In this program description, we examined the impact of East Carolina University's educator preparation program on beginning special educators' preparedness and confidence to meet professional standards and fulfill their job responsibilities using Q methodology. For this work, undergraduate interns who were enrolled in a rural-focused teacher…

This study documented the experiences, challenges, and perspectives of special education teachers in New York State during the COVID-19 period of remote instruction in the spring of 2020 and during the 2020-21 school year. An invitation to complete an online survey about their experiences was sent to a random sample of special education teachers.…

Black students with disabilities receiving special education services provide unique challenges to the current education system that was designed for white, able-bodied, and minded individuals. Teachers, more specifically, special education teachers, who are often white, play a vital role in serving as a first level of support and having a…

Special needs educators (SNEs) have important roles in many education systems. However, their roles are often poorly defined, and differ greatly both between and within education systems. Studies show that SNEs have diverse tasks, have problems defining their jurisdiction, and approach special support with different perspectives than other…

The past two decades have seen unprecedented changes to the field of deaf education. Several factors including technological advances and educational policy have resulted in the inclusion of the majority of students who are deaf or hard of hearing in the general education classroom with various levels of support services. Consequently, the role of…

Purpose: This study explored the practices and experiences of teachers who teach students using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), more specifically, speech-generating devices (SGDs). Method: Nine teachers (one general education, eight special education) from four countries participated in semistructured interviews. A generic…

This article discusses special education teachers' initial training within public policies establishing teaching students with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream classrooms. Based on the question of how special education teachers' initial training in Chile is responding to inclusive education policy regulations, we describe…

Objectives: In the process of transition services, the active participation of teachers and parents is an important key to the successful employment and independent living of students with intellectual disabilities after leaving school. Methods: This study adopted a case study method, taking a high school in Taiwan that has a good transition…

The study aims to determine rural families' experiences regarding sexual development of their adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders. Thus, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 parents. Since the interviews included privacy issues, they were conducted one-to-one with the parents. The phenomenological method was used, depending…

The paraeducator workforce as well as the breadth of their responsibilities to serve students in special education has increased considerably in public schools. Unfortunately, research to identify the most effective methods for training paraeducators has not kept pace. Addressing this dynamic, through an implementation science framework, requires…

Purpose: Alternative service delivery approaches are required to provide support for children with communication difficulties in underserved communities. Schools have a unique set of assets that can be utilized to provide this support. This study explored what the education sector and classrooms in the early years of schooling offer as support for…

Special education teachers (SETs) are expected to use effective practices to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, yet even those who are well-prepared may not be effective in teaching these students, as problematic working conditions may limit their opportunities to teach effectively and their longevity in the profession. To complicate…

In Saudi Arabia, the education of students with disabilities has historically followed a segregated medical model. New research is emerging, however, about educating students with disabilities in general education classrooms (i.e., inclusive education). The purpose of this survey study was to examine the level of preparedness of general education…

This qualitative study examined special education teachers' perceptions of student success in online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic school closures to isolate the key determinants in the differential student outcomes reported by the teachers. Data were collected from 16 teachers in the U.S. state of California using semi-structured…

The purpose of the study is to determine the relationships between teachers' ICT acceptance levels, ICT attitudes and individual innovation levels and to investigate their opinions. Mixed method research study including qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques is used. In this study, an interview form was used to get…