The Effect of Co-teaching on Student Cognitive Engagement
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2019.v9n2p6-19Keywords:
co-teaching, collaboration, collaborative teaching, cognitive engagement, student engagement, Instructional Practices Inventory, co-teaching competencies, Co-Teaching Solution System, co-teaching observations, rural education, secondary education, inclusive educationAbstract
Delivering special education to students with disabilities requires highly prepared and collaborative teachers, inclusive learning environments, and strategies that promote cognitive engagement, but many students lack access to these necessities. In rural schools teacher shortages and traditional teaching methods may contribute to disengagement. Some rural districts have turned to co-teaching to disrupt this pattern of inequity. Effective co-teaching between two highly prepared teachers in a general education setting offers students the opportunity to be included and may improve engagement for all students. To investigate the relationship between co-teaching and student cognitive engagement, this study observed teachers in eight rural secondary schools in West Virginia to evaluate differences in student cognitive engagement in co-taught versus solo-taught classrooms. Four district personnel were trained on both cognitive engagement strategies and co-teaching approaches and collected observational data. The Instructional Practices Inventory was used during short walk-throughs to measure cognitive engagement during 701 solo-taught and 181 co-taught observations. Observations occurred in 5th- through 12th-grade classes in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies throughout one full school year. Statistical tests compared mean engagement scores across the different models of instruction. Results indicated that students in co-taught classrooms were more cognitively engaged than students in solo-taught classrooms. These results suggest the need for increased professional development for teams to move beyond the one teach, one support model of co-teaching, additional research on cognitive engagement and co-teaching, and teacher preparation programs to include more examples of, and training in, quality co-teaching models.
References
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Beninghof, A. M. (2012). Co-teaching that works: Structures and strategies. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Biddle, C., & Azano, A. (2016). Constructing and reconstructing the “rural school problem”: A century of rural education research. Review of Research in Education, 40, 298–325. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X16667700
Brawand, A., & King-Sears, M. E. (2017) Maximizing pedagogy for secondary co-teachers. Support for Learning, 32(3), 216–230. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9604.12166
Chaipichit, D., Jantharajit, N., & Chookhampaeng, S. (2015). Development of learning management model based on constructivist theory and reasoning strategies for enhancing the critical thinking of secondary students. Educational Research and Reviews, 10(16), 2324–2330. https:/doi.org/10.5897/ERR2015.2193
Christenson, S. L., Reschly, A. L., Appleton, J. J., Berman-Young, S., Spangers, D., & Varro, P. (2008). Best practices in fostering student engagement. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology (pp. 1099–1120). Washington, DC: National Association of School Psychologists.
Collins, J., & Valentine, J. (2011, April 10). The Instructional Practices Inventory in rural settings: Testing the student engagement-standardized test performance relationship. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association annual conference, New Orleans, LA.
Cook, L., & Friend, M. (1995). Co-teaching: Guidelines for creating effective practices. Focus on Exceptional Children, 28(3), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.17161/fec.v28i3.6852
Council for Exceptional Children. (2008). What every special educator must know: Ethics, standards, and guidelines (6th ed.). Arlington, VA: Author.
Dove, M., & Honigsfeld, A., (2017). Co-teaching for English learners: A guide to collaborative planning, instruction, assessment and reflection. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Dowson, M., & McInerney, D. M. (2001). Psychological parameters of students’ social and work avoidance goals: A qualitative investigation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.93.1.35
Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, Pub. L. No. 94-142.
Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-95, 114 Stat. 1177.
Finn, J. D., & Zimmer, K. S. (2012). Student engagement: What is it? Why does it matter? In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 97–131). New York, NY: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7_5
Fontana, K. C. (2005). The effects of co-teaching on the achievement of eighth-grade students with learning disabilities. Journal of At-Risk Issues, 11(2), 17–23.
Fredericks, J., Blumenfeld, P., & Paris, A. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059
Freeman, S., Eddy, S., McDonough, M., Smith, M., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of the United States of America, 111(23), 8410–8415. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111
Friend, M. (2016). Welcome to co-teaching 2.0. Educational Leadership, 73(4), 9–14.
Garwood, J. E. (2013). One-to-one iPads in the elementary classroom: Measuring the impact on student engagement, instructional practices, and teacher perception (Doctoral dissertation). (UMI Number: 3608079)
Gauen, K. E. (2009). The impact of the instructional practices inventory at an Illinois middle school (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/305080596.html?FMT=AI (UMI No. 3380428)
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-446.
Kamil, M. L. (2003). Adolescents and literacy: Reading for the 21st century. Washington, DC: Alliance for Education.
