The Evolution of the Paraprofessional Role in Education and the Increase of Paraprofessional Competence
Public DepositedThis non-experimental study explored the role of paraprofessionals in education, investigating the evolution of changing inclusion practices, student’s increased expectations, and ways of fostering improvement and competence for paraprofessionals to meet increasing education demands. The target population of this study was paraprofessionals who work as teacher’s assistants or aides in northern New Jersey. Specifically, the researcher aimed to acquire participants from three school districts in Northern New Jersey with access to special education programs supported by paraprofessionals. The study adopted three distinct Google survey forms as the primary tool for data collection, namely the paraprofessionals and teachers’ survey forms. One-sample t-tests were used to assess teachers’ assistants’ level of training, competency, performance, skills, knowledge, and frequency of assistants with a bachelor’s degree. The study findings established that the level of perceived training was average while the performance and competency were above average; however, the mean level of knowledge was significantly lower than average. The results indicated an urgent need for continuous training for both teachers and paraprofessionals to deliver the best services in taking care of the needs of the students. The study's findings are significant in that they fill the gap in the contemporary literature regarding the roles and competencies of paraprofessionals in support of learning and training. Apart from providing information that may assist educators and policymakers in making critical decisions during the development and structuring of programs for the paraprofessionals, the study findings foster the development of effective support models seeking to endorse the performance of paraprofessionals within special education settings.
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The_Evolution_of_the_Paraprofe.pdf | 2022-01-04 | Public | Download |