The Nature and Extent of Aggression in Special Education Settings Serving Behaviorally Disordered Students

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To determine teachers' perceptions regarding the nature and extent of aggression in settings where behaviorally disordered students are served, and to determine strategies utilized in dealing with aggressive students, a questionnaire was disseminated to 311 Florida public school special education teachers of behaviorally disordered students; 57% (178) responded. Additionally, during a 5-day school week, 75 of these teachers maintained inclassroom frequency counts of aggressive incidents in five categories. Results indicate that a variety of student verbal and physical aggressive behaviors are commonly manifested in settings where behaviorally disordered students are served. A diversity of strategies for coping with aggressive outbursts are utilized by responding teachers; however, a narrower range of administrative interventions are noted. Aggression in settings where behaviorally disordered students are served is verified and the need for additional research and teacher support is noted.