Data Analysis and Discussion
Research question 1
In order to answer research question one on whether the participation in a co-teaching initiative impacts the achievement in reading for special education student in third grade, it was important to analyze the DWA Data by Group, subject, grade, RIT score and observed growth. A null hypothesis was used on the scale that they use marginal differences in the scores, with the development scale score of the DWA data being used as the dependent variable. The research question was done to study whether co-teaching and non-co-teaching have a different or the same impact on the achievement of third graders in reading. It also aimed at studying if there were differences, which method, lone teaching or co-teaching, has more positive impact. The focus of the study was to determine whether third-grade students taught in a co-taught classroom achieved more success in reading compared to students taught in a non-co-taught classroom. In recent times, co-teaching has increased all over the world, with young children and children with disabilities benefiting the most. The different methods of teaching done in a co-taught classroom can allow teachers to pre-teach and re-teach smaller grouping, concepts, different skill levels, and extended activities.
The findings of the study showed conducive characteristics of working in a co-teaching relationship. According to the data provided in the table, only one out of 12 students with special needs in the first grade scored a -3. This shows that the student had a huge decrease in his reading. Overall, the study shows that 90 percent of students with special needs exposed to the co-teaching program registered increased reading form in the year 2016. On the other hand, students who were not exposed to the initiative in the second group showed a decrease in their reading capacity in 2016. The table shows that 50% of the students in Group B showed an increase in their reading capacity, while 50% showed a decrease in their reading capacity when put in a traditional classroom setting without the co-teaching model.
Some findings of the study showed conducive characteristics in working in a co-teaching relationship. For example, the data showed a high record of confidence between the teachers and the students in Group A, which resulted in more than 70% of the students performing well on their reading tests. Compared to Group A, the mutual trust in the non-co-teaching classroom in Group B did not show high mutual trust, which resulted in the group scoring poor grades on the reading test. The report shows that even though teachers are not flawless. They feel confident when using their strengths in the classroom. The research data shows that there is a huge difference in statistics between the co-teaching and non-co-teaching teaching practices. Considering the pre-test and pro-test of the two initiatives shows that co-teaching worked for the teachers and the students.
Research question two
Research question two focused on studying the differences of the DWA scores of special education as observed in a non-co-teaching classroom and special education needs as seen in a co-teaching classroom. Research question two’s purpose was to determine if there was a difference in reading posttest scores between students who participated in the co-teaching initiative (Group A) and students who did not participate in the co-teaching initiative (Group B). In order to respond to this research question, it was important to study the recorded data, with the null hypothesis of the analysis being a lack of significant differences in the Group Means and Standard Deviations for the DWA Data in reading RIT scores. The table shows that the standard deviation of students with non-co-teaching classroom was 18.78, while the standard deviation of the students in a co-teaching classroom was 16.434. The mean of students in a co-taught classroom was 224.5 while the mean grade of a non-co-taught classroom was 200.60. The above results show a huge difference between Group A and Group B reading scores as shown in the DWA table.
According to the results, students in a non-co-teaching class have low development scale scores compared to students who learn in a co-teaching classroom. This shows that the compatibility of co-teaching plays a great role in the success of the teachers and the students, regardless of the levels the students are. The huge difference between the co-teaching and non-co-teaching classroom shows that teachers, special, and general educators should accept the co-teaching initiative at all levels. Being taught by one teacher, students in Group B performed poorly compared to students in Group A that were taught by several teachers. Thus, the record of the study showed the progress of the students, and how this progress favored the co-teaching method that would help in improving the results and outcomes of the students.
The differences between the learning outcomes of the two groups showed that teachers take part in the co-teaching initiative are more productive than teachers show use non-co-teaching methods. The report recorded in the data is huge which show major differences in the two major types of teaching. The results from the data indicate that the gap between co-teaching and non-teaching is increasing with many educators opting to use the co-teaching initiative, especially in teaching students with special education needs. The results also suggest that the special and general education teachers have minimal variation in their approaches to teaching and their beliefs, which suggests that they are willing to work towards achieving good results for their students. As such, these educators know the correct method to use towards different students. The results in Table 2 do not show any similarities between the co-teaching and non-co-teaching teaching methods.
Co-teaching can be successful and of great help to the students and the teachers if it can be implemented in a learning institution that embraces the policy of including students with learning disabilities in the institutions. The co-teaching initiative, as shown in the two research questions, should be done by teachers with define roles, and teachers with enough time to plan on how he or she will teach his or her children. In addition, for the students in a co-teaching classroom to succeed, they should always be prepared for the change in their learning method. It is advisable for the teachers and school administrators to develop tools that can be used to evaluate all students’ success, especially those using the co-teaching initiative. Coming up with a good learning plan for both the teachers and students can help in achieving better results in the co-teaching initiative, which can help in recording better results than the results shown in the tables.
