A study of teachers' perceptions of participating in professional learning communities and the relationships between general and special education teachers

The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of teachers who participated in professional learning communities, and the relationship of that participation to collaboration and co-teaching. Semi-structured interviews were employed to understand the perceptions of high school teachers who actively participated in PLCs with the goal of understanding how relationships developed in the course of that participation. The conceptual framework for the study combined three known models of school reform: professional learning communities, collaboration, and the co-teaching model of service delivery for students with disabilities. The sample of participants included special educators and general educators from four Title 1 high schools in a large Southeastern school district. Data were collected from each participant via pre-interview surveys and one-on-one private interviews. Coding of transcribed interviews was conducted by matching participants' comments and phrases to themes related to learning communities, collaboration, and co-teaching. Thematic matrices were constructed to identify associations between learning community elements and collaborative and co-teaching relationships. As a result of these analyses, six major themes were identified. These themes are discussed including their implications for future practice and research. Key words: collaboration; co-teaching; professional learning communit