A Study of Special Classes: Teacher-Pupil Interactions
Adkisson, Rose Marie White
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/65945
Description
Title
A Study of Special Classes: Teacher-Pupil Interactions
Author(s)
Adkisson, Rose Marie White
Issue Date
1980
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Educat.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Special
Language
eng
Abstract
The central purpose of this study was to describe the functioning of self-contained EMH classrooms by focusing on teacher/pupil interactions and other variables such as teacher perceptions of what they believed to be the operational practices in their school and district.
The site of the study was an elementary school located in a small east-central Illinois community with a population of 35,000. The sample comprised of 12 EMH students, who were selected from 3 EMH classrooms, by their 3 teachers on the basis of possessing some quality that may or may not be used for mainstreaming into regular classes. The three teachers also agreed to participate as subjects during the study.
Information was gathered primarily by using naturalistic observational techniques, questionnaires, and interviews. The methods applied for several months provided background data on the school, the sample, the behavioral interactions of teachers and pupils, and the perceptions of teachers and principal about the special and regular programs. Also, six major questions were proposed to assist the investigator in describing the process variables.
A review of the background information indicated that the special and regular programs were separate and both the principal and special teachers were significantly involved in the daily operations. The interviews also indicated that major concerns of the staff had not been shared with the administration. Another revealing factor was that all but three students were bussed to this site in order to meet the interracial guidelines. Demographic data indicated that there was a disproportionate number of black students placed and all special students were ironically isolated and never had an opportunity to be with normal peers.
The observational data indicated that there were minimal differences between on/off task behaviors of the EMH students but the quality of these behaviors could not be ascertained. Male students verbally interacted at a higher frequency rate than did female students. Also teachers used a higher frequency of positive reinforcements than negative ones. And finally, observations revealed that teachers similarly used individual, small, and large groupings.
It was concluded that the observational techniques were extremely useful when examining process variables and this led to a better understanding of teacher/pupil interactions.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
