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theses

Similar to administering support services for special education, basic skills instruction (BSI) for low achievers is increasingly being delivered in general education, or heterogeneous, classrooms. These practices have become more common as a result of research findings suggesting that an in-class setting is favored for struggling students. However, whereas some studies have shown heterogeneous compositions of students to be more beneficial than homogeneous settings, characteristic in pull-out instruction, conflicting evidence exists. While the intent of this study was not to confirm or deny whether the benefits of push-in settings outweigh those of pull-out settings, this phenomenology research examined this topic in a manner that has largely been ignored: examining students’ perspectives relating to their support experiences. Data collection methods consisted of interviews, observations, and students’ drawings. Participants were asked to draw pictures of classrooms they felt would be an ideal setting to receive their support instruction in. Data analysis of this qualitative study provides insight about why there are contrasting findings between existing studies. This research found that participants felt that in-class BSI support was a generally positive experience, and they credited much of the progress they have made during the school year to that program. According to these students, one of the most valuable aspects of receiving support in a heterogeneous setting was the fact that they receive help from the higher-performing students. By contrast, their drawings demonstrated that they favored being in a homogeneous setting for their support instruction. The participants preferred being in smaller group settings and being among students who performed similarly to themselves. Findings in this study also demonstrate that, when teachers provide a supportive classroom environment that includes differentiated instruction and mastery experiences, the support program works well. Results of this study suggest that policy makers and administrators should consider revisiting how their support programs are delivered. The results of this study provide them with a resource of valuable real-life information that other research has largely omitted. The participants’ perspectives of how they experience this phenomenon can help towards the construction of more effective support instruction for the low-achieving student population.

ETD_6703

Ed.D.

Includes bibliographical references

by Lynn Keller Carman

doi:10.7282/T3XK8HH9

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.