A Qualitative Study of Programs Including Students with Complex Support Needs in the General Education Curriculum

Abstract

This study examined special education and general education teacher understandings of inclusive education for their students with complex support needs. Teachers were asked to discuss their experiences with inclusive education, focusing on their students with complex support needs in the areas of behavior, cognition, or medical/physical needs. 

The study design included semi-structed interviews with sixteen teachers, including twelve special education and four general education teachers. All participants confirmed that they taught at least one student with complex support needs who was included in the general education classroom setting for at least 50% of the school day. Interviews were transcribed verbatim using the software Rev, then were coded and analyzed using the Dedoose software.  

Emergent themes clustered around the need for strategies to support students with complex support needs, planning and monitoring for program outcomes, and factors that influence the success of students with complex support needs in the inclusive setting. Themes relating to strategies for inclusion focused on strategies that could be utilized to support the overall classroom as well as providing content instruction. Themes relating to planning and monitoring for program outcomes included understanding students and observing their growth, monitoring IEPs, changes in social engagement, and transition planning. Themes included in factors influencing inclusion included relational factors, pedagogical factors, and physical factors. 

The understandings from this study highlight the need for teachers to be prepared with the tools and strategies they need to successfully include their students with complex support needs, a need for overall training and awareness about special education, and changes in the standard grading system. Additionally, continued research should focus on how to support both staff and students in the general education classroom setting.