مؤسسة الشرق الأوسط للنشر العلمي
عادةً ما يتم الرد في غضون خمس دقائق
The shadow teacher, a one-to-one paraprofessional assigned to a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has become a visible feature of inclusive provision in Saudi primary schools, yet the role has expanded without a codified job description or supervisory structure and has not been examined empirically. This study aimed to identify general education teachers' views of the shadow teacher's role and their knowledge of its responsibilities and limits, to describe the classroom-level and administrative challenges reported by shadow teachers, and to examine how qualification and experience relate to teachers' knowledge and views. Two parallel questionnaires were administered cross-sectionally to 151 general education teachers and 153 shadow teachers in public primary schools (Grades 1–3) in Riyadh, and data were analysed using non-parametric tests, principal component analysis, k-means cluster analysis, and multivariable logistic regression. General education teachers rated the shadow teacher's contribution favourably (M = 4.07 of 5) and 63.6% demonstrated complete role knowledge; however, 21.9% showed low knowledge, concentrated among bachelor's-level teachers, and about three quarters reported role ambiguity. Shadow teachers reported very high structural–environmental challenges (M = 4.49) and polarised collaborative–role challenges (M = 3.83); a strained-collaboration cluster (64.1%) reported markedly weaker administrative support. Qualification independently predicted complete knowledge (doctorate vs. bachelor's: OR = 16.40), and only 2.6% of shadow teachers received specialist supervision. The study recommends a codified job description for the shadow teacher, system-level induction materials for general education teachers, assignment of specialist supervision, and classroom environments configured for one-to-one support.