TEACHERS' VIEWS OF SELF-DETERMINATION FOR STUDENTS WITH EMOTIONAL/BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS: THE LIMITATIONS OF AN INDIVIDUALISTIC PERSPECTIVE

Focus group interviews were conducted with special education teachers from Oahu, Hawaii and Washington, DC regarding self-determination for youth with emotional/behavioral disorders. Some of the teachers defined their own self-determination in individualistic terms, while highlighting the importance of collectivistic values for many of their students. Other teachers who held more collectivist-based definitions and perceptions still discussed how their own experiences differed from those of their students. Profiles of self-determination views are presented and compared to definitions and current practices in the field of special education with respect to self-determination and transition. The concepts of individualism and collectivism and of social capital are used to enhance understanding of differences in the views of the participating teachers and of the obstacles to self-determination they identify for their students.