Teachers’ Lived Experiences in Holistic IEP Implementation: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

This phenomenological study explored teachers’ lived experiences in holistic IEP implementation, aiming to illuminate how educators perceived, interpreted, and enacted inclusive practices within diverse classrooms. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 10 teachers across grade levels, the research foregrounded the meanings teachers attributed to holistic IEPs, including collaboration with families, student-centered goal setting, and accommodations that extended beyond academic outcomes to social-emotional development. The analysis followed an interpreted phenomenological method to identify essential structures of experience, such as (a) navigating ambiguity between standardized curricula and individualized goals, (b) balancing fidelity to legal requirements with flexible, student-led planning, (c) cultivating professional learning networks and interdisciplinary collaboration, (d) confronting resource constraints and administrative pressures, and (e) fostering inclusive classroom cultures that empowered students’ agency. Findings revealed that holistic IEPs were enacted most effectively when teachers viewed IEPs as living documents co-constructed with students, families, and support staff, rather than static compliance tools. The study contributed practical implications for teacher preparation, policy refinement, and administrators’ support strategies to sustain transformative, student-centered educational planning.