Collaboration Between General Education and Special Education Teachers in Inclusive Schools in Lagos State

This study investigates the nature and effectiveness of collaboration between general education and special education teachers in inclusive secondary schools in Lagos State, South West Nigeria. Effective teacher collaboration is widely recognised as a cornerstone of successful inclusive education, enabling the integration of specialised knowledge and resources to meet the diverse needs of all learners. Despite this recognition, collaboration in Nigerian schools is often informal, unsupported, and insufficiently structured to produce meaningful outcomes for students with special needs. Using a descriptive survey and observational design, the study samples two hundred and twenty teachers from inclusive secondary schools across Lagos Island, Mainland, and suburban Lagos local government areas. Instruments include a collaboration quality scale, a role clarity inventory, and a structured classroom observation checklist assessing joint planning and instructional delivery. Data are analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and paired t-tests comparing general and special educator perspectives. The study examines structural enablers and barriers to collaboration including timetabling, shared planning time, administrative support, and mutual professional respect. Findings are expected to reveal that collaboration is predominantly informal and inconsistent, driven by individual teacher initiative rather than institutional systems. Recommendations include creating formal collaborative planning structures in school timetables and providing joint professional development sessions for paired general and special education teachers. Keywords: teacher collaboration, inclusive schools, Lagos State, general education, special education.