Emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) is associated with recurring patterns of functional impairment impacting on academic, social/communicative and vocational outcomes (Kaya et al., 2015) and the importance of an inclusive school setting for successful implementation of interventions for students with EBD is acknowledged (Anderson, Fisher and Marchant et al., 2006).  This research paper focuses on the use of co-teaching as an inclusive organisational method to support students with EBD in Irish post-primary settings. In the Irish context, EBD is defined as “a group of children within an educational setting who present with disturbing and/or disruptive behaviour that interferes with social functioning and academic engagement…their behaviour may be termed ‘acting-out’ (disruptive) or ‘acting-in’ (showing withdrawal and/or avoidance) … emotional disturbance is often an associated feature of both ‘acting-in’ and ‘acting out’ types as either an underlying or outcome factor” (Cooper and Jacobs, 2011, 8). 

Co-teaching has been recommended to increase the participation and engagement of students with EBD (McDuffie, Landrum and Gelman, 2008; Friend, Cook, Hurley-Chamberlain and Shamberger, 2010; Scruggs, Mastropieri and McDuffie, 2007).  According to Friend and Cook (2010), co-teaching refers to a partnership between a mainstream teacher and a special education teacher (but not always), sharing planning instruction, and assessment of students with and without SEN. Various models of co-teaching exist (e.g. one lead, one support; team teaching).  Co-teaching facilitates a greater variety of instructional options, facilitating different teaching styles which complement each other and help student learning, reducing student–teacher ratio leading to better student-teacher interactions and individualised instruction. This paper investigates whether co-teaching provision for students with EBD is an inclusive, proactive and holistic approach in meeting their needs. The opinions of teachers, parents and students were ascertained in order to address this concern.

An interpretive paradigm guided this research. Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2011) assert that the principal focus of the interpretive paradigm is to understand the subjective world of human experience. The interpretive paradigm uses qualitative methods that allows the researchers to get the personal views of the research interviewees. A key aspect of the interpretive paradigm, is that it does not claim to represent all potential respondents, rather it holds that information gained from this approach can provide vital evidence (Reid, 1996). Qualitative research is a systematic approach to understanding qualities or the essential nature of a phenomenon within a certain context (Brantlinger et al., 2005). It seeks to create an understanding of a concept from the perspective of the chosen population of the study (Kothari, 2004) and it is concerned with subjective assessment of opinions, social contexts, attitudes and behaviour through the use of research tools such as document analysis, and interviews.

A qualitative approach was used, where primary data was collected through face to face semi-structured interviews with teachers, parents and students. The use of semi-structured interviews was deemed as the most appropriate means of collecting the data. The interview is a useful method of exploring people’s perceptions, meanings, definitions of situations, and constructions of reality (Punch and Oancea, 2014). This was paramount in establishing the participants’ views in this study. The participants were able to discuss their experiences of co-teaching as an inclusive organisational method. A review of Irish and international literature in the area of co-teaching and EBD was conducted to inform the content of the interview schedule. The sample comprised of 62 teachers, 19 parents and 20 students across 13 post-primary schools. Analysis of the data was guided by the phases of thematic analysis as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006). This involved the researchers familiarising themselves with the data from the interviews conducted and documents gathered, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, and defining and naming themes. The effectiveness of the process was ensured through the involvement of all researchers independently coding all semi-structured interview transcripts (Creswell, 2007).

It is evident from the findings that co-teaching is a suitable instructional approach for students with EBD. The findings indicate the perceived benefits of co-teaching for both students and teachers alike. For students, teachers highlighted increased student focus and engagement, enhanced learning and improved teacher-student interactions. The findings demonstrate other benefits of co-teaching including increased student enthusiasm and engagement, opportunities for increased individualised instruction, less stigma, various teaching methods and fewer discipline issues. The second teacher present ensured that students were organised for learning and enabled a ‘second pair of eyes’ in terms of behaviour management. Both students and teachers also acknowledged a better classroom environment. Teachers also indicated the benefits of co-teaching in terms of increased collaboration and collegiality and the application of different teaching approaches which were facilitated through co-teaching. It also enabled a safer environment for teachers and students to work and learn, and removed the issue of teacher isolation when dealing with challenging behaviour. In this research, students who were taught through co-teaching methods did not necessarily recognise that they were being supported and no longer perceived themselves identified as being different. In addition, student peers were unlikely to know why the second teacher was in the classroom and those students inadvertently had the advantage of a second teacher present in terms of their learning and engagement. However, teachers involved in co-teaching require continuing professional development (CPD) to ensure effective participation and engagement of students with EBD.

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