Instructional Readiness in the Inclusive STEM Classroom

Since the implementation of school inclusion, STEM educators have been tasked with serving an increasing number of students with disabilities in their classrooms. Often this requires that STEM educators and Special educators work together in the same classroom. Although their initial instructional preparedness is very discipline specific, the increase in inclusive STEM education classrooms has created new opportunities for both STEM educators and Special educators to collaborate. This study utilizes the National Teacher and Principal Survey to identify similarities and differences in perceived readiness for beginning secondary STEM educators and Special educators in instructional best practices necessary to facilitate students with disabilities in the inclusive STEM education classroom. While no statistically significant differences in perceived readiness scores were found within STEM educators, Special educators had statistically significantly higher perceived readiness scores than STEM educators both collectively and individually.