Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice
Advisor
David Weintraub
Committee Member
Katrina Pann
Committee Member
Kimberly Durham
Keywords
co-teaching, collaboration, general education teachers, inclusive classrooms, Pratt's achieving symbiosis theory, professional development, special education teachers, teacher preparation programs, thematic analysis, time constraints
Abstract
This qualitative descriptive study explored the collaboration and co-teaching experiences of general and special education high school teachers in inclusive high school classrooms in Florida. Guided by Pratt's achieving symbiosis theory, the study addressed three re-search questions concerning teachers' perceptions of (a) the benefits of co-teaching and collaboration, (b) the challenges they encounter, and (c) the strategies they find most helpful. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 general and special education teachers at a public high school in Florida and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-step reflexive thematic analysis procedure.
Six themes emerged from the data. For RQ1, one theme indicated that co-teaching and collaboration yielded benefits, including higher-quality instruction through individualized attention and small-group work. For RQ2, three themes indicated that the challenges in-cluded difficulty agreeing on clear expectations, a lack of teacher buy-in, and time con-straints due to excessive caseloads. For RQ3, two themes indicated that helpful strategies included assigning clear roles and responsibilities and communicating via email and text message.
The findings suggest that schools should establish well-structured co-teaching programs with clear roles, timelines, and shared responsibilities. Teacher preparation programs should incorporate co-teaching and collaborative models, and administrators should pro-vide professional development that builds teachers' capacity for inclusive co-teaching. At the policy level, policymakers should address staffing imbalances and excessive case-loads, which emerged as significant barriers to effective co-teaching and collaboration in inclusive high school classrooms.
NSUWorks Citation
Pascale Atouriste. 2026. General and Special Education Teachers’ Collaboration And Co-Teaching Experience in Inclusive High School Classrooms. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. (1204)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/1204.