Expectations for and Satisfaction with Public School Kindergarten: Perspectives of Parents of Handicapped and Nonhandicapped Children

Abstract

Equal numbers of parents of handicapped (n = 50) and nonhandicapped (n = 50) children from mainstreamed public school kindergarten classrooms participated in a telephone interview regarding their children's kindergarten programs. Results indicated group differences between parental expectations for and degree of satisfaction with their children's programs but similarities in views on parent involvement. Parents of handicapped children varied more regarding what they wanted for their children than did parents of nonhandicapped children. Furthermore, what parents of handicapped children wanted did not correspond to what they received. Parents in both groups were similarly satisfied with the extent to which the kindergarten had met their needs as parents. Regardless of their children's conditions, parents emphasized the importance of communicating frequently with their children's teachers. Parents also indicated that kindergarten programs may be doing a better job meeting the needs of nonhandicapped children than of handicapped children, because teachers lack specific training.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Anastasiow, N. (1978). Strategies and models for early childhood intervention programs in integrated settings. In M. J. Guralnick (Ed.), Early intervention and the integration of handicapped and nonhandicapped children (pp. 85-111). Baltimore: University Park Press.

Durkin, D. (1972). Teaching young children to read. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc.

Gallup, G. (1979). The eleventh annual Gallup Poll of the public's attitudes toward the public school. Phi Delta Kappa, 60 33-45.

Guralnick, M. (1983). Fundamental issues in preschool mainstreaming . In J. Anderson & T. Black (Eds.), Mainstreaming in early education (pp. 1-19). Chapel Hill, NC: Technical Assistance Development System (TADS).

MacMillan, D. (1982). Mental retardation in school and society (2nd Ed.). Boston: Little, Brown & Co.

Meyen, E. , & Lehr, D. (1980). Least restrictive environments: Instructional implications. Focus on Exceptional Children, 12(7), 1-8.

Stafford, P. , & Rosen, L. (1981). Mainstreaming: Application of a philosophical perspective in an integrated kindergarten program. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 1(1), 1-10.

Turnbull, A. , & Winton, P. (1983). A comparison of specialized and mainstreamed preschools from the perspectives of mothers of handicapped children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 8(1), 57-71.

Vincent, L. , Salisbury, C. , Walker, G. , Brown, P. , Gruenewald, L. , & Powers, M. (1980). Program evaluation and curriculum development in early childhood/special education. In W. Sailor , B. Wilcox , & L. Brown (Eds.), Methods of instruction for severely handicapped students (pp. 303-328). Baltimore: Paul Brookes.

10.

Walker, G. , & Vincent, L. (1982). The handicapped child in the regular kindergarten classroom. Journal of the Division for Early Childhood, 6, 84-95.

11.

Winton, P. , & Turnbull, A. (1981). Parent involvement as viewed by parents of handicapped children. Journal of the Division for Early Childhood, 1(3), 11-20.