Date of Graduation
1999
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
The literature in the field of special education abounds with reports of inconsistencies in opinion among practitioners regarding what constitutes best practice in inclusive programs. Educators in West Virginia have been charged with the collaborative development of strategic plans for the inclusion of students with disabilities in their home schools. To date there have been no supplemental funds for implementation. Using a post facto or non-experimental design, this study was conducted to identify the perceptions among WV educators relative to what constitutes ideal inclusion and to what level it is perceived to be implemented in their home schools. Also considered, were the effects of position upon perceptions. Personal characteristics of participants were considered as possible predictors of perception. A 40-item survey was administered to principals, regular and special educators statewide. Participant (N = 400) responses were quantified using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results indicate that educators, throughout the small rural state of West Virginia, have a relatively high perception of what constitutes ideal inclusive practices. There is no coherence, however, between perception of current or actual inclusive practice and perception of ideal practice among all three participant groups.
Recommended Citation
Cole, Tauna Malone, "The effect of position on educators' perception of ideal and actual inclusion." (1999). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 8651.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/8651