LD Students' Temperament Characteristics and their Impact on Decisions by Resource and Mainstream Teachers

Abstract

LD students ( N = 412) from grades 1–6 were rated by their special education resource teachers and their regular education mainstream teachers on areas of school competence and temperament characteristics — Task Orientation, Adaptability, and Reactivity. The two groups of teachers were also asked to indicate the monitoring, behavior management, and instructional strategies used with each of the students. LD subjects generally received more negative ratings across measures. Results of multiple-regression policy-capturing analyses were interpreted to mean that temperament characteristics, and especially Task Orientation, significantly influenced teacher decisions. The two groups of teachers were found to differ in degree of sensitivity to student characteristics. Implications for training, diagnosis, and classroom decision-making are presented.