ERIC Number: EJ967108
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-May
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1553-9318
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Roles and Responsibilities of Paraprofessionals: In Their Own Words
Patterson, Karen B.
TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, v2 n5 Article 1 May 2006
This study focused on the perceptions of paraprofessionals regarding the roles they fulfill while working with children with disabilities in special education and inclusive settings. Students were in grades K-12 and represented a range of disability categories (e.g., autism spectrum disorders, serious emotional disturbance, development disabilities, and learning disabilities). Twenty-two paraprofessionals were interviewed using a semistructured interview guide to establish their understanding of their roles, responsibilities, teacher expectations, training needs, and challenges they experienced while working with others. Findings from this study indicate that paraprofessionals tend to assume high levels of responsibility for managing the academic and behavioral needs for all students. This article addresses ways to improve our own practices in how we work with paraprofessionals. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Educational Needs, Elementary Secondary Education, Semi Structured Interviews, Barriers, Performance Factors, Paraprofessional School Personnel, Teacher Role, Teacher Responsibility, Knowledge Level, Behavior Modification, Partnerships in Education, Accessibility (for Disabled), Inclusion, Mainstreaming, Special Education
Council for Exceptional Children. 1110 North Glebe Road Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22201. Tel: 888-232-7733; Fax: 703-264-9494; e-mail: cecpubs@cec.sped.org; Web site: http://escholarship.bc.edu/education/tecplus
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A