The study found that 74 seventh- and eighth-grade students with either high or moderate contact with hearing impaired students expressed more positive attitudes toward deafness than students who had no contact with the hearing impaired. A similar pattern was found when attitudes toward disabilities in general were evaluated. (DB)

Comparison of the efficacy of integrating 41 elementary school students with moderate mental retardation into either regular classes, a special class with a community-based program, or a special class with a traditional developmental program found that, after 2 years, no single program was superior to the other 2. (Author/DB)

Two elementary teachers rated 91 learning-disabled students (56 mainstreamed and 35 in self-contained classes) using the Weller-Strawser Scales of Adaptive Behavior. Results indicated that personality variables and problem behavior were related to teachers' perceptions of the ability of learning-disabled students to adapt to the classroom.…

Expert systems technology was applied to placement decisions of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. The application involved developing a model of how experts make placement decisions. The decisions of the expert system were found to agree with those of a majority of teachers in 90% of the cases. (DB)

This study compared the self-concepts of secondary students in either a segregated (institutional), congregated, or mainstream resource program setting. Results suggested academic advantages in attending resource programs and social advantages in segregated settings. Integrated deaf students had better self-perceptions of reading ability than…

Nondisabled students (n=65) and disabled students (n=120) from mainstreamed grades 6 through 12 were surveyed and compared to non-mainstreamed controls. Responses were analyzed in the categories of stereotypes, peer-ratings, and self-ratings. Nondisabled students favorably described the disabled in general, but descriptions of actual disabled…

Special education students (21 learning disabled, 12 emotionally/behaviorally disordered, 14 educable mentally retarded) and 30 nonhandicapped students were observed to identify teaching structures and tasks experienced during reading in both mainstream and special education settings. Several setting effects and a difference in the amount of time…

This study compared the literal and inferential comprehension abilities for textual, functional, and recreational text genres of 195 students who were deaf or hard of hearing. Literal comprehension exceeded inferential comprehension for males but not females. Educational setting (special class, resource room, or fully mainstreamed) influenced…

This study compared 13 students (grades 6 through 8) with behavior disorders who were mainstreamed part of each school day with 6 similar students not mainstreamed. Overall, the mainstreamed students had higher reading and written language scores, better work habits, and higher grades. Nonmainstreamed students demonstrated more extremes in social…

This study examined social and personal concomitants of exceptional academic capability, specifically self-concept, peer acceptance, and attitude toward school, in the context of integrated or self-contained classrooms. The sample consisted of 354 gifted Ontario students from Grades 5, 8, and 10 (150 in self-contained classrooms and 204 in…

This study investigated time allocated to instruction as a function of the specific type of mild handicap and as a function of setting and subject matter content. Subjects were 122 elementary students categorized as learning-disabled, emotionally/behaviorally disturbed, educable mentally retarded, and nonhandicapped. Subjects were in mainstreamed,…

Observations were conducted to document the active academic responding and academic engagement rates of 122 elementary students (30 learning-disabled, 32 emotionally/behaviorally disturbed, 30 mildly mentally retarded, and 30 self-contained programs. Data were recorded in 10-second intervals for each student over an entire school day. During a…

This project examined the extent to which varying instructional grouping arrangements are used for different categories of mildly handicapped students in various instructional settings and the extent to which any differences translated to differences in student responses. Observational data were recorded all day in 10-second intervals for 122…

Observational data were collected on the instructional tasks used by 122 elementary students (30 learning-disabled, 32 emotionally/behaviorally disturbed, 30 educable mentally retarded, and 30 nonhandicapped). No differences between handicapped and nonhandicapped students were revealed in an analysis of time using each of eight specific tasks…