Exclusionary discipline practices in public middle schools disproportionately impact students of color in special education, disrupting their academic progress and social development. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms perceive the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color. The study explored the lived experiences of eight public middle school co-teachers through three research questions: (1) How do public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms perceive the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color? (2) How do public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms describe the factors they believe contribute to the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color? (3) How do public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms describe their experiences using strategies or interventions to reduce the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color? Grounded in sociocultural theory, this study also used semi-structured interviews to gather insights into central phenomenon. Findings from the study revealed three major themes: (1) exclusionary discipline for special education students of color leads to academic and social disruptions, (2) bias and cultural misunderstandings influence disciplinary decisions, and (3) inclusive and restorative practices are needed to reduce disciplinary disparities. Participants expressed concerns that exclusionary discipline worsens learning gaps and harms student self-perception, citing inconsistent practices, implicit bias, and limited culturally responsive training. Co-teachers also highlighted the importance of proactive strategies, including relationship building, restorative conversations, individualized behavior plans, and collaboration with colleagues.
","abstract_html":"<p>Exclusionary discipline practices in public middle schools disproportionately impact students of color in special education, disrupting their academic progress and social development. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms perceive the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color. The study explored the lived experiences of eight public middle school co-teachers through three research questions: (1) How do public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms perceive the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color? (2) How do public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms describe the factors they believe contribute to the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color? (3) How do public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms describe their experiences using strategies or interventions to reduce the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color? Grounded in sociocultural theory, this study also used semi-structured interviews to gather insights into central phenomenon. Findings from the study revealed three major themes: (1) exclusionary discipline for special education students of color leads to academic and social disruptions, (2) bias and cultural misunderstandings influence disciplinary decisions, and (3) inclusive and restorative practices are needed to reduce disciplinary disparities. Participants expressed concerns that exclusionary discipline worsens learning gaps and harms student self-perception, citing inconsistent practices, implicit bias, and limited culturally responsive training. Co-teachers also highlighted the importance of proactive strategies, including relationship building, restorative conversations, individualized behavior plans, and collaboration with colleagues.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Tomasi, Tino"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Education (EdD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Audrey Rabas","Shane Long"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:21:42Z","subjects":["Exclusionary Discipline","Special Education","Inclusive Classrooms","Cultural Responsiveness","Sociocultural Theory.","Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dune.une.edu/edu_diss/57","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Audrey Rabas","Shane Long"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Tomasi, Tino"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education (EdD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Exclusionary Discipline","Special Education","Inclusive Classrooms","Cultural Responsiveness","Sociocultural Theory.","Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dune.une.edu/edu_diss/57"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Exclusionary discipline practices in public middle schools disproportionately impact students of color in special education, disrupting their academic progress and social development. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms perceive the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color. The study explored the lived experiences of eight public middle school co-teachers through three research questions: (1) How do public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms perceive the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color? (2) How do public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms describe the factors they believe contribute to the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color? (3) How do public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms describe their experiences using strategies or interventions to reduce the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color? Grounded in sociocultural theory, this study also used semi-structured interviews to gather insights into central phenomenon. Findings from the study revealed three major themes: (1) exclusionary discipline for special education students of color leads to academic and social disruptions, (2) bias and cultural misunderstandings influence disciplinary decisions, and (3) inclusive and restorative practices are needed to reduce disciplinary disparities. Participants expressed concerns that exclusionary discipline worsens learning gaps and harms student self-perception, citing inconsistent practices, implicit bias, and limited culturally responsive training. Co-teachers also highlighted the importance of proactive strategies, including relationship building, restorative conversations, individualized behavior plans, and collaboration with colleagues.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Perceptions Of Exclusionary Discipline In Inclusive Classroom: A Phenomenological Study Of Middle School Co-Teachers’ Experience With Special Education Students Of Color"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Audrey Rabas","Shane Long"],"dc:creator":["Tomasi, Tino"],"dc:description.abstract":["Exclusionary discipline practices in public middle schools disproportionately impact students of color in special education, disrupting their academic progress and social development. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms perceive the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color. The study explored the lived experiences of eight public middle school co-teachers through three research questions: (1) How do public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms perceive the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color? (2) How do public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms describe the factors they believe contribute to the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color? (3) How do public middle school co-teachers in inclusive classrooms describe their experiences using strategies or interventions to reduce the use of exclusionary discipline for special education students of color? Grounded in sociocultural theory, this study also used semi-structured interviews to gather insights into central phenomenon. Findings from the study revealed three major themes: (1) exclusionary discipline for special education students of color leads to academic and social disruptions, (2) bias and cultural misunderstandings influence disciplinary decisions, and (3) inclusive and restorative practices are needed to reduce disciplinary disparities. Participants expressed concerns that exclusionary discipline worsens learning gaps and harms student self-perception, citing inconsistent practices, implicit bias, and limited culturally responsive training. Co-teachers also highlighted the importance of proactive strategies, including relationship building, restorative conversations, individualized behavior plans, and collaboration with colleagues.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dune.une.edu/edu_diss/57"],"dc:subject":["Exclusionary Discipline","Special Education","Inclusive Classrooms","Cultural Responsiveness","Sociocultural Theory.","Education"],"dc:title":["Perceptions Of Exclusionary Discipline In Inclusive Classroom: A Phenomenological Study Of Middle School Co-Teachers’ Experience With Special Education Students Of Color"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Education (EdD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:21:42Z"}