ERIC Number: ED639768
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 202
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3806-1841-0
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
How Special Education Teachers Virtually Support Academic IEP Goals: A Qualitative Case Study
Ashley Stallings-Small
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Northcentral University
In March of 2020, with COVID-19 cases rising above 3% for the entire population entered a pandemic and mandated schools move their instruction to online learning. The problem addressed in this study was students with a current IEP were not receiving the support and resources needed to meet their IEP goals in a virtual setting, leading to teachers not being able to utilize academic strategies to increase learning in student with disabilities. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative case study was to explore strategies and resources used by special education teachers to support individualized education plan goals for students in the virtual setting in a large city in the NE. The conceptual framework of this study is Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and constructivism. The two methods of data collection were 18 interviews and 2 focus groups. This study answered research questions regarding (a) special education teachers' perceptions about the effectiveness of strategies used for supporting IEP goals in a virtual setting and (b) special education teachers' perceptions about the resources needed to effectively support students with disabilities in achieving their learning goals in a virtual setting. The results showed students with disabilities were not receiving adequate instruction during the pandemic due to the varying levels of resources and supplies available to them. The implications from the results include that students with disabilities did not receive the needed resources needed to be successful due to teachers' lack of available resources afforded to them from the schools, parents, and personal situations. Recommendations for practice include (a) annual revaluation of goals at the beginning of each year and (b) training for families and students. Recommendations for future research include (a) ask the research questions to a larger population of teachers in multiple districts and (b) additional ways to educate and motivate students with disabilities virtually. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Individualized Education Programs, Students with Disabilities, COVID-19, Pandemics, Electronic Learning, Student Needs, Special Education Teachers, Teaching Methods, Teacher Attitudes, Resources, Equal Education, Barriers
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
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