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Academic Performance of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Served in a Self-Contained Setting

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Abstract

This study describes the academic, social, and behavioral performance of elementary and secondary students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) receiving services in a self-contained school for students with serious behavior problems, with an emphasis on how school adjustment and problem behavior patterns predict academic performance. Results revealed that elementary and secondary group scores were well below the 25th percentile on reading, math, and written expression measures. Further, a seven variable model representing academic, social, and behavioral domains was able to differentiate between age groups explaining 54% of the variance and correctly classifying 78.26% (n = 18) of the elementary students and 84.21% (n = 16) of the secondary students. Findings also suggested that behavioral variables (e.g., school adjustment, externalizing, and internalizing) were predictive of broad reading and broad written expression scores, with school adjustment (a protective factor) accounting for the most variance in the three-variable model. Limitations and recommendations for future research are addressed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Box 328, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA

    Kathleen Lynne Lane & Joseph Wehby

  2. School of Education, Belmont University, 1900 Belmont Boulevard, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA

    Sally M. Barton-Arwood

  3. Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 247B BKC UNL, Lincoln, NE, 68583-0732, USA

    J. Ron Nelson

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  1. Kathleen Lynne Lane
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  2. Sally M. Barton-Arwood
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  3. J. Ron Nelson
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  4. Joseph Wehby
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Correspondence to Kathleen Lynne Lane.

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Lane, K.L., Barton-Arwood, S.M., Nelson, J.R. et al. Academic Performance of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Served in a Self-Contained Setting. J Behav Educ 17, 43–62 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-007-9050-1

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