Science Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A National Survey of Elementary Special Education Teachers
Elementary students with learning disabilities (LDs) often have limited opportunities to learn science, and little is known about how special educators engage in science instruction. This study drew on a nationally representative survey of elementary special education teachers to describe their roles, preparedness, time allocation, and perceived barriers. Most teachers reported minimal discipline-specific preparation and felt less prepared to teach science than other subjects. Many noted that students with LDs often missed science classes because of pull-out instruction. Common barriers to students receiving science instruction included remediation priorities and accountability pressures in tested subjects. These findings provide a national snapshot of science instruction for elementary students with LDs and point to the need for greater teacher preparation and policy support to ensure access to high-quality science learning for students with LDs.
Authors
- Rachel Juergensen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3996-7465)
- Erica S. Lembke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8096-3330)
- Reagan Murnan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6761-9436)
- Shannon Budin
- Elizabeth A. Swanson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2716-4078)
- Qing Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6163-2488)
- Jennifer L. Chiu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7663-5748)
- William J. Therrien (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0594-5129)
- Christian T. Doabler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8074-4311)
- K. Davis
- Jenna Gersib (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1270-1889)
- Eunsoo Cho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8828-484X)
- Sheila J. Conway
- Amelia K. Moody (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9890-3202)
- Sarah J. Conoyer
- Zaira Jimenez
- Priscilla B. Brame
- Cherish M. Sarmiento (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2328-1007)
- Jared R. Morris (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3321-047X)
- Sharlene A. Kiuhara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3541-5495)
- Christina Taylor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4381-1017)
- Chen Ling (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3340-9342)
- Vivian Chi-Woon Taam Wong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1037-1334)
- Cassandra M. Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8196-3260)
- B L Cook
- Heidi R. Stinchcomb
- Bruna F. Gonçalves
- Victoria Koop
- Michael Solis
- R. Alex Smith
- Michael N. Faggella-Luby
- Michael W. Dunn
Institutions
- Brigham Young University (US)
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- Buffalo State University (US)
- Delaware State University (US)
- Texas Christian University (US)
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas (US)
- Washington State University Vancouver (US)
- University of North Carolina Wilmington (US)
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- University of Utah (US)
- Jones College (US)
- Wichita State University (US)
- University of Virginia's College at Wise (US)
- University of Virginia (US)
- University at Buffalo, State University of New York (US)
- University of Missouri (US)
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (US)
- University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Learning Disabilities Research and Practice
- Published
- 2026-02-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/09388982261416149
- Primary Topic
- Reading and Literacy Development
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00