The perception of British Columbia’s classroom teachers and educational assistants on consultation and collaboration - a mixed methods study

Inclusive education has seen many changes in the past decade and Educational Assistant (EA) numbers have dramatically increased in order to serve special education students within the classroom. EAs play a vital role in assisting these diverse students in achieving academic success. The relationship between the EAs and Classroom Teachers (CTs) is key. The principal purpose for this study is to examine how CTs and EAs perceive and describe their experiences with consultation and collaboration in British Columbia. Both quantitative and qualitative data collected through an online survey is analyzed using a mixed methods research design. Based on the analysis, both CTs and EAs have a different understanding of consultation and collaboration, both find that there is not enough time to meet during regular school hours, they do not have adequate training in how to work together effectively, and for the most part EAs are under-utilized.