The Perceptions of Teacher Skills and Knowledge by Regular and Special Educators of Mildly Handicapped Students

Abstract

A group of 109 regular elementary educators and 35 special educators completed the Teachers of the Mildly Handicapped Skill Survey. Onehalf of each group of teachers reacted to the survey in terms of their own abilities, while the other half was instructed to respond in terms of their perceptions of the skill level of the other group of teachers.The results indicate that, while there is consonance between the self-perceived skills and knowledge of special educators and how regular educators view them, there is an apparent dissonance between how regular educators view themselves and special educators' perceptions of regular elementary teachers.Numerous factors contribute to the effectiveness of mainstreaming mildly handicapped children. Both special and regular educators affect the education of mildly handicapped students in mainstreaming programs. The skills and knowledge of both groups of teachers are important ; so also are their attitudes toward the handicapped and their views or perceptions of each other. Essentially, this study deals with the issue of role clarification for special and regular educators of mildly handicapped students. Its importance lies in the proposition that effective mainstreaming requires teachers who understand, communicate, and are able to work with each other.

Rethinking the Relationship Between Consultation And Collaborative Problem-Solving

“…Although general educators question the ability of special educators to make useful suggestions and may have greater faith in their own abiliiies to teach mildly handicapped students, special educators conversely question the abilities of general educators to identify and implement appropriate accommodations and have greater confidence in their own abilities to address the needs of handicapped students (Furey & Strauch, 1983). This dissonance is a serious problem when consultation models of service delivery are initiated.…”

“…Because of differences in training, general educators may question the ability of special education consultants to make suggestions that are realistic for implementation in the general classroom (Spodek, 1982). On the other hand, serious concern has been raised regarding general educators' abilities to modify their classroom structures to accommodate the needs of students with handicapping conditions (Aloia & Aloia, 1982;Furey & Strauch, 1983;Leyser & Abrams, 1984;Johnson & Johnson, 1980;Ringlaben & Price, 1981).…”