Teacher Perspectives on Collaboration with Occupational Therapists in Inclusive Classrooms: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to understand the perspectives of teachers toward occupational therapists who work in regular educational inclusive classroom settings and to measure the current level of collaboration. A sequential exploratory mixed methodological design included 2 phases: phase 1 to collect qualitative interview data; phase 2 to collect quantitative data through a survey questionnaire. Two focus group meetings, consisting of 5 school teachers, were conducted, each lasting 60 min. After the interview, data were analyzed; a sample of 39 teachers participated in the survey research. The Teacher Questionnaire About Occupational Therapy with Special Education Students was adapted and used in this study. Three major themes surfaced from phase 1 of this study: (a) teacher knowledge of occupational therapy, (b) communication flow, and (c) implementing intervention. The results from phase 2 coincided with the qualitative findings and demonstrated a low level of collaboration. The “periodic scheduled verbal meeting” was the preferred method of collaborative planning. The results provide implications and strategies for linking education, research, and practice in school-based occupational therapy.

Keywords:

• Inclusive education
• communication
• occupational therapy
• collaboration

Acknowledgments

We thank our initial contact persons and principals for their assistance in the recruitment of our participants for our study. We also thank Dr. Karen Barnes for generously allowing us to use her survey as a research tool. Finally, we thank our participants for their time and efforts in attending our focus groups, completing the survey, and providing us with significant insight into their perceptions.