Students' Active Participation in General Education Classroom Activities

Although many teacher-directed activities, such as instructional grouping and activities outside the classroom, did not significantly differ between the overall group of students with mental retardation and their class as a whole, there did appear to be notable differences with regard to classroom participation (table 11). Teachers reported that students with mental retardation participated less than their peers in general education classes, with significantly fewer students with mental retardation "often" responding orally to questions (21 percent vs. 71 percent, p < .001). Other examples of the disparity in classroom participation between students with mental retardation and students in the general education class as a whole were noted in the significant difference in percentages of student presentations to the class or group, with almost two-thirds (64 percent) of students with mental retardation, compared with one-third (33 percent) of their peers, "rarely" or "never" presenting to the class or group (p < .001). In addition, teachers reported that 19 percent of students with mental retardation "rarely" or "never" worked with a peer or group, compared with 5 percent of their general education classmates (p < .01). The frequency of participation in general education classrooms activities did not differ significantly between parent-reported high-and moderate-functioningstudents with mental retardation.