Sources of (In)Stability in Classrooms Serving Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

• In Event: 53.081 - Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: 53.081-17 - Special Education Research SIG Roundtable Discussion 3

Abstract

How do potential sources of instability contribute to ratings of classroom quality in classrooms primarily serving students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD)? This paper examines how classroom participants (such as number of adults in the room) and structural elements (such as time of day, activity, transitions, or instructional grouping) contribute to ratings of classroom quality. Systematic observation of 47 EBD classrooms found that classrooms averaged nine sources of instability a lesson period (estimated at 6480 a year) and that more experienced teachers viewed these interruptions as more intrusive to their student’s learning experience and were more sensitive to the occurrence than newer teachers. Implications for teacher training, student learning, and policy are discussed.

Authors

• Christina Cipriano, University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

• Tia Navelene Barnes, University of Delaware

• Lisa Flynn, Yale University

• Susan E. Rivers, Yale University