Perspectives of Pre-Service Teachers on Students with Emotional Disabilities

Perceptions of working with students of emotional disabilities or who are considered Emotionally/Behaviorally Disturbed (E/BD) is varied across the spectrum. However, one constant that does hold true is that all pre-service teachers have some hesitation in working with such students, especially if they lack any previous exposure to students with E/BD. This study compared pre- and post-test Likert-scale type surveys about pre-service teachers’ (n = 35) perceptions regarding students with E/BD. In between the pre- and post-test, the pre-service teachers were given classroom instruction and were assigned a practicum field experience to observe and work alongside students with emotionally charged behaviors housed in an alternative educational facility. The scores were analyzed via a paired t-test and findings revealed that practical observation experience at an alternative school setting for E/BD students and instruction on behavior management strategies had a significantly positive effect on survey respondents’ perceptions regarding E/BD students.