STUDENTS PERCEPTIONS OF 2 HYPOTHETICAL TEACHERS INSTRUCTIONAL ADAPTATIONS FOR LOW ACHIEVERS

This article reports the results of 2 studies designed to examine elem entary students' perceptions about adaptations hypothetical teachers m ade to meet individual students' needs and the extent to which student s' perceptions of adaptations related to their achievement. The first study focused on the extent to which the Students' Perceptions of Teac hers (SPT) Scale was appropriate for use with elementary students. 87 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students from 2 urban schools partici pated in this exploratory investigation. Results indicated that elemen tary students' responses to the SPT scale were similar to those of sec ondary students in a previous study, and although the items of the SPT were appropriate for elementary students, procedures for administerin g the SPT scale needed to be altered. The 158 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in the second study completed the SPT and were interviewed ab out whether they preferred adaptations or nonadaptations by their teac hers. In addition, a subset of 56 students was administered an in-dept h interview based on the SPT scale. Results of quantitative and qualit ative analyses suggested that the students overwhelmingly preferred cl assroom teachers who made adaptations to meet individual students' nee ds. High achievers preferred teachers who accommodated individual need s more than did lower achievers.