Description
The purpose of this study was to examine factors that lead to the exclusion of students with disabilities in classrooms by general education teachers. Specifically, the study surveyed participants on their opinions regarding factors that lead to exclusion in the following areas: (a) general education teachers' characteristics and beliefs about the success of students with different disabilities, (b) training and experiences of elementary general education teachers teaching students with disabilities, (c) specific student characteristics and behaviors that elementary general education teachers believe should exclude students with disabilities from participation in general education, and (d) school culture on inclusion. The responses were used to determine themes of factors leading to exclusionary practices. Following the survey, interviews with ten elementary general education teachers were also conducted to understand decisions made around excluding children with disabilities from the general education environment. Responses were used to expand the survey results and increase understanding around exclusionary practices. The major findings were organized into four themes: (a) students with disabilities should be removed from the classroom when experiencing challenging behaviors, (b) there is a lack of adequate time to prepare for inclusion, (c) teacher preparation courses do not prepare general education teachers to teach students with disabilities, and (d) schools do not provide organizational structures for inclusion. These findings can be used to educate district leaders and support teacher training on eliminating exclusionary practices.