Karin, H., Ellen, V. A., Evelien, C., Mieke, H., & Katja, P. (2012). Don’t pull me out!? Preliminary findings of a systematic review of qualitative evidence on experiences of pupils with special educational needs in inclusive education. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 69, 1709–1713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.12.118
Khoury, C. (2014). The effect of co-teaching on the academic achievement outcomes of students with disabilities: A meta-analytic synthesis (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e91f/42ff40e702fafc87795c70389ddaf39d574d.pdf
King, B. M., & Minium, E.W. (2008). Statistical reasoning in the behavioral sciences. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Mirza, M. S., & Iqbal, M. Z. (2014). Impact of collaborative teaching (CT) on mathematics students’ achievement in Pakistan. Journal of Research and Reflections in Education, 8(1), 13–21.
Murawski, W. W. (2003). School collaboration research: Successes and difficulties. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(3), 104–108.
Murawski, W. W., & Bernhardt, P. (2015, December). An administrator’s guide to co-teaching. Educational Leadership, 73(4), 30–34.
Murawski, W. W., & Lochner, W. W. (2011). Observing co-teaching: What to ask for, look for, and listen for. Intervention in School and Clinic, 46(3), 174–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451210378165
Murawski, W. W., & Lochner, W. W. (2017). Beyond co-teaching basics: A data-driven, no-fail model for continuous improvement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Murawski, W. W., & Spencer, S. A. (2011). Collaborate, communicate, and differentiate! How to increase student learning in today’s diverse schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Murawski, W. W., & Swanson, H. L. (2001). A meta-analysis of co-teaching research: Where are the data? Remedial and Special Education, 22(5), 258–267. https://doi.org/10.1177/074193250102200501
National Assessment of Educational Performance. (2017). 2017 NAEP mathematics and reading assessments: Highlighted results at grades 4 and 8 for the nation, states, and districts. Retrieved from https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2017_highlights/
National Center for Education Statistics (2019). Rural Education in America. Tables Archives. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled/
National Rural Education Association. (n.d.). National Rural Education Association (NREA) research agenda—2016–2021: Ten research priorities. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6jy-_ymJ6lPcEhlbmxPZU5XLTg/view
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107-110.
Schulte, A. C., & Stevens, J. J. (2015). Once, sometimes, or always in special education: Mathematics growth and achievement gaps. Exceptional Children, 81(3), 370–387. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402914563695
Schulte, A. C., Stevens, J. J., Elliott, S. N., Tindal, G., & Nese, J. F. T. (2016). Achievement gaps for students with disabilities: Stable, widening, or narrowing on a state-wide reading comprehension test? Journal of Educational Psychology, 108(7), 925–942. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000107
Scruggs, T. E., Mastropieri, M. A., & McDuffie, K. A. (2007). Co-teaching in inclusive classrooms: A meta-synthesis of qualitative research. Exceptional Children, 73(4), 392–416. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290707300401
Snyder, T. D., de Brey, C., & Dillow, S. A. (2018). Digest of education statistics 2016 (NCES 2017-094). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 580 954)
Tremblay, P. (2013). Comparative outcomes for two instructional models for students with learning disabilities: Inclusion with co-teaching and solo-taught special education. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 13(4), 251–258. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-3802.2012.01270.x
Trowler, V., & Trowler, P. (2010). Student engagement evidence summary. Helsington, UK: Advance HE. Retrieved from http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/evidencenet/Student_engagement_evidence_summary
Valentine, J. (2005). Statistical differences for the percentages of student engagement as measured by IPI categories between very successful and very unsuccessful middle schools. Columbia, MO: Middle Level Leadership Center, University of Missouri.
Valentine, J. (2009, December 8). The Instructional Practices Inventory: Using a student learning assessment to foster organizational learning. Paper presented at the National Staff Development Council annual convention, St. Louis, MO.
Valentine, J. (2015). IPI Research summary B: Strategies for effective implementation of the IPI process. Retrieved from https://ipistudentengagement.com/papers-presentations/ipi-research-summaries
Valentine, J., & Collins, J. (2009, March). Improving instruction by profiling student engaged learning and creating collaborative teacher learning conversations. Paper presented at the concurrent session at the meeting of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, San Diego, CA.
Valentine, J., & Collins, J. (2011, April 11). Student engagement and achievement on high-stakes tests: An HLM analysis across 68 middle schools. Paper presented at the American Education Research Association annual meeting, New Orleans, LA.
