Nurturing Literacy: Educators’ Experiences in Developing Reading Vocabulary of  Special Education Students

This study aimed to determine the English teachers' experiences in developing the reading vocabulary of the special education students and the challenges of the English teachers in handling them. The experiences of English teachers in developing a vocabulary for special education students were challenging, with creativity, collaboration, and commitment to meeting the diverse learning needs of every student in their classroom. Special education students often exhibit different learning styles and behaviors that reflect their individual needs. Some SPED students participate actively, while others are distracted and less responsive due to attention and cognitive challenges. The Schema Theory was used to determine the background knowledge of the special education students in developing their reading vocabulary. The researcher used a phenomenological qualitative method by Moustakas (1994) to explore the phenomenon of the Educators’ experiences in developing the reading vocabulary of the special education students as described by the English teachers. The teacher participants of the study were six (6) teachers from Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 10, Senior Grade 11, and Grade 12. Purposive sampling was applied by the Researcher since there was only one (1) English teacher per grade level who handled SPED students. The study revealed that the English teachers had problems in developing the reading vocabulary of the special education students as described by the participants. Meanwhile, providing training, seminars, and appropriate learning materials that are tailored to the needs of the SPED students to aid the needs of the SPED students.