Abstract
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore howsecondary general education and special education teachers experience self- and
collective-efficacy within co-teaching partnerships and how these beliefs shape
instructional practices and perceptions of student success.
Theoretical Framework: Guided by Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and informed
by Activity Theory, the study examined the relational, emotional, and structural
conditions that influence co-teaching experiences in inclusive secondary classrooms.
Methodology: Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six
secondary co-teachers representing general and special education across multiple content
areas. Interview transcripts were analyzed using Moustakas’s phenomenological method,
including horizontalization, clustering of meaning units, and synthesis into themes.
Analysis revealed seven interrelated themes related to teacher efficacy, challenges in co-
teaching, strategies for improvement, perceived student outcomes, collective efficacy, co-
teaching partnerships, and systemic supports.
Findings and Conclusion: Findings indicated that efficacy development in co-teaching
is not a static individual attribute, but a relational and contextual process shaped by trust,
parity, shared responsibility, emotional experience, and structural conditions. Participants
described perceived benefits for students in co-taught classrooms, including academic,
behavioral, and social-emotional growth, while also noting inconsistencies in preparation,
planning time, and professional support. This study contributes to the literature by
centering secondary co-teachers’ lived experiences and by conceptualizing collective
efficacy as enacted through daily collaborative practice. Implications are offered for
theory, policy, practice, and future research.
Recommendations: Future studies should examine high school co-teaching partnerships
more specifically and use quantitative or mixed-methods approaches to compare
teachers’ perceived student success with measurable academic, behavioral, and
engagement outcomes.