TY - JOUR
T1 - From the Frontlines
T2 - Perceptions of Paraprofessionals’ Roles and Responsibilities
AU - Mason, Rose A.
AU - Gunersel, Adalet B.
AU - Irvin, Dwight W.
AU - Wills, Howard P.
AU - Gregori, Emily
AU - An, Zhe G.
AU - Ingram, Paul B.
N1 - Funding Information:
The information and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, or should any endorsements be inferred by, IES or the U.S. Government. We would like to thank the teachers, distant-level administrators, and paras who made this work possible. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Institute of Educational Sciences (Grant No. R305H140048).
Funding Information:
Mason Rose A. 1 Gunersel Adalet B. 2 Irvin Dwight W. 3 Wills Howard P. 3 Gregori Emily 1 An Zhe G. 4 Ingram Paul B. 5 1 Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA 2 Consultant, Philadelphia, PA, USA 3 The University of Kansas, Kansas City, USA 4 University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA 5 Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA R. A. Mason, Department of Educational Studies, College of Education, Purdue University, BRNG 5108B, 100 N. University St., West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. Email: rmason3@purdue.edu 1 2020 0888406419896627 © 2020 Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children 2020 Teacher Education Division of the Council of Exceptional Children The paraeducator workforce as well as the breadth of their responsibilities to serve students in special education has increased considerably in public schools. Unfortunately, research to identify the most effective methods for training paraeducators has not kept pace. Addressing this dynamic, through an implementation science framework, requires a better understanding of contextual factors. In this study, focus groups (FGs) with paraeducators and teachers were conducted to examine (a) responsibilities, training needs, and related issues of paraprofessionals; (b) training needs and related issues of teachers as supervisors of paraeducators; and (c) factors that support or impede special educators’ self-efficacy and their perception of competence of their colleagues. Four FGs, homogeneous based on role and assignment (mild vs. moderate-to-severe disabilities), were conducted utilizing a semistructured interview protocol. Qualitative content analysis revealed important challenges and training-related deficiencies experienced by both teachers and paraeducators, as well as suggestions for addressing these issues. general special education paraeducators teacher self-efficacy supervision response to intervention profession development Institute of Education Sciences https://doi.org/10.13039/100005246 R305H140048 edited-state corrected-proof typesetter ts1 The information and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, or should any endorsements be inferred by, IES or the U.S. Government. We would like to thank the teachers, distant-level administrators, and paras who made this work possible. Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Funding The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Institute of Educational Sciences (Grant No. R305H140048).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children.
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - The paraeducator workforce as well as the breadth of their responsibilities to serve students in special education has increased considerably in public schools. Unfortunately, research to identify the most effective methods for training paraeducators has not kept pace. Addressing this dynamic, through an implementation science framework, requires a better understanding of contextual factors. In this study, focus groups (FGs) with paraeducators and teachers were conducted to examine (a) responsibilities, training needs, and related issues of paraprofessionals; (b) training needs and related issues of teachers as supervisors of paraeducators; and (c) factors that support or impede special educators’ self-efficacy and their perception of competence of their colleagues. Four FGs, homogeneous based on role and assignment (mild vs. moderate-to-severe disabilities), were conducted utilizing a semistructured interview protocol. Qualitative content analysis revealed important challenges and training-related deficiencies experienced by both teachers and paraeducators, as well as suggestions for addressing these issues.
AB - The paraeducator workforce as well as the breadth of their responsibilities to serve students in special education has increased considerably in public schools. Unfortunately, research to identify the most effective methods for training paraeducators has not kept pace. Addressing this dynamic, through an implementation science framework, requires a better understanding of contextual factors. In this study, focus groups (FGs) with paraeducators and teachers were conducted to examine (a) responsibilities, training needs, and related issues of paraprofessionals; (b) training needs and related issues of teachers as supervisors of paraeducators; and (c) factors that support or impede special educators’ self-efficacy and their perception of competence of their colleagues. Four FGs, homogeneous based on role and assignment (mild vs. moderate-to-severe disabilities), were conducted utilizing a semistructured interview protocol. Qualitative content analysis revealed important challenges and training-related deficiencies experienced by both teachers and paraeducators, as well as suggestions for addressing these issues.
KW - general special education
KW - paraeducators
KW - profession development
KW - response to intervention
KW - supervision
KW - teacher self-efficacy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85077572937&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0888406419896627
DO - 10.1177/0888406419896627
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85077572937
SN - 0888-4064
VL - 44
SP - 97
EP - 116
JO - Teacher Education and Special Education
JF - Teacher Education and Special Education
IS - 2
ER -