The perception of British Columbia’s classroom teachers and educational assistants on consultation and collaboration - a mixed methods study
Subject
Abstract
Inclusive education has seen many changes in the past decade and Educational
Assistant (EA) numbers have dramatically increased in order to serve special education
students within the classroom. EAs play a vital role in assisting these diverse students in
achieving academic success. The relationship between the EAs and Classroom
Teachers (CTs) is key. The principal purpose for this study is to examine how CTs and
EAs perceive and describe their experiences with consultation and collaboration in
British Columbia. Both quantitative and qualitative data collected through an online
survey is analyzed using a mixed methods research design. Based on the analysis, both
CTs and EAs have a different understanding of consultation and collaboration, both find
that there is not enough time to meet during regular school hours, they do not have
adequate training in how to work together effectively, and for the most part EAs are
under-utilized.