Response to Intervention: What do Elementary School Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms in Türkiye Know?

Abstract

Türkiye Inclusion Response to intervention Specific learning disabilities Elementary school teachersAs a multi-tiered early diagnosis, intervention, and support system, Response to Intervention (RtI) identifies struggling students and helps them in inclusive classrooms. This study aims to examine the Turkish elementary school teachers' knowledge level about RtI and its components. For this purpose, a basic qualitative study within the scope of qualitative research methods was conducted. Data was collected by conducting interviews with nine teachers working in inclusive classrooms with at least one student with specific learning disabilities at the elementary school level in Eskisehir, Türkiye. The data were analysed with content analysis. Results showed that participants of this study are not aware of RtI but they use some components of it in their instructions. In line with the findings, it is recommended that teachers, school administrators and policy makers in Türkiye need to expand their awareness with students with special needs and research-based practices in inclusive education, including multi-tiered interventions.