An Observational Study of the Academic and Social Behaviors of Learning Disabled Adolescents in the Regular Classroom

Abstract

This study examined the class performance of LD adolescents and the performance of their peers who are successful participants in the classroom environment . Data from live observations of 47 pairs of students (one LD and one non-LD student) were analyzed. The data reveal that the majority of student time was spent attending to work material and that very little interaction occurs between students and teachers. LD students spent more time in reading, writing, and notetaking and spent greater lengths of uninterrupted time in these behaviors. LD students engage in significantly more rule violations in the classroom than non-LD student. Results of this study suggest that there are many similarities and only a few differences between LD adolescents and their non-LD peers with regard to study, social, and classroom behaviors overtly observed in their regular classroom.