Under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), all students who meet the criteria for special education services are to be served in their least restrictive environment (LRE). One of the disability categories students can qualify under for special education services is Emotional/Behavior Disorder (EBD). Research has found that EBD students do not feel included in school, struggle maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and have lower feelings of inclusion than their non-special education peers. For EBD students to be successful in general education, it is important for teachers to nurture a positive attitude towards the classroom environment. This study will use survey data to collect information from 55 elementary school teachers and 30 students who qualify for special education services under the primary category of EBD. The study aims to determine if there is a relationship between teacher perception of students with EBD being served in the inclusion classroom and EBD student self-perception. Data will also be analyzed to compare factors such as years of teacher experience, years of experience in special education, and student self and academic perception. The study will also analyze if teachers prefer other disability categories in an inclusion setting over EBD. Although this study is not yet complete, if there is a relationship found between student self-perception and teacher perception of students with EBD being served in the general education classroom, professional development could be implemented within the school setting to help teachers become more comfortable in having EBD students in their classroom.
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