TEACHING PRACTICES IN CLASSROOMS FOR STUDENTS WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL-DISORDERS - DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN RECOMMENDATIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

An important issue in the study of classrooms for students with emotio nal and behavioral disorders (E/BD) concerns understanding teacher beh avior and the teacher-student interaction patterns as coactive forces in the development and maintenance of problem behavior. Recent descrip tive work in the area of teacher-student interactions suggests that te achers are employing less than optimal teaching practices. This articl e highlights a number of recommended best teaching practices, selectiv ely reviews the research literature on teacher interactions in classro oms for students with E/BD, provides a possible interpretative framewo rk for the apparent discrepancies, and makes recommendations for futur e research in this area.