Chapter 10 Hobson's Choice: Illusory Intervention Choice for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners with Problem Behaviors

Abstract

Hobson's choice is a “no-choice” choice that gives general and special educators the traditional impetus to do what they want in classrooms. While there is some “goodness” in having this power and audacity to control whatever happens in classrooms, it does not allow for creativity, flexibility, adaptability, modification, especially in behavior management, assessment practices, instructional delivery. In addition, it presents many practical problems in this era of response-to-intervention (Rtl) and actually devalues the integrity of any form of remedial or special education. For many culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners who are already operating at different cultural, linguistic, and racial levels with their teachers and service providers, the Hobson's choice can have some unintended devastating educational effects. For example, by not allowing any alternatively creative options, CLD learners can be misidentified, misassessed, miscategorized, misplaced, and misinstructed. More so, it can lead to school drop out and increase in school and societal problems. Clearly, rather than impose the “no-choice” choice on CLD students who are sometimes disenfranchised because of the differences that they bring to school programs, it is important for general and special educators to be innovative in managing inappropriate behaviors in today's multicultural classrooms. This is the premise of this chapter.

Citation

Obiakor, F.E. (2012), "Chapter 10 Hobson's Choice: Illusory Intervention Choice for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners with Problem Behaviors", Bakken, J.P., Obiakor, F.E. and Rotatori, A.F. (Ed.) Behavioral Disorders: Identification, Assessment, and Instruction of Students with EBD (Advances in Special Education, Vol. 22), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 221-231. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0270-4013(2012)0000022013