Professional Development Pilot Program for Paraprofessionals in a Special Education Setting: A Qualitative Exploration of Their Experiences
Abstract
1. Introduction
Professional Development
2. Purpose of the Study
3. Methods
3.1. Sampling
3.2. Data Collection
3.3. Data Security
3.4. Data Analysis
4. Findings
4.1. Theme 1: Importance of Professional Development for Paraprofessionals
4.2. Theme 2: Importance of Presenting Teacher Professional Development to Paraprofessionals
5. Implications for Practice
6. Discussions
7. Suggestions for Future Research
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Themes | Patterns |
---|---|
1. Importance of Professional Development for Paraprofessionals | (1a) Paraprofessionals initially struggled to collaborate effectively with classroom teams at the beginning of the school year. |
(1b) Paraprofessionals faced challenges managing student behavior early in the school year. | |
2. Necessity of Providing Paraprofessionals with Ongoing Professional Development Similar to Teachers | (2a) Professional development was beneficial for the majority of paraprofessionals. |
(2b) Professional development enhanced their preparedness to address challenging behavior. | |
(2c) Professional development improved readiness to meet the instructional needs of students with disabilities. |
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McCoy, K.; Max, C.S. Professional Development Pilot Program for Paraprofessionals in a Special Education Setting: A Qualitative Exploration of Their Experiences. Future 2025, 3, 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/future3030014
McCoy K, Max CS. Professional Development Pilot Program for Paraprofessionals in a Special Education Setting: A Qualitative Exploration of Their Experiences. Future. 2025; 3(3):14. https://doi.org/10.3390/future3030014
Chicago/Turabian StyleMcCoy, Keisha, and Chana S. Max. 2025. "Professional Development Pilot Program for Paraprofessionals in a Special Education Setting: A Qualitative Exploration of Their Experiences" Future 3, no. 3: 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/future3030014
APA StyleMcCoy, K., & Max, C. S. (2025). Professional Development Pilot Program for Paraprofessionals in a Special Education Setting: A Qualitative Exploration of Their Experiences. Future, 3(3), 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/future3030014