Abstract:
Collaborating as a team can be a challenge for education professionals. Team members contribute multiple skills to the collaborative process. A factor in the collaborative process is the working relationship between general education classroom teachers and the multiple education professionals assigned to their classrooms. The purpose of this study is to understand the nature of the working relationship between general education classroom teachers and the multiple education professionals assigned to their classrooms in order to guide future interactions toward a more positive outcome for student achievement. This qualitative multiple-case study attempts to answer the question(s) how general education classroom teachers and the multiple education professionals assigned to their classrooms view their working relationship as well as what educational leaders can do to better facilitate these working relationships. The data collection method utilized interviews involving the two homogeneous groups. Understanding how general education classroom teachers and the multiple education professionals in their classrooms relate may provide important insight regarding strategies to increase the effectiveness of all parties involved in the collaborative process.
