Perceptions of the Roles of Paraprofessionals and Other Support Strategies to Assist Students with Disabilities in the General Education Classroom

The researcher completed this qualitative study to consider how paraprofessionals are used to support students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Both the paraprofessional\u27s and teacher\u27s perceptions of the roles of paraprofessionals in supporting students with disabilities are compared through the use of observations with embedded field notes and interviews. The study also examines other support strategies which are in place in order to support the students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Data collected from this observation was coded by sorting data by research question and then generating categories and then themes for the information. Paraprofessionals are found in close proximity to students with disabilities, supporting instruction during a majority of the observations. Other support strategies are observed however, the paraprofessional is used most frequently. The use of other support strategies may require additional training and modeling in order to be implemented more effectively