Mystery or typical teen? The social construction of academic engagement and disability

A qualitative study of academic engagement of five high school students lab elled mentally retarded describes strategies of student participation and n on-participation, and teacher perceptions. These students were non-verbal o r inarticulate, and functioned in an environment of competing formal and in formal assessments of their participation and understanding in the academic environment. Teachers' informal assessments of student participation revea led how the students challenged the conventional categories employed by tea chers. The examples show the power of educators' perceptions to reveal or o bscure student engagement.