Examining teachers’ decisions in regard to referral and placement

Abstract

Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in teachers’ decisions in regard to referral and placement. This study is guided by two questions: (a) is there a difference in teachers’ decisions to refer a student based on the student’s gender and the problem type? (b) is there a difference in teachers’ decisions to place a student in a special education classroom based on the student’s gender and the problem type? Background: Referral is an important component in determination of eligibility for special education services (Buckrop, Roberts, LoCasaleCrouch, 2016). Classroom teachers play a pivotal role in determining students’ eligibility for special education services as most referrals for special education evaluation are initiated by classroom teachers (Buckrop et al., 2016) and teachers act as the main informants about a child’s behaviors, academic performance, and progress in classrooms (Zirkel, 2015). A teacher’s accuracy in identifying the problem a child is experiencing is critical in providing appropriate services and placement (Schwartz, Wolfe, & Cassar, 1997). Accuracy starts with the individual making a referral (Schwartz et al., 1997) and most referrals for special education evaluation are initiated by classroom teachers (Buckrop et al., 2016). Banks, Shevlin, & McCoy (2012) indicated teachers over or under identify students when certain student characteristics influence teachers’ decisions. Two of these student characteristics are the type of difficulty a student experience, what we refer to as “problem type,” and students’ gender. Understanding how these variables influence a teacher’s decisions and beliefs can lead better outcomes for students. Methods: We developed four cases in which we varied student’s gender and problem type (i.e. academic and behavioral). The cases included: (1) a male student exhibiting academic difficulties; (2) a female student exhibiting academic difficulties; (3) a male student exhibiting behavioral challenges; and (4) a female student exhibiting behavioral challenges. Teacher participants responded to two close-ended questions after reading each case. This study included data analysis from 264 elementary school teachers with a response rate of 85.2% from one town of a metropolitan city in the East Marmara region of Turkey. Data Analysis: Descriptive statistics were used to examine teachers’ decisions in regard to referral and placement in terms of frequencies and percentages. We also used a one sample non-parametric chi-square test to examine whether teachers’ decisions were different based on students’ gender and the problem type experienced by the students in the cases. Results: Teachers (n = 264) responded to two close-ended questions after reading each case about referral and placement. Case 3 (67.4%) received the largest percentage of teachers deciding to refer, followed by Case 4 (63.3%), Case 1 (32.2%), and Case 2 (28.4%), respectively. Following the same pattern, Case 3 (40.2%) received the largest percentage of teachers deciding to place the student in a special education classroom, followed by Case 4 (36.4%), Case 1 (24.6%), and Case 2 (22.7%), respectively. There was no significant difference in responding when teachers made a decision to refer a male student and a female student for special education. Similarly, there was no significant difference when teachers made a decision to place a male student and a female student in a special education classroom. There was a significant difference in responding when teachers made a decision to refer a student with academic challenges and a student with behavioral challenges. Similarly, there was a difference in responding when teachers made a decision to place a student with academic challenges and a student with behavioral challenges. Teachers were more likely to make a decision to refer a student with behavioral challenges for special education evaluation and place a student with behavioral challenges in a special education classroom. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that student characteristics of the problem type (i.e. behavioral challenges) led teachers to make more decisions in regard to referral and placement. Research is well established that teachers’ perceptions about their roles and responsibilities can influence their practices while working with students with disabilities, which might influence teachers’ decisions in regard to referral (Jordan, Lindsay, & Stanovich, 1997). Future research should be enhanced by exploring teachers’ beliefs about the problem type. This study was unique in terms of methodology, because no researchers have used case methods to examine special education decision making process in Turkey. We used case scenarios that included descriptive information about a student who is suspected for having a disability. Future researchers should use cases that include culturally relevant data to examine whether teachers’ decisions are influenced by multiple sources of data.

Öğretmenlerin özel eğitime gönderme kararları, yetersizliği olan öğrencilerin tanılanmasını etkileyen en önemli faktörlerden biridir. Öğretmenlerin kaynaştırmayla ilgili algıları ve öğrencinin özellikleri (öğrencinin cinsiyeti ve öğrencinin yaşadığı problem türü) öğretmenlerin özel eğitimle ilgili kararlarını etkileyebilir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, öğretmenlerin özel eğitime gönderme ve özel eğitim sınıfına yerleştirme kararlarındaki farklılıkları incelemektir. Öğrencinin cinsiyetinin ve yaşadığı problem türünün (akademik problem veya davranış problemi) değiştirildiği dört örnek olay kullanılmıştır. Bu örnek olaylar: (1) akademik problem sergileyen bir erkek öğrenci; (2) akademik problem sergileyen bir kız öğrenci; (3) davranış problemi sergileyen bir erkek öğrenci; ve (4) davranış problemi sergileyen bir kız öğrenci. Bu çalışma, Türkiye'nin Doğu Marmara bölgesindeki bir metropolün bir ilçesinde görev yapan 264 sınıf öğretmeninin veri analizini içermektedir. Öğretmenlerden dört örnek olayı okuması ve iki kapalı uçlu soruya cevap vermesi istenmiştir. Bulgular, öğretmenlerin öğrencinin yaşadığı problem türüne göre özel eğitim değerlendirmesine gönderme ve özel eğitim sınıfına yerleştirme kararlarında anlamlı bir farklılık olduğunu göstermiştir. Ayrıca, öğretmenlerin davranış problemi olan öğrenciyi özel eğitim değerlendirmesi için gönderme ve davranış problemi olan öğrenciyi özel eğitim sınıfına yerleştirme kararı verme eğiliminde olduğu görülmüştür. Öğretmenlerin, özel eğitim değerlendirmesine gönderme ve özel eğitim sınıfına yerleştirme kararlarında öğrencinin cinsiyetine göre bir farklılık bulunamamıştır. Araştırmanın sınırlılıkları ve gelecek araştırmalara yönelik öneriler tartışılmıştır.