Psychology
What Do Teachers Know about Adoptive Families, and How Do They Use It to Serve Adopted Children?
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Little is known about how teachers learn about the adoptive status or background of their students, or how they use this information. This mixed-methods study examined U.S. teachers’ experiences with obtaining and using information about children’s adoptive status and background. Data were gathered via an online survey. Respondents were 207 K-12 teachers, paraprofessionals, and other school professionals. Teachers most often learned a child was adopted from the child themselves, followed by the parents. Sometimes they learned the information in the context of a child’s emotional/behavioral difficulties or their specialized education plan. Almost half had wanted to know more about a child’s adoptive status or history but were unsure of how or who to ask. Findings have implications for teachers, school support staff, and adoptive families.
Publication Title
Adoption Quarterly
Publication Date
12-10-2022
Volume
26
Issue
1
First Page
51
Last Page
76
ISSN
1544-452X
DOI
10.1080/10926755.2022.2156016
Keywords
adoption, adoptive families, parent-teacher, schools, teachers
Repository Citation
Goldberg, Abbie E. and Grotevant, Harold, "What Do Teachers Know about Adoptive Families, and How Do They Use It to Serve Adopted Children?" (2022). Psychology. 5.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_psychology/5