Something Different or More of the Same? A Case Study of a Teacher Preparation Program with Multiple Special Education Courses

Although general education teachers rely on the coursework from their teacher preparation program (TPP) to learn about special education and students with disabilities (SWDs), they typically complete one special education course that adopts a medical approach to disability and a deficit-minded perspective to teaching SWDs. Disability Studies in Education (DSE) is a framework that challenges common assumptions about special education, emphasizes the social aspect of disability, and prioritizes inclusive practices. The primary objective of this case study was to analyze a TPP that requires six courses on special populations for general education teachers to determine to what extent DSE is used to frame the theory of disability, inclusion, and pedagogy for teaching SWDs. A content analysis was conducted on course syllabi and required textbooks. Four course instructors from three courses participated in two interviews. The initial findings did not include any explicit references to DSE, but a full analysis, however, did reveal the presence of many DSE principles. The syllabi and textbooks prioritized inclusion and differentiation. The findings from the interviews revealed that course instructors identify many aspects of DSE when they incorporate their professional teaching experiences with special education and teaching SWDs in their courses to help preservice teachers (PSTs) connect the content to teaching practice. These findings have implications for designing TPPs to prepare general education PSTs to meet the professional expectations of inclusive classrooms by helping teacher educators formally implement DSE in teacher education courses for general education PSTs.