Attitudes Toward Direct Instruction

Students and recent graduates of an undergraduate generic special education program that uses the Direct Instruction model as the basis for methods instruction were surveyed about their attitudes toward it. Results supported the findings of previous reports with inservice teachers that experience with Direct Instruction increases positive attitudes toward it. The current study found that class size that increased the supervisor-student ratio and decreased the amount of supervised practice resulted in less favorable attitudes toward Direct Instruction. Attitudes toward Direct Instruction of graduates of the teacher education program showed only slight differences from those of students just finishing intensive training in Direct Instruction.