The Instructional Patterns of Two Fourth-Grade Spelling Classes: A Mainstreaming Issue

Two fourth-grade spelling classes, one for hearing-impaired students and one general education class being considered as a mainstream placement, were investigated to determine similarities and differences in the interactional behaviors of the students and teachers. Video recordings and written transcriptions were analyzed to obtain measures of both verbal and nonverbal interactions. Interactional behaviors in the two settings were found to be very different. Differences were found across physical, instructional, and social contexts. Interactions in the general education class were characterized by rapid conversational shifts and complex academic task structures, as well as complex language usage. Interactions in the hearing-impaired class were characterized by routinized academic tasks and simple language structures.