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Special Educators’ Conceptualizations of Emotional Disturbance and Educational Placement Decision Making for Middle and High School Students

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Abstract

The purposes of this study were to examine secondary school special educators’ perspectives on (1) the relative importance of the academic, mental health, and behavioral elements of the emotional disturbance (ED) special education classification in relation to determining eligibility for students with suspected ED, and (2) factors that are relevant both to education placement decision making for students classified with ED and to decision making regarding the degree of restrictiveness of education placements, including highly restrictive, alternative placements. A national survey was conducted with 1,025 middle and high school special educators. Results indicated that aggression was the most important factor for considering ED eligibility, followed by psychiatric diagnoses and, lastly, academic factors such as grades and achievement scores. Effectiveness was rated as very important in determining a student’s education placement, whereas financial cost and logistical issues were rated as less important. Some differences emerged between middle school and high school participants on items related to determining education placement. Compared to middle school educators, high school educators indicated that students themselves play a more active role in determining education placement. High school educators also indicated that they are more likely to consider homebound instruction and computer/web-based programs and that they better meet the vocational needs of students classified with ED. Middle school special educators indicated that they better meet the behavioral and emotional needs of students classified with ED.

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Notes

  1. The market research firm employed for the study is Market Data Retrieval (MDR). The MDR universe of teachers database was used. This database is systematically updated annually based on a variety of means including public information, examination of school and school district websites, and direct phone contacts with districts and schools in the United States (US). The database consists of almost five million teachers by job title and by grade level in US public, private, and parochial schools, and accounts for more than 95 % of the US teacher population. From within the broad special education group category, the targeted relevant job title in the MDR system for identification of teachers of students with ED is “Teacher of Emotionally Challenged.” This job title consists of “a person who counsels and teaches basic academics to students with mild to severe emotional disabilities” (personal communication with MDR, November 11, 2013). At the time the current study was conducted, this targeted pool consisted of 9,119 teachers working with students with ED in middle/high school settings (for more information, see http://lists.schooldata.com/market;jsessionid=65942470E5C7116CD5CFD613256DC2B6?page=research/datacard&id=246991, retrieved 24 October 2013).

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Amy Wilms for her assistance with the survey used in this study. Portions of this paper were presented at the 118th Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, San Diego, California (August, 2010). This research was supported by a grant to Lehigh University and the Center for Adolescent Research in Schools from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (Grant No. R324C080011), and by a subaward from Lehigh University to Miami University and the Center for School-Based Mental Health Programs (Grant No. G01549). The contents of this manuscript do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education and do not imply endorsement by the Federal Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Miami University, 90 North Patterson Avenue, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA

    Stephen P. Becker & Carl E. Paternite

  2. Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Stephen P. Becker

  3. Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA

    Steven W. Evans

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  1. Stephen P. Becker
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  2. Carl E. Paternite
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Correspondence to Stephen P. Becker.

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Becker, S.P., Paternite, C.E. & Evans, S.W. Special Educators’ Conceptualizations of Emotional Disturbance and Educational Placement Decision Making for Middle and High School Students. School Mental Health 6, 163–174 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-014-9119-7

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