Exceptional Children

This article discusses the various, sometimes competing, self-identities of the qualitative researcher and the impact of these identities on decision making in the research process. The author proposes that while culture provides the backdrop to identity, various aspects of the microcultures to which a researcher belongs may result in varying “personas” that influence decision making about the research process. The author illustrates these points with examples from her ethnographic research with African-American/Latino, low- to middle-income families of children with disabilities.

A national survey of elementary and secondary general education teachers (N = 368, response rate of 52%) was conducted to determine the classroom grading practices of general education teachers, including grading adaptations for students with disabilities. Results of this self report survey indicated that teachers find letter and number grades more helpful for students without disabilities than for those with disabilities. Results also indicated that teachers find certain grading adaptations—such as pass-fail grades, portfolios, multiple grades, and grading for effort—helpful for students both with and without disabilities. Implications for training, research, and practice are included.

A survey of 158 rural special education teachers was conducted to determine the teachers' plans for remaining in or leaving their current teaching positions. Only 57% indicated that it was likely that they would return in 5 years. Data were analyzed to determine variables that differed significantly between those likely to stay in their positions. Select variables were entered into a logistic regression analysis to build a predictive model. The results of these analyses, along with teachers' written comments, suggested that administrative support and job requirements played important roles in teachers' 5-year plans.

This article describes a controlled study of 92 special educators and related service providers that evaluated the effects of two interventions (a series of stress-management workshops and a peer-collaboration program) on factors known to be correlated with actual turnover (burnout, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment). Results indicated that improvements on dependent variables occurred as a function of intervention, thus suggesting that the programs show promise as means of providing on-the-job support for such professionals at risk of burnout or exiting the field. In addition, participants perceived the targeted skills and strategies to be practical, valuable ways to prevent or alleviate job burnout.

This article examines the concept of mild mental retardation—and the confusion surrounding its etiology, diagnosis, and educational “treatment.” The authors conclude that mild mental retardation, unlike more severe forms of mental retardation—or even specific learning disabilities—should be redefined in contextual terms: a person's relative difficulty in responding to cognitive demands of the environment. It is recommended that the term mental retardation be reserved for the more severe forms currently recognized and that a more descriptive term be adopted that focuses attention on this group of children whose unique characteristics and needs have increasingly gone unrecognized and unserved.