Teachers\u27 Perceptions on Special Education Students\u27 Social Skills and the Effect of Peer Perceptions in the General Educational Classroom.

This study identified inconsistencies between teachers\u27 perceptions of students with disabilities and parallels between the lack of positive peer perceptions and the inconsistent perceptions of general and special education teachers. To establish data this study used a selective group of seventh grade general and special education teachers from a middle school in central Virginia. This study also used one general education classroom containing students with and without disabilities. General and Special Education teachers were surveyed using the Profile/ Form Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment. Students used a modified version of the peer interpersonal assessment developed by Farmer, Rodkin, and Acker (1999). A significant difference was found between the general and special education teachers\u27 perceptions in the School Adjustment category. There was also a lack of positive votes among the general education peers. A connection between the lack of consistent perceptions for School Adjustment and the lack of positive peer perceptions may exist; however, the limitations in this research did not allow this connection to be made conclusively