ERIC Number: ED654785
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 100
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-5825-3097-8
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Overidentification of Minorities in Special Education: A Case Study
Betheny Rita Frechette
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Northcentral University
Overidentification of minority students in special education is a significant concern. It is imperative that the districts effectively train professionals who administer testing for qualification of special education. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover why minority students are disproportionately enrolled in special education when compared to the overall percentages of student enrollment. The overarching population of this study of testing bias is professionals who administer special education assessments to students identified for special education. The conceptual framework is from John Ogbu's Cultural Ecological theory, which is appropriate for the study of institutionalized patterns of behavior interdependent with features of the environment. Minorities may be socially disadvantaged and thus unable to prosper in academics. CE theory enabled determination of why minority students receive a disproportionate number of referrals to special education. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews and a focus group. The study recruited nine participants, eight female and one male. The majority of the participants worked within a special education background. The two research questions were (a) What are the perceptions regarding special education bias in psychological testing that would lead to overidentification? and (b) How does the influence of psychological testing present a possible bias in minority groups? The data revealed the two main tests, Woodcock Johnson (WJ) and Wecshler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC) may have bias in testing. Rating scales were mentioned with a possible bias because of similar questions within the scales. Participants also revealed professionals who are testing should know the test. Conclusions from this study may advance better percpectives with testing minorities. Recommendations for future research and practice include implementing training for professionals who test students for special education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Minority Group Students, Special Education, Identification, Incidence, Disproportionate Representation, Referral, Psychological Testing, Children, Test Bias
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Woodcock Johnson Psycho Educational Battery; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
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Author Affiliations: N/A