Experiences of new teachers in inclusive classrooms

• Main Author: Loraas-Pletsch, Jessie Marie
• Other Authors: Roberts, Jillian
• Language: English; en
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: mainstreaming in education; first year teachers; British Columbia; UVic Subject Index::Humanities and Social Sciences::Education
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1828/2206

Extant research describes the need for special education training in teacher training institutions. Research also states the importance of listening to the experiences of new teachers to inform best practice of teacher education training; however, there is a paucity of research examining the needs of new teachers to inform special education training for generalist preservice teachers. This phenomenologically informed study explores the experiences of new teachers in inclusive classrooms to gain an understanding of the knowledge and experiences new teachers need. The participants include seven new teachers who teach in inclusive classrooms across BC. All data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed according to phenomenological procedures with the goal of understanding the essence of experience for these new teachers in their inclusive classrooms. Based on the new teachers' experiences, initial recommendations are provided for teacher training institutions and directions for further research are also discussed.