Factors that affect teachers' practices in classrooms with students with disabilities

grantor: University of TorontoThe purposes of this study were twofold: to test a theoretical framework developed by Stanovich (1994) and Roach (1998) which identifies variables claimed to predict the effectiveness of integration of students with disabilities into classrooms; and to see what can be deduced from changes in teachers' attitudes toward integration of students with disabilities over the 25 year period, 1974 to 1999. A path model of the factors contributing to teachers' practices in integrated classrooms was tested using Lisrel 8.3. The path model was a version of the variables identified in Stanovich's (1994) and Roach's (1998) models, adapted for the current data collection as self-report Likert scales contained in a mailed survey in a large urban school board in Ontario, Canada. Eight hundred and eighty-four elementary teachers of a potential 10,000 responded to the survey. The variables of the model tested to predict the outcome measures of Teachers' Skills and Teachers' Practices were Teachers' Beliefs, Teachers' Attitudes/Placement, Teacher Self Efficacy, and School Norm/Support. The Teachers' Attitudes/Placement measure was weak and was dropped from the final path model solution. The results of the analysis largely confirmed the predicted relationships of the model's components. The path model results indicated that teachers are more likely to use effective teaching practices in an integrated classroom, when they perceive that they have support, have the skills and beliefs to adapt instruction for students with disabilities and consider themselves to be efficacious as teachers. The revised Teachers' Attitudes portion of the present survey replicated a study completed in 1974 (n = 74 teachers) when students with developmental disabilities were first integrated in Ontario (Hambleton & Ziegler, 1974). The Teachers' Attitudes portion was again sent out in 1994 to teachers (n = 140) in large urban school boards in Ontario (Giddens, 1994). Although there have been changes in terminology which affects the interpretation of the findings, a tentative comparison of the three sets of results was made. An analysis of the ranking portion of the survey revealed that teachers are requesting smaller class sizes, supportive administration and that they consider working with parents to be instrumental to their success in integrating students with disabilities.Ed.D