| The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of professional development training in differentiated instruction with secondary school general education teachers. The specific areas explored were the teachers' perceptions of their preparation and implementation of differentiated instruction with regard to addressing the academic diversity of the inclusive general education classroom. Forty-three secondary school general education teachers participated in professional development training in differentiated instruction, which included but was not limited to the following: graphic organizers, scaffolding, pre-testing, outlining, effective note taking, complex instruction, and orbital studies. Quantitative data were gathered through the use of the DATA Survey of Secondary School Teachers, administered in a pre- and post-test design. The data analysis indicated that professional development training in differentiated instruction affected a change in teachers' perceptions of their preparation and implementation with regard to differentiated instruction, and in the inclusive general education classroom. Qualitative analysis revealed the following themes, with regard to special education training and professional development in differentiated instruction: (a) formal special education training correlated to the year of teacher certification; (b) special education training gained via professional development or an institute of higher education; (c) collaborative partnerships with colleagues; (d) improved perceptions of preparation to address academic diversity; (e) a sense of normalcy for students with disabilities; (f) differentiation through flexibility, accommodations, variety, and grouping; and (g) opportunities for success for students with disabilities. |
