One education landscape : a study of the roles and perceptions of paraeducators

Abstract

This study was designed to assess paraeducators' duties, roles, and responsibilities and to develop a greater understanding of how they perceive their jobs and what support they would consider important for job improvement. The sample population was comprised of both elementary and junior high school paraeducators, from four individual schools within one school division in southwest Canada. Three separate focus groups were completed, with fourteen participants in total. The study was undertaken using the methodology of focus groups. Responses from the groups were transcribed and coded in order to pull out the major themes found in the discussions of the duties and perceptions by paraeducators. The results, when compared to the contemporary literature findings on the roles of paraeducators, show many points of convergence.