Eric.ed.gov – Mainstreaming Learning Disabled Students: The Impact on Regular Education Students and Teachers.

The study examined how adding students with learning disabilities (LD) to regular education classrooms changed the behavior of nonhandicapped students and their teachers. Initial observations were of mainstream classes containing no learning-disabled students. Observations were again conducted after LD students had been mainstreamed for 8 months. Eleven LD students were observed in five classrooms containing 89 nonhandicapped students in grades 1-5. Behaviors were coded in five areas: type of materials, grouping arrangement, person monitoring the activity, student response, and teacher response. Analyses of the observation data revealed no significant changes in teachers’ behaviors after the implementation of the full-time mainstreaming program. Overall, nonhandicapped students spent the same amount of time reading in reading class and doing math in math class. Nonhandicapped students continued to be actively engaged in academic instruction about 35-40% of class time. Off-task behavior did not change significantly in reading and decreased significantly in math. Student time devoted to waiting and management decreased significantly in reading; and in both reading and math classes, teachers assigned less class time to workbooks and worksheets. Includes six references. (JDD)