2025 Theses Doctoral

A Phenomenological Study on the Experiences of Teacher-Paraeducator Dyad Partnerships Working in Elementary Inclusive Classrooms

Wineman, Immanuel

Although teacher-paraeducator partnerships have gained prominence as a key approach to supporting students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms, there may be a gap between the theoretical model for effective collaboration and how these partnerships function in practice. This study examined the experiences of teacher-paraeducator dyad partnerships to gain insight into their respective practices and experiences in working collaboratively to support students with disabilities in the general education classroom.

The study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of how partnerships describe their experiences working together, supporting students with disabilities, and navigating the delivery of guidance and supervision within the partnership. A qualitative phenomenological design was used to capture the lived experiences of these partnerships. Five teacher-paraeducator dyads with variable levels of expertise completed a 60-minute, one-on-one interview with the researcher. Participants described a sense of collaboration and compatibility with their dyad partner that played a critical role in the partnership dynamic.

While participants expressed satisfaction with their current partnership, they also shared concerns about previous partnerships, where collaboration and compatibility were lacking. Teachers and paraeducators reported inadequate paraeducator preparation opportunities with on-the-job experience as the most common, practical, and accepted form of paraeducator preparation. Participants also highlighted that paraeducators assumed substantive roles in the delivery of direct instruction to students with disabilities in the classroom. Both teachers and paraeducators struggled to identify clear and consistent practices for the delivery of guidance and supervision. Teachers overwhelmingly referenced the lack of preparation in pre-service teacher coursework for their roles in providing coaching and mentoring to paraeducator partners as well as the lack of any support from school administration in helping structure the provision of guidance and supervision.

Findings suggest a need to prioritize both paraeducator and teacher preparation needs for each of their respective roles within the partnership, in coordination with a comparable prioritization by schools to support partnership collaboration, including clear systems and structures to facilitate effective coaching, mentoring, guidance, and supervision.