Preparing Teachers of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Evidence-Based Practices and Teacher Self-Efficacy

摘要

ABSTRACTPREPARING TEACHERS OF STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES AND TEACHER SELF-EFFICACYBy Jane E. StrongA dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.Virginia Commonwealth University, 2014Major Director: Evelyn Reed, Ph.D., Associate ProfessorDepartment of Special Education and Disability PolicySchool of EducationThere is a need for intensified, rapid, and special emphasis on training of teachers for students on the autism spectrum (NRC, 2001). The current movement in the field emphasizing the use of evidence-based practices in designing instructional methods should be emphasized during teacher preparation and professional development activities to increase teacher effectiveness. Further, it has been established that a teacher’s sense of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1979; Hoy u26 Tschannen-Moran, 1998) impacts his/her performance and that of his/her students. The purpose of this study was to discern and describe teachers’ perceptions of their self-efficacy following professional development that includes training in the use of evidence-based practices. This was accomplished through analysis of survey data, field based observations and interviews from teachers completing their Post-baccalaureate Graduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders at a large, urban university in a mid-Atlantic state. To add to the literature base about the influence of ASD-focused professional development, this study examined teacher perceptions of the professional training and the relationships between teachers’ knowledge and skill acquisition and self-efficacy.