A Qualitative Study of Parental Advocacy in Special Education

The qualitative research study was guided by the following research questions: What factors impede how parental advocacy works in collaboration with the IEP team, and what motivates parents to be involved and/or engaged with their child? The qualitative study examined the everyday experiences of parents and school personnel as they collaborate to develop Individual Education Programs for children in middle school while looking at factors that may impede total collaboration in the development of an Individualized Education Program. Nine participants were interviewed in the qualitative research study. Three participants were parents, and the remaining six participants were school personnel with years of experience in collaborating as an IEP team. The reoccurring themes identified throughout the data analysis were background information, involvement/engagement, jargon, intentional relationships, motivation, behavior, and advocacy. The information from the qualitative study could help establish more effective partnerships between parents and school personnel and encourage more openness and communication to have a more positive impact on students' educational experiences. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]