An Exploratory Study of How General and Special Education Teachers Think and Make Instructional Decisions About Students With Special Needs

In this study, we explored how general and special education teachers think and make instructional decisions about special needs students. Teachers viewed a videotape of a reading comprehension lesson for a small group of third grade students. One student was a target for observation and was classified as learning disabled. Quantitative and qualitative procedures were used to analyze teacher responses regarding the importance of instructional variables for the student and requests about instructional recommendations for the student. We found that general and special teacher groups may possess different professional knowledge structures from which to interpret classroom events, identify and solve instructional problems, and collaborate with each other. Implications for teacher preparation are offered.