Perceptions of control at school among students in special education programs

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Special Education

Background:

• Student perceptions of control are crucial for engagement and academic success.
• Understanding these perceptions in special education is vital for program development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare perceptions of control at school between special and regular education students.
• To examine the impact of experimental versus non-experimental programs on these perceptions.

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from special and regular education students.
• Comparison of control perceptions across four student groups: regular education (experimental/non-experimental) and special education (experimental/non-experimental).

Main Results:

• All groups valued control in similar areas.
• Special education students in standard programs reported lower control perceptions than regular education students.
• Special education students in experimental programs reported higher control perceptions than those in standard programs.

Conclusions:

• Standard special education programs may not adequately foster students' sense of control.
• Experimental programs show promise in enhancing control perceptions for special education students.