ERIC Number: EJ1104451
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Jul
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1030-0112
EISSN: N/A
An Analysis of the Role of Teachers' Aides in a State Secondary School: Perceptions of Teaching Staff and Teachers' Aides
Gibson, Dianne; Paatsch, Louise; Toe, Dianne
Australasian Journal of Special Education, v40 n1 p1-20 Jul 2016
In Victoria, Australia, one of the major roles of the teachers' aide (TA) is to assist students with disabilities to access their education. Researchers have identified the inconsistencies in defining the roles of the TA, in a variety of settings, by TAs, teachers, parents, and other research participants. Four main themes that have been frequently reported in educational research related to the role of TAs formed the basis for this study: (a) inclusion in the school community, (b) curriculum, (c) classroom management, and (d) student support. Drawing on the results of a questionnaire administered to teachers and TAs at a government nonselective secondary school in Victoria, Australia, data were collected to explore the differing perspectives on the role of the TAs by the teaching staff and the TAs. In all, 65 individuals participated in this study. The participants formed 3 groups: TAs (n = 10), teachers (n = 49), and T/TAs (n = 6; participants in this group had worked as both a teacher and TA). The results of the study showed a diversity of views across the 4 themes. In 3 of the 4 themes that included inclusion, classroom management, and student support, the 3 groups agreed on the role of the TA. In the remaining theme, curriculum, opinions varied significantly. The results of the study reveal that a concerted effort to clarify the role of TAs would be beneficial to all stakeholders.
Descriptors: Teacher Aides, Role, Teacher Attitudes, Foreign Countries, Disabilities, Researchers, Educational Research, Inclusion, Classroom Techniques, Questionnaires, Secondary Schools, Data Collection, Stakeholders, Secondary School Teachers, Secondary School Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A