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Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs About Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities
Author(s) -
DeSimone Janet R.,
Parmar Rene S.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
learning disabilities research and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.018
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1540-5826
pISSN - 0938-8982
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-5826.2006.00210.x
Subject(s) - inclusion (mineral) , mathematics education , psychology , special education , learning disability , mainstreaming , connected mathematics , core plus mathematics project , general education , pedagogy , developmental psychology , social psychology
The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate middle school general education mathematics teachers' beliefs and self‐perceived knowledge regarding teaching students with learning disabilities (LD) in inclusive classrooms. Teacher beliefs regarding administrative support and higher education teacher preparation were also examined. The Survey on Teaching Mathematics to Students With Learning Disabilities in Middle School was completed by 228 sixth‐, seventh‐, and eighth‐grade general education mathematics inclusion teachers from 19 states. In addition, telephone interviews were conducted with a subset of 26 survey respondents. Frequency analyses were performed on the survey data, with χ 2 tests comparing teachers on demographic variables. Follow‐up interview responses were summarized to elaborate on the major research questions. The findings revealed three central issues: (1) teachers had a limited understanding of the mathematics learning needs of students with LD, (2) teacher collaboration was judged to be the most beneficial and available resource by general educators teaching students with LD in inclusive mathematics classrooms, and (3) teachers did not feel that teacher education programs at the preservice level and professional development at the inservice level were adequate in preparing them for teaching students with LD in inclusive mathematics classrooms. Implications and recommendations for teacher preparation and program implementation are provided.