Meadows, M. P. (2012). Teacher attitudes toward the use of accommodations in the classroom and on standardized tests (Publication No. 3514696) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern Mississippi]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1021724385

University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS); ProQuest document ID: 1021724385

Attitudes of teachers about accommodations were examined. Both assessment and instructional accommodations provided naturalistically for the students of study participants were indirectly studied.

Two hundred ninety-eight (298) teachers in public K–12 schools in three Southern Mississippi (U.S.) districts participated. General educators numbered 232 (or about 78%) and special educators were 66 in all (or about 22%). Additional data were reported about participant sex, professional position, and teachers’ training and experience in the field. Teachers were grouped by grade level cluster (elementary, middle school, and high school) for one attitude comparison.

The attitudes of general and special educators about instructional and assessment accommodations, and the incidence of their use, were measured using a researcher-developed, Likert scale style questionnaire.

General education teachers had an overall more positive attitude than special education teachers toward instructional and assessment accommodations. Special education teachers had a more positive attitude, across all grade levels, toward both types of accommodations. When comparing teachers with at least masters degrees with teachers without masters degrees, the former had more positive attitudes than the latter toward assessment accommodations. However, those with masters degrees had no difference in attitudes toward instructional accommodations. Teachers with at least 16 years of work experience had more positive attitudes toward all accommodations than those with less work experience. Teachers of elementary students had more positive attitudes than others toward instructional accommodations, but there were no attitude differences among teachers’ grade level clusters about assessment accommodations. Attitudes were more positive about instructional accommodations than assessment accommodations. When comparing use of five specific accommodations—extended test time, seating preference, segmenting assignments, small group instruction, and read-aloud of assessments or assignments—all teachers concurred that the most commonly offered accommodations were extended test time and read-aloud of assessments or assignments. Limitations of the study were reported, and future research directions were suggested.