Date of Award

12-2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Teaching & Learning

First Advisor

Dr. Margaret Zidon

Abstract

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a model for providing instructional and scientific-based interventions to all children who struggle. RTI uses data-based decision making for the interventions, instructional evaluation, intervention intensity and length of time, and evaluation and recommendations for any adjustments needed in instruction in both the problem-solving and standard protocol models. The difference between the two models of RTI is that the interventions are individualized for each student in the problem-solving model, but not the standard protocol model.

RTI has been used by schools and agencies with research to support that it meets the needs of children and is successful when treatment integrity is evaluated. While many studies have been completed on the positive learning results of children served in RTI, few studies have been conducted on inservice teachers’ perceptions regarding knowledge and implementation of RTI, and fewer yet have been done on preservice teachers’ perceptions of knowledge and implementation of RTI. With some researchers concerned about treatment integrity in RTI, this is an area where further research was needed.

The purpose of this current study was to explore preservice teachers’ perceptions of their knowledge and implementation of RTI. Specifically, would the number of field placements or the number of specific courses such as special education courses, assessment courses, or the number of methods courses impact preservice teachers’ perceptions of their knowledge and implementation of RTI? A Likert-type survey was developed that included 15 questions regarding knowledge of RTI, scaffolding, differentiating instruction, and formative assessment; this survey also included four open-ended questions. Thirty two elementary and secondary preservice teachers from one upper plains university, not included in the current study, participated in the pilot. In this current study, 104 elementary and secondary preservice teachers from three upper plains universities were enrolled.

The construct of knowledge by the number of practica and the number of student teaching placements (field placements) were both found to be significant. Also significant were the constructs of scaffolding and formative assessment by the number of assessment courses. No significance was found in the construct of differentiating instruction by either the number of field placements or number of courses taken.

These findings suggest that the number of field placements can affect preservice teachers’ perceptions of knowledge of RTI, and the number of assessment classes can affect preservice teachers’ perceptions of implementing RTI in the areas of scaffolding and formative assessment.

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