Students with mild disabilities in regular classrooms: The development and utility of the Student Perceptions of Classroom Support scale

Background There is a dearth of empirical research pertaining to the perceptions of students with mild disabilities of the academic and social outcomes of classroom support mechanisms. The absence of suitable measures is a primary issue contributing to this situation.Method The present study reports the development and utility of the Student Perceptions of Classroom Support (SPCS) scale, which was specifically designed to assess students' perceptions of curricular, instructional, physical, and peer support received in regular classrooms from both an academic and social perspective. The SPCS was administered to 60 secondary school-aged students with mild disabilities who experienced both regular classroom and traditional special education.Results Person and item discrimination analyses, and calculation of internal consistencies (Cronbach's alpha) revealed the SPCS to have excellent psychometric properties (alpha = 50.92 for academic outcomes and alpha = 50.87 for overall social outcomes). Internal consistencies for each of the subscales are also reported.Conclusions The SPCS provides educators with a valid method of assessing students' preferred support strategies, which can then be articulated within Individual Education Plans (IEPs).