Classroom Management Research in Special Education Classrooms

• In Event: Recent Research on Classroom Management: Toward a New Edition of the Handbook of Classroom Management

Abstract

Ability to use effective, research-based classroom and behavioral management methods are crucial skills for all teachers, but especially for those who serve students with disabilities in special education settings (i.e., resource rooms, self-contained special education classrooms, separate schools; Simonsen, Myers, & DeLuca, 2010). While the past few decades have seen a dramatic increase in the number of students with disabilities served in inclusive, general education classrooms, more restrictive special education environments continue to serve a significant number of students with disabilities of all ages. For example, the most recent national data show that of the roughly 6.4 million students with disabilities served in the U.S., 20% still receive a portion of their instruction in special education resource rooms, 14% are served in self-contained classrooms, and 5% are educated in separate or residential schools (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). Another caveat of these data is that students with severe behavior problems in the classroom are more likely to be educated in the more restrictive settings (Heward, 2013), and those educated in special education settings have a tendency to frequently obstruct the instructional process (Walker, Ramsey, & Gresham, 2004). As a result, there is a continuous need to examine the most recent classroom and behavior management research in special education settings to understand and appraise what is effective. Classroom and behavior management that relies on evidence-based methodology is associated with improved student outcomes and contributes significantly to student learning and development. This paper, therefore, will review recent classroom and behavioral management quantitative research in special education settings, note trends in the methods, and provide implications for practice.
In this paper we reviewed 25 quantitative design studies, published since 2005, that used various methods (e.g., positive reinforcement, structured teaching and work systems, self-monitoring, video feedback) to improve classroom and behavior management and student conduct in special education settings. Those with Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, emotional and behavioral disabilities, learning disabilities, intellectual disability, and other health impairments served as participants in the peer-reviewed investigations. Self-contained classrooms served as the most frequently examined special education environment, followed by resource rooms, and lastly, non-inclusive special schools.
Results of this review show that contrary to the opinions of some (i.e., Causton-Theoharis, Theoharis, Orsati, & Cosier, 2011), more restrictive special education placements for students with disabilities can lead to effective classroom and behavioral management practices in the hands of informed, proactive special educators. Problematic circumstances certainly do exist in some special education environments, but so do an array of interventions that can lead to orderly, well-managed instructional environments—even if they are not the least restrictive educational environment for those students served.

Author

• Edward J. Sabornie, North Carolina State University