What Do Students with Learning Disabilities Think When Their General Education Teachers Make Adaptations?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of mainstreamed students with learning disabilities (LD) regarding adaptations (e.g., altering tests, homework, assignments, instruction) made by general education teachers. Furthermore, their responses were compared with those of low achieving (LA) and average/high achieving (A/HA) classmates. One hundred seventy-nine students participated in this study: 60 mainstreamed students with LD, 59 low achieving students, and 60 average/high achieving students. Students were selected from 60 teachers' classrooms (20 elementary, 20 middle school, and 20 high school). Results from the elementary level indicate that students with LD differ from their LA and A/HA classmates in that the former indicate a stronger preference for opportunities to work in groups with different students, and prefer the teacher to make adaptations when they have difficulty learning. High school and middle school students from both the LA and A/HA groups, but not the LD group, preferred the teacher who made no adaptations in homework and textbooks. Discussion focuses on the role of students' perceptions in teacher decision making.