Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis free essay sample

Quantitative and Qualitative Research: Problem, Basis, Procedure Terri Morris Quantitative and Qualitative Research: Problem, Basis, Procedure Quantitative Research Study Research Problem The researchable problem is that novice special education teachers are overwhelmed by the lack of mental, physical, and technical support from their general education colleagues. In addition, these teachers are feeling isolated due to the lack of time to plan, learn, and communicate effectively with their counterparts in an effort to meet the needs of their students while being successful educators. Basis for the Problem Griffin, Kilgore, Winn and Otis-Wilborn (2008) found that (a) role ambiguity, (b) students posing complex behavioral and academic challenges, large caseloads, (c) insufficient curricular and technical resources, (d) inadequate administrative support, (e) inadequate time for planning, (f) few opportunities for collaboration and professional development, and (g) excessive procedural demands† are the reasons as to why teachers are stressed within their first year (p. 42). As a result, first-year teachers are experiencing disconnects with colleagues that do not offer assistance or enough information on how to balance teaching special education and general education students in an inclusive environment. We will write a custom essay sample on Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Lacking the support and opportunity to converse with veteran teachers leaves a gap in providing extensive education for each student. Too often, however, novice special educators report that they are isolated from their colleagues and have little time to talk about their practices or to collaborate in preparing curriculum or instructional strategies† (Griffin, Kilgore, amp; Otis-Wilborn, 2008, p. 143). Unfortunately most educators are not aware of the changes in special education that are requiring more co-teaching environments. According to Griffin, Kilgore, Winn, and Otis-Wilborn (2008) â€Å"juggling these varied, and often, competing responsibilities is a particularly difficult task for a beginning teacher† (p. 42) . Oftentimes, proper training is not provided and as a result, special and general education teachers of all areas find it beneficial to work together on behalf of the students. Study Procedures Quantitative methods of research were conducted through a st udy that included a 31-item survey developed to (a) rank accomplishments and problems in the first year of teaching, (b) identify the context of the classroom, (c) describe the school setting, and (d) report characteristics of gender, age, race, and certification areas of colleagues. The survey was distributed to all special education teachers in Florida and Wisconsin to discover how their graduates’ insights gleaned from the qualitative data about their relationships and interactions with their general education colleagues and how they are used to help interpret and support the quantitative findings† (Griffin, Kilgore, Winn, amp; Otis, 2008, p. 147). The use of quantitative research accurately provided an understanding of how many teachers felt uncomfortable during their first years without the proper support from their colleagues. Results indicated that the questionnaires helped to identify novice teachers who answered positively after productive school years that offered opportunities to work with other teachers. However, those who had unsuccessful school years were not as accommodating which resulted in frustration and negative, though honest results. Qualitative Research Study Research Problem The research problem is Israeli general education teacher’s perspectives on serving special education children in inclusive classroom settings without proper systematic preparation or well-grounded knowledge of special education laws (Gavish amp; Shimoni, 2011). As a result, mainstream teachers are concerned that lack of this information could be â€Å"chaotic and that they may find themselves permanently vulnerable to a range of pressure groups, expressing feelings of injustice, failure, and burnout† (Gavish amp; Shimoni, 2011, p. 49). Basis for the Problem Israeli special education teachers have expressed concerns of inadequate information and preparation provided before placing special education students into their classrooms. Legislator, support group, and lawsuit support has helped to encourage teachers to change their perceptions of how special education students are accommodated by slowly moving away from separating students from their general education peers. According to Gavish and Shimoni (2011), â€Å"schools should prepare by endeavoring to change social and educational values and encourage teachers and children to see the acceptance of differences as a value to be embraced† (p. 51). In order to improve student and teacher knowledge of the field, schools are urged to educate their teachers and students in an effort to prepare them for an inclusive setting. Though the study reveals that some teachers are accepting of the changes, there are others who express an antagonistic view. It is believed that â€Å"schools should develop new learning environments suitable for the special needs of students by helping them to overcome the objective difficulties that their impairments present† (Bamett amp; Monda-Amaya, 1998, as cited in Gavish amp; Shimoni, 2011, p. 51). Study Procedures A qualitative, grounded theory study was conducted that included 34 non-special education teachers from 17-state elementary schools in the Jewish sector of Israel. Participant characteristics include general educationally trained individuals, age ranges of 29-54, 5-29 years of educational experience, and a variety of professionals including teachers, coordinators, and administrators. Special education students ranging from 1-4 children were placed in each of the classrooms along with (a) an inclusion teacher within the classroom, (b) a teacher’s aide, and (c) an inclusion teacher outside of the classroom. Of these teachers, 12 were subject area teachers and 22 were subject area and homeroom teachers (Gavish amp; Shimoni, 2011, p. 3). It is evident, through the grounded theory approach, that the theory of mainstream teachers finding it difficult to teach special education students due to unavailability of information holds some truth. Interviews were developed that questioned teacher’s knowledge about the law, inclusion, students included, implementation of inclusion in classroom and in the school, and attitudes towards the concept of inclusion and how it applies to the system while using a constructivist approach to analyze data. Gavis amp; Shimnoni, 2011, p. 53). Using this approach provides the opportunity for researchers to interview individuals who are familiar with the issues (Hutchinson, 1988; Guba amp; Lincoln, 1998, as cited in Gavish amp; Shimoni, 2011). Seemingly the researchers of this study believed that using teachers of various ages, experience, and feelings toward the problem helped to build the idea of having special education students mainstream into their classrooms. References Gavish, B. , amp; Shimoni, S. (2011). Elementary school teachers beliefs and perceptions about the inclusion of children with special needs in their classrooms. Journal of International Special Needs Education, 14, 49-59. Griffin, C. C. , Kilgore, K. L. , Winn, J. A. , amp; Otis-Wilborn, A. (2008). First-year special educators relationships with their general education colleagues. Teacher Education Quarterly, 35(1), 141-157.