Collaborative teaching: school implementation and connections with outcomes among students with disabilities

Area of Science:

• Education
• Special Education
• Psychology

Background:

• Collaborative teaching (co-teaching) is a key strategy for inclusive education, aiming to support students with disabilities and ensure equitable access to learning.
• Existing research on co-teaching primarily focuses on academic and testing outcomes, with limited understanding of its broader impact on students.
• There is a need to investigate the implementation fidelity of co-teaching practices and their relationship with psychosocial outcomes for students with disabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the extent of co-teaching best-practices implementation in schools.
• To examine the relationship between co-teaching implementation levels and student psychosocial outcomes.
• To identify the benefits and challenges associated with co-teaching from multiple stakeholder perspectives.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods design was employed, integrating quantitative and qualitative data.
• Data were collected from 12 schools, involving 16 school leaders/staff, 13 teachers, and 56 students with disabilities.
• Surveys and interviews were likely used to gather information on co-teaching practices and student psychosocial well-being.

Main Results:

• Schools varied significantly in co-teaching implementation, achieving between 0% and 75% of best-practice criteria, with most meeting 25%-50%.
• Higher levels of teacher-reported co-teaching were positively associated with increased student-reported school belonging.
• Students also reported higher school satisfaction and self-efficacy for new experiences when co-teaching was implemented more extensively.

Conclusions:

• Co-teaching implementation in schools is often partial, highlighting a gap between ideal practices and reality.
• Effective co-teaching practices appear to positively influence crucial psychosocial outcomes for students with disabilities.
• Further research and targeted interventions are needed to optimize co-teaching implementation and maximize its benefits for all students.