Presenter(s)

• Elizabeth Melfi, Graduate Student, Indiana University

Abstract

The underrepresentation of girls within special education can be examined through a “gendered person-position fit” perspective. This conceptual framework asserts that job candidates are assessed via how closely their gendered characteristics match those typical of a given job (Hall et al., 2015). The present study extended this framework to special education by examining the gendered characteristics of eligibility categories. Masculine perceptions would suggest that school psychologists may be operating under a gendered person-position fit perspective when making eligibility recommendations. Interestingly, the results indicated that school psychologists perceive the majority of special education eligibility categories to be feminine.