 settings by 2 types of students analysis of covariance with pretests as covariates. Results indicate that the peer-tutoring intervention was associated with improvements in student performance, and students in co-teaching settings perform better than those in non-co-teaching settings, but no additional value was added when peer tutoring was implemented in co-taught classrooms. Because co-teaching is increasingly used for teaching students with disabilities in general education classroom settings, implications of these findings for current practice and the need for future research are discussed.

What is Published in the Field of Special Education? An Analysis of 11 Prominent Journals

This journal analysis identifies types of articles published in 11 highly visible journals relevant to special education from 1988 through 2006 paying particular attention to intervention research. It was concluded that (a) research articles represent the largest category of articles published across all journals, (b) the proportion of intervention research studies published (15.9%) is disappointingly small, (c) academic intervention research is conducted more frequently than social intervention research, (d) reading intervention research represents the largest area of academic intervention research, and (e) intervention research employing preschool and elementary students with disabilities is published more frequently than research with middle and secondary students. Findings are discussed with respect to implications for research, practice, and policy in special education.

The Contributions of Qualitative Research to Discussions of Evidence-Based Practice in Special Education

In response to recent trends and legislation, the concept of implementing evidence-based practices has become a critical component of contemporary schooling. It is important that teachers and families of students with disabilities understand the role that qualitative research plays in determining whether a practice is in fact evidence based. Qualitative research may play a role in the development, implementation, and promotion of evidence-based practices in a number of ways. However, qualitative research by its very nature is not intended to demonstrate causality or answer questions about whether a practice is evidence based.

Co-Teaching in Inclusive Classrooms: Results of Qualitative Research from the United States, Canada, and Australia

Thirty-two qualitative research reports on co-teaching in inclusive classrooms, identified through a comprehensive literature search, are reviewed. Studies have included significant diversity in grade level, geographical location, setting, and took place in three different countries. Overall, teachers and administrators reported a high degree of satisfaction with co-teaching. However, a number of needs were also addressed, including administrative support, appropriate caseloads, planning time, student skill level, and co-teacher compatibility. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Summarizing Qualitative Research in Special Education: Purposes and Procedures

In recent years, there has been an extraordinary accumulation of qualitative research in special education. However, as yet, there has been little accumulation of the understandings gained from these studies. This omission has important implications for knowledge development, the utilization of findings in practice, and providing implications for policy. In this chapter, we review and discuss perspectives and procedures from other fields with respect to aggregation of qualitative data. Additionally, we propose a specific method for the meta-synthesis of qualitative research in the area of special education. This synthesis would not be a numerical compilation of outcomes, as in traditional meta-analysis, but would treat individual research reports as “informants,” and employ procedures, such as analytic induction and the constant comparative method to develop higher understandings across individual cases. Such efforts are thought to be essential to reaching higher analytic goals and also to enhancing the generalizability of qualitative research. It is argued that meta-synthesis efforts could do much to promote the impact of the shared understandings gained from individual qualitative research efforts.

Schaffer v. Weast: The Supreme Court on the Burden of Proof in Special Education Due Process Hearings.

In a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, Schaffer v. Weast, the high court ruled that the burden of persuasion in special education due process hearings should fall on the party that challenges a students IEP. This Court ruling will change current practice across nearly half the United States. In this article, the authors review the Supreme Courts decision in Schaffer v. Weast and discuss the implications of the ruling for special education.