Perceptions of Classroom Teachers, Principals, and Resource Room Teachers of the Actual and Desired Roles of the Resource Teacher

Abstract

This study investigated whether the perceptions of resource room teachers, regular classroom teachers, and principals differ in what they think the role of the resource teacher should be and what they know it actually is. The responses indicate considerable agreement among educator groups in their estimations of the percentage of time actually and ideally allotted to eight role activities, with support for more time in communication and consultation roles and less time in clerical and miscellaneous tasks. Principals perceptions of the percentage of time resource room teachers spend in actual roles were in considerable agreement with the responses of the resource teachers. Although this was not true for the estimates of the classroom teachers, this group was the most supportive of increased resource room teacher participation in communication and consultation activities.