Van de Bogart, W. G. (2009, August 30). Active learning pedagogy: A new teaching methodology for a new generation of teachers. Retrieved from http://www.southeastasianreview.com/Active%20learning%20Pedagogy.pdf
West Virginia Department of Education. (2017). Regulations for the education of students with exceptionalities (Policy 2419). Charleston, WV: Office of Special Education. https://wvde.state.wv.us/osp/policy2419_Aug_2017.pdf
Witcher, M., & Feng, J. (2010, November 3–4). Co-teaching vs solo teaching: Comparative effects on fifth graders’ math achievement. Paper presented at the Mid-South Educational Research Association annual conference, Mobile, AL. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 533 754)
Baker, A. D. (2017). How master teachers conceptualize student engagement: A comparison of theoretical and practitioner perspectives (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4742
Bakken, J. (2016). General and special education inclusion in an age of change: An introduction. Advances in Special Education, 31, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0270-401320160000031001
Beninghof, A. M. (2012). Co-teaching that works: Structures and strategies. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Biddle, C., & Azano, A. (2016). Constructing and reconstructing the “rural school problem”: A century of rural education research. Review of Research in Education, 40, 298–325. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X16667700
Brawand, A., & King-Sears, M. E. (2017) Maximizing pedagogy for secondary co-teachers. Support for Learning, 32(3), 216–230. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9604.12166
Chaipichit, D., Jantharajit, N., & Chookhampaeng, S. (2015). Development of learning management model based on constructivist theory and reasoning strategies for enhancing the critical thinking of secondary students. Educational Research and Reviews, 10(16), 2324–2330. https:/doi.org/10.5897/ERR2015.2193
Christenson, S. L., Reschly, A. L., Appleton, J. J., Berman-Young, S., Spangers, D., & Varro, P. (2008). Best practices in fostering student engagement. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology (pp. 1099–1120). Washington, DC: National Association of School Psychologists.
Collins, J., & Valentine, J. (2011, April 10). The Instructional Practices Inventory in rural settings: Testing the student engagement-standardized test performance relationship. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association annual conference, New Orleans, LA.
Cook, L., & Friend, M. (1995). Co-teaching: Guidelines for creating effective practices. Focus on Exceptional Children, 28(3), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.17161/fec.v28i3.6852
Council for Exceptional Children. (2008). What every special educator must know: Ethics, standards, and guidelines (6th ed.). Arlington, VA: Author.
Dove, M., & Honigsfeld, A., (2017). Co-teaching for English learners: A guide to collaborative planning, instruction, assessment and reflection. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Dowson, M., & McInerney, D. M. (2001). Psychological parameters of students’ social and work avoidance goals: A qualitative investigation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.93.1.35
Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, Pub. L. No. 94-142.
Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-95, 114 Stat. 1177.
Finn, J. D., & Zimmer, K. S. (2012). Student engagement: What is it? Why does it matter? In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 97–131). New York, NY: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7_5
Fontana, K. C. (2005). The effects of co-teaching on the achievement of eighth-grade students with learning disabilities. Journal of At-Risk Issues, 11(2), 17–23.
Fredericks, J., Blumenfeld, P., & Paris, A. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059
Freeman, S., Eddy, S., McDonough, M., Smith, M., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of the United States of America, 111(23), 8410–8415. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111
Friend, M. (2016). Welcome to co-teaching 2.0. Educational Leadership, 73(4), 9–14.
Garwood, J. E. (2013). One-to-one iPads in the elementary classroom: Measuring the impact on student engagement, instructional practices, and teacher perception (Doctoral dissertation). (UMI Number: 3608079)
Gauen, K. E. (2009). The impact of the instructional practices inventory at an Illinois middle school (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/305080596.html?FMT=AI (UMI No. 3380428)
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-446.
Kamil, M. L. (2003). Adolescents and literacy: Reading for the 21st century. Washington, DC: Alliance for Education.
Karin, H., Ellen, V. A., Evelien, C., Mieke, H., & Katja, P. (2012). Don’t pull me out!? Preliminary findings of a systematic review of qualitative evidence on experiences of pupils with special educational needs in inclusive education. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 69, 1709–1713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.12.118
Khoury, C. (2014). The effect of co-teaching on the academic achievement outcomes of students with disabilities: A meta-analytic synthesis (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e91f/42ff40e702fafc87795c70389ddaf39d574d.pdf
King, B. M., & Minium, E.W. (2008). Statistical reasoning in the behavioral sciences. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Mirza, M. S., & Iqbal, M. Z. (2014). Impact of collaborative teaching (CT) on mathematics students’ achievement in Pakistan. Journal of Research and Reflections in Education, 8(1), 13–21.
