Collaboration with Interpreters in K-12 Education

Educational interpreting for students who are Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH), like other interpreting specializations, involves much more than linguistic competence, message management skills, and cultural competence. An educational interpreter uses those skills and competencies within the K-12 environment populated by other educational professionals (e.g., related services personnel and teachers). Best practices in educational interpreting suggest that collaboration between the interpreter and the rest of the IEP team is fundamental. However, strategies for such collaboration are not outlined in the literature. This two-phase study examined collaboration in the K-12 school setting between educational interpreters and other educational professionals (OEPs) (i.e., general education teachers, teachers of the Deaf and hard of hearing, special education teachers, and speech-language pathologists) in order to identify the patterns of collaborative practices. The researcher distributed a national survey instrument. The researcher then conducted interviews with a randomly selected volunteer from each job category. The data gathered indicated that collaboration not only takes place in K-12 settings but also appeared to be a critical element of the work done by educational interpreters and OEPs in service of DHH children in K-12 education. The study revealed existing patterns of collaborative practice including resource and information sharing, attendance of meetings and training, problemsolving, and building of rapport. It also detected factors that supported or inhibited collaborative efforts such as availability of time, sharing of student-related information, perceptions of expertise and professionalism, and confusion regarding the role of the interpreter. Findings suggested that collaboration with interpreters in K-12 settings necessitates coordinated and strategic efforts on the part of interpreters and OEPs who work with students who are Deaf and hard of hearing. COLLABORATION WITH INTERPRETERS 1 Collaboration with Interpreters in K-12 Education Educational interpreting for students who are Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH), like other interpreting specializations, involves much more than linguistic competence, message management skills, and cultural competence (Stuckless, Avery & Hurwitz, 1989; Smith, 2013). An educational interpreter uses those skills and competencies within the K-12 environment populated by other educational professionals (OEPs) (e.g., teachers and related services providers). Those professionals impact the interpreter’s practice and the interpreter’s ability to collaborate (Witter-Merithew, Johnson & Nicodemus, 2010). I decided to pursue collaboration in K-12 interpreting as a topic of research because the majority of my professional interpreting experience has occurred in the K-12 environment. I have noticed firsthand the importance of effective collaboration among educational team members in successfully providing quality educational interpreting services to students who are Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH). Students who are DHH are acknowledged to have a level of hearing loss which adversely affects their educational performance (IDEA, Sec. 300.8). Effective collaboration among professionals ideally creates a synergistic whole that is worth more than the sum of its parts (Schutz et al., 2001) and assumes that meaning and knowledge are co-constructed by collaborators (MontielOverall, 2005a). Interpreters are constantly balancing what they think should be done in the classroom with what the other educational professionals think should be done (Smith, 2013), all in the pursuit of providing access to a quality education to students who are identified as DHH. Best practices in educational interpreting resources, such as those written by Seal (2004), and Schick (2007), the creator of the nationally recognized Educational Interpreter Proficiency Assessment, recommend collaboration between the interpreter and the rest of the members of COLLABORATION WITH INTERPRETERS 2 Individualized Education Program (IEP) team. However, a question still remains: What does that collaboration among professionals in the K-12 setting look like? Statement of the Problem Interpreters struggle to successfully navigate the educational setting (Smith, 2013; Witter-Merithew et al., 2010; Johnson, Brown, Taylor & Austin, 2014), partially due to the fact that although best practices encourage interpreters to collaborate (Seal, 2004; RID CPC; Schick, 2007), strategies for such collaboration are not outlined (Mertens, 1991; Smith, 2013). Research Questions In what ways do educational interpreters collaborate with fellow educational professionals in the K-12 setting? In what ways do other professionals in the educational system collaborate with educational interpreters? What, if any, is the relationship between relational autonomy and collaboration? Purpose of the Study This research aims to investigate the ways in which educational interpreters currently collaborate with other OEPs (i.e., general education teachers, teachers of the Deaf and hard of hearing, special education teachers, and speech-language pathologists) in the K-12 setting. The current study will result in an extrapolated definition of collaboration as it pertains to interpreting in the K-12 setting. This research identifies some common patterns of collaborative practice reported by K-12 educational interpreters working in concert with other professionals in the educational system. Applying a phenomenological research philosophy (Manen & Adams, 2010), qualitative and quantitative data were gathered to explore collaborative practices used by educational interpreters and other professionals. Collection of data regarding the form and effectiveness of collaboration between interpreters and educational professionals could lead to COLLABORATION WITH INTERPRETERS 3 recommendations for improved collaborative efforts and provide suggestions for improved best practices. This exploration begins with a review of the present literature surrounding the notion of collaboration. Literature Review Framework for Collaboration Although collaboration in business and education has been studied in depth (Cook & Friend, 1991; 2010; Pugach & Johnson, 2002; Schutz, et al., 2001), a precise definition has not been agreed upon by researchers. This is because the nature of collaboration is dependent on the context in which it occurs. Additionally, there is a common misconception that collaboration happens whenever people work together (Elliott, 2001). Collaboration does occur when people work together, but one of its foundational characteristics is the pursuit of a common goal (Giangreco, Prelock, Reid, Dennis, & Edelman, 2000; Hoza, 2010). Rather than being construed as an end product that results from collegiality, it should perhaps be conceptualized as a process. For the purposes of framing this study, collaboration in K-12 interpreting will be defined in line with Elliott (2001), Hoza (2010), and Monteil-Overall (2005a) as a process where willing professionals work together through cooperation and the combining of expertise to provide educational and social access to the student(s) with whom they work. Research in the field of education characterizes successful collaborative efforts in educational settings, including: (a) rapport building, (b) democratic establishment of project goals, (c) commitment, (d) cultural and institutional awareness, and (e) acknowledgement of individual areas of expertise (Elliott, 2001). Rapport can be loosely defined as the establishment of meaningful interpersonal relationships in order to create mutual understanding (Elliott, 2001). Elliott’s (2001) area of study was concerned with instructors and researchers in the postCOLLABORATION WITH INTERPRETERS 4 secondary setting, but the principles and characteristics which Elliott discussed can be generalized and applied to the K-12 setting. Specifically pertaining to the interpreting profession, collaboration has most commonly been framed as an interdependent relationship between a team of two (or more) interpreters acting together to create an effective interpretation (Hoza, 2010). MacDonald (2002) defined a professional as a member of a self-regulating occupation group who has the right to practice in a specific field. To be considered interdependent, interpreting professionals must bring their own competence and abilities to the interpreting team so that they can rely on each other for expertise and assistance (Hoza, 2010; Montiel-Overall 2005b). Thirty-two percent of the interpreters surveyed by Hoza (2010) felt that they practiced collaborative and interdependent teaming, which suggests that the field of interpreting was at that time beginning to view collaboration as more than simply two interpreters working together on the same assignment and instead viewed teaming as a partnership involving a contributive process. Interpreters working in an educational environment may utilize collaboration in a different manner. In 1975, the passage of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (PL94-142) necessitated that interpreters enter public education classrooms in order to provide services to students who are DHH (Cook & Friend, 1991). Later, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 established that special education teams must include interpreters as related services providers (IDEA, Sec. 300.34). As a result, interpreters’ concept of teaming had to be adapted from interpreter-with-interpreter collaboration to that of being a member of the educational team. Under federal statutes, a related service is any “developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education” (IDEA, Sec. 300.34). Collaboration between educational COLLABORATION WITH INTERPRETERS 5 professionals and what are now called educational inte