Online ISSN: 2325-7466
2006
Triannual
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
United States

Articles

A Qualitative Study of Special Education Certification Methods and How They Affect Teacher Efficacy

  • Sean Green (Author) Mercer University image/svg+xml
    Sean Green is currently a middle school special education teacher in Georgia. He has been teaching for eight years, but has only been teaching special education for three years. He was a high school social studies teacher before he began working in the area of special education. Sean received his Bachelor’s Degree in History at the University of West Georgia, where he also earned his Masters and Specialist Degrees in Secondary Social Studies. Sean is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at Mercer University.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.166
Abstract
A teacher shortage in the area of special education has led to an increase in the number of special education teachers who are teaching out-of-field. The lack of pedagogical training of these teachers creates concern about the effectiveness of these teachers. This qualitative study explores the teacher-efficacy of four special education teachers with varying backgrounds. One of the teachers was a traditionally certified special education teacher; the other teachers had received their initial certification in areas other than special education, and later became certified in special education by passing a state examination. Qualitative data demonstrated that all four had genuine concern for their students, and all four voiced belief in their ability to teach students with disabilities. However, there was a clear difference in instructional strategies used as well as their concerns about external factors, which may affect a student’s ability to learn.
Keywords
Special Education Teachers, Teacher Shortage, Self Efficacy, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher Attitudes, Evaluation Methods
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How to Cite
Green, S. (2012). A Qualitative Study of Special Education Certification Methods and How They Affect Teacher Efficacy. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 7(1), 88-100. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.166

Winter 2012

Article Information

  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted December 26, 2011
  • Published February 15, 2012
  • Issue Winter 2012
  • Section Articles
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