Task- Related Interactions Among Teachers and Exceptional, At-Risk, and Typical Learners in Inclusive Classrooms

Abstract

Teacher-child interactions with exceptional, at-risk, and typical learners were observed in three inclusive classrooms. The purpose of this study was to examine both the frequency and type of teacher and student initiations and responses. Observations were conducted at the beginning, middle, and end of one entire school year and based on naturally occurring teacher-child interaction. Behaviors included teacher initiations, student initiations, and teacher responses to student initiations. Although the number of interactions between teachers and children did not change over the year, the type of interactions did change during the year in relation to child group membership. Teachers initiated more task-related interactions with exceptional children and gave them more negative feedback compared to at-risk and typical learners, but only at the beginning of the year. In the middle of the year, teachers gave significantly more negative responses to the task-related and off-task initiations of students at risk than to children with disabilities or typical learners. By the end of the year, there were no significant differences in the number or type of initiations to any of the children. Implications are discussed for the practice of including children with special needs in the general education classroom.

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