Methodology 

Rationale Project Design 

This study employs a case study survey research design, which allows the researcher to rely on 

multiple data sources for evidence (Schoch 2020). I selected the case study research design for the 

purpose of being able to “present data of real-life situations and provide better insights into the detailed 

behaviors of the subjects of interest” (Zainal 2007). Additionally, Schoch (2020) makes the claim that the 

case study approach enables the researcher to provide a comprehensive understanding of the topic and the 

ability to apply the case to another situation (p. 230). The process of engaging in this type of research 

involves exploring the culture and practices being used in an inclusive classroom in an urban elementary 

school in San Diego, California because of the lack of research on the use of high-leverage practices in 

urban elementary schools in San Diego, California. The purpose of this study is to explore​ ​the culture and

practices being used in an inclusive classroom in an urban elementary school in San Diego, California. A

survey design ​was chosen in order for the researcher to generalize the data from a sample of the staff at an 

urban elementary school in San Diego, to the bigger population of all urban elementary schools in San 

Diego, California (Creswell 2009).  

Constructs 

The intention of this study was to analyze the inclusive practices and culture in an urban 

elementary school in San Diego, California. In order to understand what this case study measures, it is 

important for the constructs to be clearly defined. For the purposes of this paper, an inclusive environment 

is defined as an inviting and engaging learning environment to all students with learning styles, varied 

backgrounds, physical and cognitive abilities in the classroom (Florian, 2015; Spratt & Florian, 2015). In 

this paper, Merriam-Webster’s definition of culture is used, which states that it is “the set of shared 

attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization” (Definition of 

CULTURE 2020). The next construct, inclusive practices, is defined as “ an approach to teaching that 
recognizes the diversity of students, enabling all students to access course content, fully participate in 

learning activities and demonstrate their knowledge and strengths at assessment” (Equality Challenge 

Unit 2013). Quantitative data collection methods will be used to measure the constructs through 

open-ended and multiple-choice questions in a survey. The survey questions will measure general 

education teachers’ attitudes towards their school’s inclusive culture and the practices used within their 

classrooms. 

Participants & Setting 

To investigate the inclusive culture and practices used in an urban elementary school in San 

Diego, I focused on the school that I was a student teacher at. Throughout this study, I was a 

student-teacher working under an education specialist who focused on fourth and fifth graders. The 

participants in this study are all general education teachers from the same urban elementary school in San 

Diego, California. The school the participants work at is a public school apart of the San Diego Unified 

School District and is one of four elementary schools serving their area.  

Data Instruments 

A cross-sectional survey, containing thirty questions, was used so that inferences can be

made about general education teachers’ attitudes towards the culture and practices used

regarding inclusive classrooms at urban elementary schools in San Diego, California (See

Appendix A). The design of the survey includes a majority of questions answered with a Likert

Scale, from one, strongly disagree, to four, strongly agree. Some questions are multiple-choice,

asking for demographic information, gender, age, educational level, the current level of teaching,

years in teaching, and special needs courses taken. Other questions are open-ended and inquire

about the names of special education courses taken, types of differentiation, feedback, assistive

and instructional technologies, and flexible grouping used. This is the preferred type of data
collection procedure for the study because the researcher will be able to “generalize or make

claims about the population” from a smaller sample (Creswell 2009). The form of data collection

involved a Google Form survey and was administered over email.