Perceptions of Handicapped and Nonhandicapped Students of the Importance and Utility of Their High School Curricula

Abstract

This study examined students’ perceptions of their high school curricula as part of a more general research program on the evaluation of special education. Interviews were conducted with 106 handicapped and nonhandicapped high school juniors and seniors who were enrolled in either academic courses of study, occupational education programs, or special education programs in public school or center-based settings. Students were asked to identify the vocational, leisure, domestic, and school skills that they thought were most important, the criteria they used to make these judgments, and the skills they used most frequently. Results indicated that the greater the difference in the course of study (e.g., academic vs. work-study) and the school setting (e.g., public school vs. center-based), the less the agreement on what was considered important. Results also indicated that nonhandicapped students generally selected skills that were “general” vs. “specific”, and used “future” to judge importance more than the “present.” The study also found that there was no consistent relationship between frequently used skills and important skills. The present investigation indicates the need to consider the students’ perceptions when evaluating the significance of educational programs.