Ecobehavioral Characteristics of Self-Contained High School Classrooms for Students With Severe Cognitive Disability

• Published in: Research and practice for persons with severe disabilities Vol. 41; no. 4; pp. 227 - 243
• Main Authors: Kurth, Jennifer A., Born, Kiara, Love, Hailey
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.12.2016
• Subjects: Classroom Environment; High Schools; Learner Engagement; Observation; Questionnaires; Self Contained Classrooms; Severe Intellectual Disability; Special Education Teachers; Statistical Analysis; Student Behavior; Student Experience; Teacher Behavior; Teaching Methods; self-contained classrooms; special education; severe disabilities; intellectual disability
• ISSN: 1540-7969; 2169-2408
• DOI: 10.1177/1540796916661492

This study investigated educational experiences for students with significant cognitive disability (SCD) taught in self-contained high school classrooms. Nineteen students and nine teachers across five high schools and four school districts participated. A time-sampling method was used to describe the ecological, teacher, and student behaviors of these classrooms. Field notes were collected and analyzed as well. Results revealed that students in these classrooms were often passively engaged and had few opportunities to learn from rigorous curriculum. Instructors engaged in few practices known to be effective in supporting the learning of students with SCD. Finally, the classrooms themselves were often distracting and demonstrated little evidence of specialized or effective instruction. Implications for teaching and research are included.