Students’ Self-perceptions of Support

Anna Marie Villalobos

Research Questions

How do students with disabilities perceive their academic support in their general and special education classes?

How do students with disabilities perceive their social support in their general education and special education classes?

How are the perceptions of academic and social support of students with disabilities related to their academic identity?

How does listening to the counterstories of students with disabilities affect teacher understanding of students’ academic and social supports as reflected in their lesson planning?

How do the perceptions of academic and social supports of students with disabilities change in reaction to changes in teacher instruction?

Academic Identity

Students who reported liking school or Regional Occupational Center had higher attendance rate and/or higher GPA

Students with lower GPA and low California Standard Test Scores preferred academic curricular and academic instructional supports

Two themes arose related to Academic Identity Sense of Belonging Equity (gender differences)

Classroom Support Differences

Students Direct explicit instruction

What do I need to learn?

Instructional/Individual Supports More in depth; answer

questions

Peer Supports Increase group work; monitor

groups

Curricular Supports Study guides; modified work

Physical Supports Some place quiet

Teachers

Organizational tools (notebooks)

Study guides

Notes

Calendars

Teacher gender differences

Students’ Themes

Supports Instructional Peer Physical Curricular

Onus to Learn

Equity

Favorite classes-engaging and relevant

Feeling of Success/Failure-rigorous and challenging general education

Teachers’ Themes

Approaching the teacher

Student self-advocacy

Built-in obstacles

Gender differences

Transformative Findings

Students Holder of important

knowledge

Increased self-advocacy

Increased self-efficacy

Change agent in classroom

Building learning partnerships

Teachers Acknowledgement of

student as holder of knowledge

Change in instruction not just special education students others as well

Building learning partnerships

Implications for Practice in Teacher/Administrator Preparation

Use this process to train teachers in teacher preparation and induction programs

Expand the use of student voice in the classroom to structure supportive classroom environments

Include students with disabilities early on in general education classes

Pursue rigor and challenging curriculum with support for students with disabilities

Administrators need to be trained in the importance of culture and context at the school site and in the classroom

Implications for Practice in Schools

Classroom Environment Controlled Organized Equitable Comfortable

Instruction Direct and Explicit Peer Engaging Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Universal Design for Learning

Role of Administrator in influencing school culture