Pathways to change : pre-service teachers’ experiences providing support to college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Erica R. Bergmann (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Debra Holzberg

Abstract: Passage of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) in 2008 expanded access to postsecondary opportunities for individuals with I/DD by establishing Comprehensive Transition Programs (CTP) for which federal financial aid can be used. Postsecondary enrollment of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) has increased markedly in the last 20 years. Students with I/DD enrolled in CTP benefit from natural supports. One such support is peer mentoring with a typically developing peer, which can be done as part of service-learning courses. The current study was designed to investigate the impact of such a service-learning experience as part of a course requirement for pre-service special education and dual education teachers. Two research questions were addressed: (a) What impact did a service-learning experience with college students with I/DD have on pre-service teachers, and (b) How did service-learning impact pre-service teachers’ perceptions of people with I/DD? Qualitative content analysis was used to examine 74 student reflections, 50 artifacts, and support session data across three semesters. The results of this study are organized into five themes and seven subthemes that emerged from the data and were verified using artifacts and support session data. Themes related to: (a) course concepts, (b) conceptualizations of teaching, (c) adapting expectations, (d) perceptions of people with disabilities, and (e) perceptions of self. Results indicated that, overall, service-learning with college students with I/DD was a positive and valuable experience for pre-service teachers. Limitations of the study, as well as implications for research and practice, are discussed.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2024
Keywords
Postsecondary transition
Subjects
Special education teachers $x Training of
College students with disabilities
Peer teaching

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