Direct Observation of Adolescents with Serious Emotional Disturbance and Their Nonhandicapped Peers in Mainstream Vocational Education Classrooms

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the behavior of students with serious emotional disturbance differs from that of their nonhandicapped peers in integrated vocational classrooms and to determine whether teachers instruct students with serious emotional disturbance differently than they do students with no handicaps. Eleven pairs of students and their teachers were observed in a variety of vocational settings. Overall, the behavior of the two student groups did not differ significantly, nor did the behavior of teachers differ towards the students. The results are discussed in terms of integrating students with serious emotional disturbance into mainstream vocational education classes.