Empowering educators: strategies for inclusive practices for students with autism spectrum disorder in integrated co-teaching classrooms
Northeastern University
How they used Delve
A Doctor of Education candidate at Northeastern University used Delve to code semi-structured interviews, a focus group, classroom observations, coaching-session notes and reflection forms from educators at a public elementary school, in a two-cycle action research dissertation on supporting students with autism in integrated co-teaching classrooms.
“These steps were first conducted through writing on paper, but later completed through a web program called Delve. Delve allowed the researcher to look at more than one transcript and pull out quotes easily for each category. [...] Subsequently, I reviewed all the data and repeated similar procedures digitally on my secure personal laptop using the Delve software.”
- Field
- special education; inclusion of students with autism in co-teaching classrooms
- Data
- Cycle 1: semi-structured interviews with 2 educators and a focus group of 4 teachers; Cycle 2: semi-structured interviews, a focus group, classroom observations, coaching sessions, exit tickets and 3-2-1 reflection forms from 12 educators at a small metropolitan public elementary school
- Approach
- Action research in two cycles; Miles, Huberman and Saldana data condensation / display / verification; in vivo coding with a code-recode check; network display of categories
- Data types
- Interviews, Focus groups, Observation, Open-ended survey responses
Abstract
For this study, research was conducted to investigate and improve educators’ knowledge of and experience in supporting students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within integrated co-teaching (ICT) classrooms at a small, metropolitan public elementary school. The purpose of this Action Research study was to learn about the strategies educators use to support students with ASD being instructed alongside their general education peers. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 consisted of teachers, with numerous State teaching licenses, providing broad insights into current practices and challenges of including students with ASD. In Cycle 2, Action steps, including professional learning series, embedded with coaching support, on evidence-based teaching strategies were designed, implemented, and evaluated to increase educators’ knowledge in pedagogy and strategies for working with students with ASD on daily routines, social skills, and peer interactions between these students and neuro typically developed students. The findings identified the value of well-informed educators, continuous professional learning sessions with coaching support, and administration support in ensuring a supportive, inclusive environment for students with ASD in ICT classrooms. Based on those findings, this research can impact how educators and school administration support students with ASD in ICT classrooms by providing valuable information for educators, school administration, and special education professionals in public elementary schools. Implications for the organization included establishing an inclusive learning environment, providing coaching support, and re-evaluating professional development when integrating students with ASD in ICT classrooms. —Author’s abstract
Citation
Ei Ei Kyaw (2025). Empowering educators: strategies for inclusive practices for students with autism spectrum disorder in integrated co-teaching classrooms. Northeastern University Digital Repository Service. https://doi.org/10.17760/d20711313