Date
8-9-2024
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Janet Deck
Keywords
RTI, interventions, multi-tiered support systems, curriculum, professional development, teacher experiences, administrative support
Disciplines
Curriculum and Instruction | Elementary Education
Recommended Citation
Myers, Kimberly, "Teacher's Experiences of the Response to Intervention Model Implementation in State-Ranked New Jersey Schools: A Qualitative Case Study" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5873.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5873
Abstract
The purpose of this case study was to discover and describe teachers’ experiences of RTI implementation for kindergarten through grade five general education teachers at state-ranked suburban New Jersey schools. The theory guiding this study is Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, as it applies to teachers’ experiences of the effectiveness of the RTI process. According to Bandura, self-efficacy is the perception of how well one can execute a task. Self-efficacy can connect to teacher efficacy through the feeling of understanding the job requirements and the intended goals. This case study assessed how teachers’ experiences of the RTI process impact the overall program effectiveness in proper implementation and data collection. The central research question that this study addressed was: What are the experiences of kindergarten through grade five teachers when implementing RTI in the general education classrooms? To address this question, a group of ten general education teachers were individually interviewed, focus group interviews were conducted, and documents were analyzed to collect pertinent data to answer this case study’s driving research questions. Multiple means of data collection allowed for coding and thematic analysis to take place. This study’s findings showed the need for general education elementary teachers to be provided additional training and have administrative support in order to raise levels of teacher efficacy and create a successful RTI program. By understanding teachers' experiences with RTI implementation, future professional development and collaboration throughout school districts can be developed.