Instructional Environments in Secondary Vocational Education Programs: Implications for LD Adolescents

As increasing numbers of students with learning disabilities and other mild handicaps enroll in secondary vocational education, it becomes imperative for LD teachers to be knowledgeable about the characteristics of these programs and the instructional and behavioral demands students will be expected to meet. In this study, 30 secondary vocational educators were observed for a total of 116 observational sessions to gather data on the instructional environment of vocational education programs. Observational data were collected on curricular content, curricular format, student behavior, teacher behavior, and teacher focus. Differences between the data obtained on exploratory and preparatory programs were analyzed. Results indicate that the two types of programs pose somewhat different sets of demands, and that LD adolescents may require continuing support from the secondary special educator if they are to experience success in these programs.