Special education teachers are asked to deliver high-quality instruction with compassion and care (Cipriano et al., 2016). The development of interpersonal characteristics that positively influence the quality of the interaction have been shown to be predictors of success (Callahan, 2019). Despite the critical impact of these soft skills on the…

The problem addressed in this study was that there is a lack of knowledge about middle school special education teachers' perceptions on the benefits of social emotional learning (SEL) strategies for improving the behavior of students with emotional behavior disorder (EBD) in a self-contained setting. Comer's concepts on social learning served as…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore two research questions around how novice special education teachers in the United States describe their experiences, obtained in formal preservice training programs or informal settings, that positively affected their self-efficacy to manage a classroom of students with complex…

Special educators serving students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) depend on their principals' support, yet prior research has not explored principals' roles in supporting these programs. Using constructivist grounded theory methods, we analyzed interviews with five elementary school principals about their roles in supporting…

Graduates of special education teacher education programs can teach in a range of special education settings, raising the potential that their training can occur in very different settings than where they find their first jobs. We follow 263 completers of Moderate Disabilities programs in Massachusetts from their field placements to their…

This study aimed to enhance leadership abilities among special education teachers using Behavioral Skills Training (BST). It highlights the issue of staff burnout and lack of support within the workplace among special education professionals working in self-contained classrooms with individuals with disabilities. This study aimed to bridge the gap…

Despite the preponderance of scholarly literature advocating the benefits of including students with disabilities in general education, students with ESN continue to be educated in restrictive settings. Limited research exists on how to facilitate access to inclusive opportunities in these segregated self-contained settings, yet this is primarily…

This dissertation explores the perceptions of student-teacher relationships among students with emotional disabilities held by general and special education teachers in inclusive and self- contained settings. This research explores how teacher groups perceive these student--teacher relationships within both learning environments and to what extent…

Teachers working in a special education self-contained classroom were required to implement evidence-based practices and interventions, rarely researched in a school setting, with fidelity to meet the needs of students with intellectual disabilities. Evidence-based practices and interventions for students with intellectual disabilities were…

Since the establishment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975, implementing special education services has become more vast and complex for special education teachers. Their immense job responsibilities have them feeling varying levels of occupational burnout and stress. The purpose of this qualitative study, employing…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how special education teachers in secondary schools describe institutional challenges and how they personalize their teaching when educating students with special needs in a self-contained classroom in the southwest United States. The theoretical framework is the conceptual framework…

Graduates of special education teacher education programs can teach in a range of special education settings, raising the potential that their training can occur in very different settings than where they find their first jobs. We follow 263 completers of Moderate Disabilities programs in Massachusetts from their field placements to their…

In an urban school district in the southwestern United States, students with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD) who were in third- through fifth-grade self-contained classes were not consistently transitioning successfully into inclusive classrooms; therefore, the students were remaining in a restrictive environment for an extended time.…

Teacher preparation programs are critical to the induction of new teachers into the field. Research has shown student teaching and embedded field experiences are essential components of these teacher preparation programs and are therefore included as a culminating element of teacher preparation programs. However, little is known of the…

Inclusive education is a globally accepted approach that aims to provide equal opportunities to all learners, regardless of their differences. In the 1990s, the Zanzibar Ministry of Education introduced special education units for children with disabilities attached to some primary schools. However, in 2004, the role of these special units had to…