Teachers’ Perspectives of African American Student Misbehavior in the General Education Classroom: A Mixed Methods Study

This study examined the sociocultural, (dis)ability, and racial factors that lead teachers to construct negative ideologies in seeking to make meaning of Black student behavior. Society influences perceptions, which in turn drives fear. The normalization of whiteness and deleterious messaging contribute to the negative images and stereotypes of African Americans, especially youth.This study examined how these negative ideologies lead teacher to make decisions to exclude Black students from the general education classroom by referring them for special education programs with restrictive placements. General conversations amongst teachers in schools, or teacher talk, television, and (social) media contribute to negative messaging by categorizing Students of Color and perpetuating stereotypes. Utilizing Critical Race Theory, DisCrit, and Intersectionality as theoretical frameworks, historical methods of oppression dating back to slavery were examined in conjunction with current methods of excluding African American students from the general education classroom. This mixed methods study used a phenomenological approach to explore new issues about race, exclusion, and (dis)ability and addressed the gaps in the literature about teachers’ perceptions of African American students’ misbehavior in general education classrooms