Content area
Abstract
The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to document collaborative processes, practices, and targeted interventions in place to support student learning in an alternative education setting. Investigations were conducted in an alternative school for grades 9 through 12 comprised of 275 students and 54 teachers in a school district located in South Carolina. Twelve highly qualified teachers (certified within the state of South Carolina) deemed by school leaders to be the best collaborators in the setting served as participants in the study. This was a basic qualitative study. Research questions included: How do teachers collaborate to access and decide which instructional strategies to use in order to increase student academic achievement? What factors do teachers believe influence their collaborative decision-making? How do teachers collaborate about student data to improve their instruction? Why do teachers collaborate in an alternative setting? Data collected through observations, interviews, and field notes helped answer the research questions and provide a deeper understanding of collaborative instructional practices and strategies addressing students' individual learning needs. Six collaborative strategies emerged as themes from the data analysis: repetition of words, drill and practice, questioning, learning aids, teacher encouragement and feedback, and reciprocal teaching. When teachers collaborate, working jointly together can significantly illuminate teacher instructional strategies within the classrooms in an alternative educational setting. The data gathered from teacher collaborative sessions were found to have driven teacher instruction, the planning of teacher instruction, and student academic improvement. Thus, information gained from this study added value to the existing literature on collaboration in alternative education settings.
