Date of Award
2018
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Committee Chair
Bruce Boyles
Abstract
Children are being diagnosed with autism at an alarming rate; and as these students enter schools to be educated alongside their peers, general education teachers need to feel prepared to teach them. Many years ago, students with autism were placed in separate classrooms and were not in general education classrooms. As times have changed and autistic students enter into general education classrooms that are taught by general education teachers, this study examined the self-efficacy of those teachers when it comes to educating these students. This research was done in a rural school district, and kindergarten through fourth-grade teachers from three schools in the same district were used. Teachers were asked to fill out survey statements and teacher information forms and to attend a focus group. The research compared teacher education, preparedness, and training to see if they made a difference when it came to the self-efficacy of teachers. The main findings of the research indicate that teachers who had more training, experience, and education were the teachers who showed a higher level of self-efficacy when it came to teaching autistic students in their general education classrooms. Additionally, the research showed that teachers with a greater sense of self-efficacy were also teachers who were able to share strategies and successes when it came to teaching autistic students in their general education classrooms. Strategies and successes were shared in this study by all participants involved.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Citation Information
Wynn, Tanya Michelle, "General Education Teachers' Self-Efficacy to Teach Autistic Students in Kindergarten through Fourth Grade General Education Classrooms" (2018). Education Dissertations and Projects. 299.
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/education_etd/299