Responses of teachers of students with emotional disabilities to student needs and the implications of licensure training requirements

• Main Author: Mahon, Tammy A.
• Other Authors: Braaten, Sheldon
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Problem children > Education.; Teachers of children with disabilities > Licenses > Indiana.; Teachers of problem children > Indiana > Attitudes.
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/177961; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1344200

One result of the school reform movement has been changes in the teacher licensure programs. There has been a development of certain expectations in the quality of educators as well as in the educational services that are to be disseminated to students with special needs. Many states have restructured their licensure programs for special education teachers in order to adjust for the changing criteria for "high quality" teachers and to meet the demands due to shortages in the field and the current mandate for quality teachers. The state of Indiana changed its licensure requirements to incorporate a more generalist format. Categorical licenses, including ED have been discontinued in the area of special education. Teaching students with ED differs significantly than teaching other disability areas. This licensure change has resulted in fewer academic requirements in the area of ED. Therefore the new licensure format may result in less adequate preparation for future teachers to meet the diversity of needs experienced by this disability area. The level of training does effect the knowledge and skills teachers will have and their ability to provide appropriate services and placements for students with ED. Further, job stress for special education teachers of ED is a well documented role-related concern which has been linked to the levels of training and the intensity of student needs. The high attrition rate of special education teachers impacts the quality of services that students receive by limiting the growth in expertise that develops with experience. More appropriately trained teachers possess higher the quality of skills and knowledge which can be related to the quality of services provided to students and outcomes. The results of the study indicate that the more participants believed that their training was adequate, the more they were likely to believe that teaching students with ED requires a specific knowledge and skills and less likely to agree with IPSB's decision to eliminate skills associated with the categorical license program. This was a replication study and the findings supported the results of the earlier study completed by Braaten, Ulman, Merbler, and Polsgrove (2001). === Department of Special Education