Murawski, W. W. (2003). School collaboration research: Successes and difficulties. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(3), 104–108.
Murawski, W. W., & Bernhardt, P. (2015, December). An administrator’s guide to co-teaching. Educational Leadership, 73(4), 30–34.
Murawski, W. W., & Lochner, W. W. (2011). Observing co-teaching: What to ask for, look for, and listen for. Intervention in School and Clinic, 46(3), 174–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451210378165
Murawski, W. W., & Lochner, W. W. (2017). Beyond co-teaching basics: A data-driven, no-fail model for continuous improvement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Murawski, W. W., & Spencer, S. A. (2011). Collaborate, communicate, and differentiate! How to increase student learning in today’s diverse schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Murawski, W. W., & Swanson, H. L. (2001). A meta-analysis of co-teaching research: Where are the data? Remedial and Special Education, 22(5), 258–267. https://doi.org/10.1177/074193250102200501
National Assessment of Educational Performance. (2017). 2017 NAEP mathematics and reading assessments: Highlighted results at grades 4 and 8 for the nation, states, and districts. Retrieved from https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2017_highlights/
National Center for Education Statistics (2019). Rural Education in America. Tables Archives. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled/
National Rural Education Association. (n.d.). National Rural Education Association (NREA) research agenda—2016–2021: Ten research priorities. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6jy-_ymJ6lPcEhlbmxPZU5XLTg/view
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107-110.
Schulte, A. C., & Stevens, J. J. (2015). Once, sometimes, or always in special education: Mathematics growth and achievement gaps. Exceptional Children, 81(3), 370–387. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402914563695
Schulte, A. C., Stevens, J. J., Elliott, S. N., Tindal, G., & Nese, J. F. T. (2016). Achievement gaps for students with disabilities: Stable, widening, or narrowing on a state-wide reading comprehension test? Journal of Educational Psychology, 108(7), 925–942. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000107
Scruggs, T. E., Mastropieri, M. A., & McDuffie, K. A. (2007). Co-teaching in inclusive classrooms: A meta-synthesis of qualitative research. Exceptional Children, 73(4), 392–416. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290707300401
Snyder, T. D., de Brey, C., & Dillow, S. A. (2018). Digest of education statistics 2016 (NCES 2017-094). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 580 954)
Tremblay, P. (2013). Comparative outcomes for two instructional models for students with learning disabilities: Inclusion with co-teaching and solo-taught special education. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 13(4), 251–258. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-3802.2012.01270.x
Trowler, V., & Trowler, P. (2010). Student engagement evidence summary. Helsington, UK: Advance HE. Retrieved from http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/evidencenet/Student_engagement_evidence_summary
Valentine, J. (2005). Statistical differences for the percentages of student engagement as measured by IPI categories between very successful and very unsuccessful middle schools. Columbia, MO: Middle Level Leadership Center, University of Missouri.
Valentine, J. (2009, December 8). The Instructional Practices Inventory: Using a student learning assessment to foster organizational learning. Paper presented at the National Staff Development Council annual convention, St. Louis, MO.
Valentine, J. (2015). IPI Research summary B: Strategies for effective implementation of the IPI process. Retrieved from https://ipistudentengagement.com/papers-presentations/ipi-research-summaries
Valentine, J., & Collins, J. (2009, March). Improving instruction by profiling student engaged learning and creating collaborative teacher learning conversations. Paper presented at the concurrent session at the meeting of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, San Diego, CA.
Valentine, J., & Collins, J. (2011, April 11). Student engagement and achievement on high-stakes tests: An HLM analysis across 68 middle schools. Paper presented at the American Education Research Association annual meeting, New Orleans, LA.
Van de Bogart, W. G. (2009, August 30). Active learning pedagogy: A new teaching methodology for a new generation of teachers. Retrieved from http://www.southeastasianreview.com/Active%20learning%20Pedagogy.pdf
West Virginia Department of Education. (2017). Regulations for the education of students with exceptionalities (Policy 2419). Charleston, WV: Office of Special Education. https://wvde.state.wv.us/osp/policy2419_Aug_2017.pdf
Witcher, M., & Feng, J. (2010, November 3–4). Co-teaching vs solo teaching: Comparative effects on fifth graders’ math achievement. Paper presented at the Mid-South Educational Research Association annual conference, Mobile, AL. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 533 754)
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2019-10-11
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Lochner, W. W., Murawski, W. W., & Daley, J. T. (2019). The Effect of Co-teaching on Student Cognitive Engagement. Theory & Practice in Rural Education, 9(2), 6–19. https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2019.v9n2p6-19
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