Lived Experiences of Special Education Teachers in Using Instructional Strategies for Diverse Learners in Selected Public Inclusive Middle Schools in the United States: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study

This descriptive phenomenological study examined how special education teachers selected, used, adapted, and appraised instructional strategies for diverse learners in the intended context of selected public inclusive middle schools in the United States. The interview corpus comprised ten accounts from teachers reporting different instructional assignments. Eligibility for the intended setting was not fully verified. Analysis followed Colaizzi’s method through the formulation of a fundamental structure. Six themes described how teachers looked beyond apparent nonparticipation, made tasks accessible through smaller steps and alternative responses, reconsidered ineffective supports, reduced assistance to encourage independence, attended to routines and emotional readiness, and worked within shared responsibilities and competing demands. Teachers experienced instructional support as continuing judgment under changing classroom conditions, with the aim of helping learners participate, understand, and become more independent. Completion of participant validation for the final synthesis could not be established. The findings informed an eight-component Inclusive Middle School Instructional Strategy Support Model. The proposed model has yet to be implemented or evaluated. The study recommends verifying participant eligibility, documenting validation of the phenomenological synthesis, and reviewing and evaluating the model before adoption.