A Comparison of Perceptions from High School Students with and without Disabilities about Their Science Co-Teaching Experiences

This study investigated similarities and differences in perceptions of high school students with and without disabilities who received science instruction from co-teachers. Disproportionate stratified sampling was used to select students from 17 co-taught science classes in two high schools located in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Students completed the Co-Teacher Student Questionnaire (CTSQ), which had 25 Likert-type statements and three open-response queries. Students designated their perceptions of which co-teacher completed specific tasks or roles, their level of agreement with statements about the co-teaching instruction, and their perceptions of which co-teaching model was used the most. Independent sample t-test and chi-square analyses were used to compare responses on the CTSQ from students with and without disabilities. Qualitative analyses were used to code responses for open-response queries. Results indicated statistical significance between students with and without disabilities for six items on the Co-Teacher Student Questionnaire. Seventy percent of students without disabilities indicated One Teach, One Observe or Drift was the co-teaching model used the most, whereas 45% of students with disabilities selected this model. Other similarities and differences are described, along with implications for future research.