Practitioners' Perspectives of Collaboration: A Social Validation and Factor Analysis

Special Education Teachers’ Attitudes and Perceptions of Teamwork

“…The topical themes that emerged not only parallel results with other disciplinary groups (Gallagher et al, in press;Gallagher & Malone, 2005;Malone et al, 2001;Malone & McPherson, 2004) but also are in keeping with variables identified in the extant teamwork literature as either facilitating or hindering team process and outcomes. For example, benefits of teamwork such as different perspectives (Senior & Swailes, 2004), sharing of ideas and information (Harris & Klein, 2002), problem solving and decision making (Meyers et al, 2001), improved programming (Welch & Tulbert, 2000), and general collaboration (Fleming & Monda-Amaya, 2001) were all identified by the teachers in this study. Team members who experience the benefits reflected in these themes are more likely to engage in or contribute to the team effort.…”

“…Similarly, limitations of teamwork found in the literature such as time or scheduling constraints (Huebner & Gould, 1991) and lack of commitment and participation on the part of team members (Caple & Cox, 1989) were also noted by the teachers in this study. Although Welch and Tulbert (2000) suggested that time is not a prominent factor for personnel who are truly committed to teamwork and "when systemic factors were structured in such a way to allow time to collaborate" (p. 371), it may be that a perceived (or real) lack of time for teamwork undermines teachers' commitment to the process. The identification of 14 additional themes related to limitations of teamwork demonstrated the variability in respondent experiences and perceptions.…”

“…A host of variables has been identified in the literature as relevant to effective team performance, including flexibility (Welch & Tulbert, 2000), communication (Miles & Mangold, 2002), problem solving (Welch & Tulbert, 2000), establishing goals (Senior & Swailes, 2004), role clarity and balance (Meyers, Meyers, & Gelzheiser, 2001), group cohesion (Caple & Cox, 1989), monitoring and evaluation (Bahr, Whitten, Dieker, Kocarek, & Manson, 1999), time and resource management (Huebner & Gould, 1991), and access to people and resources (Slonski-Fowler & Truscott, 2004). Professionals working on school-based teams have identified both benefits of and challenges to teamwork that reflect these factors.…”

“…In contrast, team members have reported that teamwork can be hindered by a lack of financial support (Ysseldyke et al, 1981), lack of opportunity for follow-up (Bahr et al, 1999), time constraints (Huebner & Gould, 1991), and lack of systematic decision making (Welch & Tulbert, 2000). Inadequate preparation for team meetings (Pfeiffer, 1980), a lack of formal team training (Whitten & Dieker, 1995), a lack of interdisciplinary collaboration and trust (Senior & Swailes, 2004), and a lack of clarity regarding team goals (Caple & Cox, 1989) have also been identified as challenges that limit teamwork.…”

The Perceptions of Special Education Teachers Working in Psychiatric Hospitals about Integrating a Children’s Book about Mental Disorders in the Curriculum

“…Snell and Janney (2005) claimed that work that involves cooperation is characterized by a variety of different yet complementary elements and that it requires certain personality traits, which are considered important for the development of collaborative skills. These traits and skills include the following: a broad perspective, intentionality, professional efficacy, interpersonal competencies, organizational know-how, the ability to contextualize content matter (Wiggins & Damore, 2006), social skills (Welch & Tulbert, 2000), and professional proficiency and confidence (Damore & Murray, 2009).…”