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Needs of beginning special education teachers

While there is a significant amount of research


on the needs and concerns of beginning
teachers in general, there is no such research
base for beginning special education

Normal education challenges

Veenman (1984), in a classic study, rank-ordered


the problems identified in the literature
as the primary problems experienced by
beginning teachers. Later, Dollase (1992)
surveyed beginning teachers regarding their
perceptions of the seriousness of Veenman’s
list of potential problems. The results of the
two studies are similar in that eight of the
top 12 problems are the same in both lists.
Issues relating to discipline, motivating students,
individual differences in students, individual
student problems, materials and
supplies, lack of time, organizing class time
and activities, and effective teaching methods
were identified as high ranking problems in
both studies.

Huling-Austin and Murphy (1987) surveyed


over 150 beginning teachers and found
that the areas in which beginning teachers
most frequently reported needing assistance
were managing discipline; finding time to
plan, grade papers, and keep records; motivating
students; and dealing with individual
differences. Sears, Marshall, and Otis-Wilburn
(1994) used case studies to examine the
experiences of first year teachers and found
the following concerns: classroom management,
administrative paperwork, parental
communication, grading, appropriate instructional
materials, and the need for encouragement
and support.

Special education challenges

Most of the information on the


needs and concerns of beginning special education
teachers is extrapolated from the research
on attrition of special education teachers
in general (Billingsley & Cross, 1991;
Brownell & Smith, 1992; Platt & Olsen,
1990). While there are certainly some similarities
between needs and concerns and the
reasons teachers leave the field, there are also
some differences. There may be needs that
are not severe enough to lead to leaving the
profession, but that may be important needs
to address.

Special educators report a need


for assistance in understanding district policies
and procedures and the legal requirements
implicit in special education programs.
Their concerns with excessive paperwork,
meetings, and legal authority are evidence
of their frustration with the increasing
bureaucratization of special education (Billingsley,
Bodkins, & Hendricks, 1993; Billingsley
& Cross, 1991; Platt & Olson,
1990).

Serious discipline problems, lack of


student progress, and extreme diversity in
student needs have also been identified as
concerns linked with attrition (Billingsley &
Cross, 1991).

The beginning teachers reported that the


fourth area of need was resources/materials
(locating, collecting, disseminating, or selecting
materials, equipment, or other resources
for use by the teacher). They also reported a
rather large discrepancy between the amount
of assistance they needed in this area and the
amount of assistance they actually received.

there was a fairly large discrepancy


between the amount of assistance the
teachers reported needing and the amount of
assistance they reported receiving. The teachers
indicated that they needed quite a bit
more assistance in the area of curriculum and
instruction than they actually received.

The beginning special education teachers


indicated that they received the largest
amount of assistance from fellow special education
teachers. They reported that school
administrators and their assigned mentors
provided less assistance. They reported receiving
even less assistance from the special
education administrators and general education
teachers. Standard deviations were fairly
large indicating a good deal of variability in
the responses, however

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