General Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Response to Intervention Implementation: A Qualitative Interview Study

The purpose of this interview study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of Response to Intervention (RtI) implementation in their school. Particularly, the study explored teachers’ knowledge of RtI, teachers’ perceptions of RtI tiers intervention/instruction in their school, and teachers’ suggestions of RtI implementation in their school. The study design was a qualitative interview study and data were collected from the face-to-face interviews with four teachers in one school. Findings revealed that RtI is meant to identify students’ problems. Positive teachers’ perceptions of their implementation included: (a) Students who demonstrate progress through RtI, (b) Students who receive special education services, (c) progress monitoring helps to keeps teachers on track. Factors pertaining to social and contextual included: (a) School training, (b) Confidence of RtI practice, (c) Collaboration from school personnel. The following factors lead to a negative perception of the RtI process: (a) Planning is difficult, (b) RtI is confusing, (c) Insufficient time for implementation, (d) Excessive RtI paperwork, and (e) Delay of identification for special education services. The study findings also indicated Teachers’ suggestions to improve RtI implementation in their school through staff support. The findings from this study have implications for higher education and professional in the field