The effect of background information on a student referral for special education

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of background information on the decisions made for a student who is being referred for special education. Specifically, the effect that the demographic details of the student and his/her IQ test scores will have on how school psychologists interpret the results of a test of cognitive abilities and what educational decisions will be made based on the test results and the student’s perceived family background. The review of literature suggests that background variables, such as the school setting and the child’s background of either living in a rural, suburban, or urban setting, have an effect on psychoeducational decisions, but the magnitude of those variables were not as strong as were originally hypothesized (Huebner, 1985). Other research has found that when a student is being referred for specific special education title, either “gifted” or “learning disabled”, the school psychologist confirmed that the child was indeed “gifted” or “learning disabled” and the psychologist found evidence to support the reason why the student was referred, which is described as “confirmation bias” (O’Reilly, Northcraft, and Sabers, 1989). Additional research suggests that students are affected by extraneous information given to them about animals used in experimental research.