Teacher Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Inclusion In Elementary Classroom Settings,
2016
Walden University
Teacher Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Inclusion In Elementary Classroom Settings, Delicia Peacock Peacock
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Inclusion classrooms were introduced in the United States in 1990 when the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act required that special education students be instructed in a general education setting. Ensuing changes in instructional formats have caused role confusion for special and general education teachers, resulted in mixed attitudes toward teacher responsibilities, and lowered teachers' sense of efficacy about being able to teach their students. Guided by Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory, this bounded case study design in a rural elementary school in a southeastern state was used to understand the perceptions of general and special educators regarding their work in …
Facilitating The Acquisition Of Social Skills Through Service Learning,
2016
Walden University
Facilitating The Acquisition Of Social Skills Through Service Learning, Becky J. Hendrickson
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Deficits in communication affect individuals with autism regarding the ability to access a free and appropriate education as well as quality of life. This research study explored the effects of a service-learning project on acquisition of social skills and reduction of problem behaviors for students who have autism. The conceptual framework for this study was based on Maslow's theory of motivation and Erickson's 8 stages of personality development. A mixed-methods design with sequential transformative strategy was used to collect quantitative data from 5 elementary students who have autism during involvement in service learning; the Social Skills Improvement System was used …
General Education Teachers' Perceptions About Teaching Students With Autism In Urban Schools,
2016
Walden University
General Education Teachers' Perceptions About Teaching Students With Autism In Urban Schools, Sabrina Denise Evans
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are included or mainstreamed in general education classrooms, yet general education teachers receive little, if any, formal training for working with children with ASD. The conceptual framework for this study was differentiated instruction, which is a best practice intended to improve educational experiences for children diagnosed with ASD. The purpose of this research study was to explore general education teachers' perceptions of providing differentiated instruction to these students. The research questions examined teachers' perceptions of barriers that can affect their ability to differentiate instruction in their classrooms and strategies teachers use to facilitate …
Elementary Coteachers' Understanding About Differentiated Instructional Practices For Students With Disabilities,
2016
Walden University
Elementary Coteachers' Understanding About Differentiated Instructional Practices For Students With Disabilities, Betty Smith King
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Despite a rural Georgia school district's effort to increase the academic performance of all students, the achievement gap persists between general education and special education students. The purpose of the study was to explore what factors hindered coteachers from consistently applying differentiated instruction in elementary inclusion classrooms. The conceptual framework for the study emanated from Vygotsky's social development theory as it related to teachers learning from each other through professional collaboration. The research questions explored coteachers' perceptions about differentiated instruction for students with disabilities. Using a case study methodology and purposeful sampling of 6 general education and 6 special education …
Elementary Teachers' Understanding, Knowledge, And Perceptions Of Inclusion Best Practices,
2016
Walden University
Elementary Teachers' Understanding, Knowledge, And Perceptions Of Inclusion Best Practices, Jason Liggins
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Recent legislative actions requiring schools in the local school system to increase the percentage of students served in the inclusion classroom has led to teachers having difficulty in implementing inclusion best practices. Using Vygotsky's social theory, the purpose of this case study was to examine teachers' understanding, knowledge, and perceptions of inclusive teaching strategies. The research questions were used to explore the teachers' understanding of inclusion, perceived effectiveness of strategies, and the resources that teachers feel are necessary to implement inclusion strategies. A purposeful sample of 10 teachers currently teaching in an inclusion setting were interviewed face-to-face using semistructured questions. …
A Phenomenological Study Of The Roles Of Principals In Special Education,
2016
Walden University
A Phenomenological Study Of The Roles Of Principals In Special Education, Sarah Marie Parker
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
At the time of this study, there is intensified awareness of the importance of special education and the appropriate implementation of supports and services for the students identified as having special needs. In the United States, understanding special education laws, the needs of students with special needs who are served in the school building, and effective ways to interact with staff members and families about special education are important components of principal leadership success. Principal supervisors and others who provide training and ongoing professional development for principals and potential school leaders need to understand more about issues principals face in …
Special Education Teachers' Sense Of Efficacy And Reading Achievement Of Students With Severe Disabilities,
2016
Walden University
Special Education Teachers' Sense Of Efficacy And Reading Achievement Of Students With Severe Disabilities, Melissa Victoria Beck Wells
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Assessment scores indicated students with severe disabilities (SWSD) have not been performing to their maximum potential, which may lead to lower quality of life after graduation. Teacher efficacy has been shown to impact student achievement; thus, this study involved exploring the teacher efficacy of the teachers of SWSD. Tschannen-Moran, Woolfolk Hoy, and Hoy's teacher efficacy conceptual framework guided this nonexperimental correlation study to investigate if levels of self-efficacy, years of overall teaching experience, and years of teaching experience with Grade 3 to 8 SWSD were predictors of student reading achievement in a New York City school district. Two open-ended questions …
Middle School Teachers' Experiences With Teaching Self-Regulation Skills To Adolescents With Disabilities,
2016
Walden University
Middle School Teachers' Experiences With Teaching Self-Regulation Skills To Adolescents With Disabilities, Jessica Traylor
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Research shows that adolescents with disabilities often lack self-regulated learning skills. Current research further indicates that explicit teaching of self-regulation skills is beneficial to adolescents with disabilities. The site of this study was a local middle school in rural Georgia that did not assess whether or not teachers were explicitly teaching self-regulation skills to adolescents with disabilities. It was unknown, therefore, whether adolescents with disabilities were learning self-regulation skills in school and whether teachers faced problems in teaching these skills. The study sought to explore this gap in knowledge and practice. Zimmerman's self-regulated learning theory and Bandura's self-efficacy theory served …
The Impact Of Co-Teaching On The Graduation Test Scores Of Students With Disabilities,
2016
Walden University
The Impact Of Co-Teaching On The Graduation Test Scores Of Students With Disabilities, Jeannette Lynn Stach
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
According to the U.S Department of Education, co-teaching is an intervention used to give students with disabilities access to the general education curriculum while in the general education classroom. It's necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of co-teaching as it relates to academic performance. However, there has been a dearth of research on quantitative studies related to co-teaching and their results have been inconclusive. This quantitative study explored whether co-teaching has a positive effect on academic performance compared to collaborative teaching, and adds to the literature in this area that is considered current. On an annual basis from 2002 to 2011, …
Hearing Parents Of Children With Hearing Loss: Perceptions Of The Iep Process,
2016
Walden University
Hearing Parents Of Children With Hearing Loss: Perceptions Of The Iep Process, Robin Fern Stegman
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
This phenomenological study investigated the nature and extent of the support parents received during IEP development. The study was informed by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Participants, located in a Northeastern state, were 10 hearing parents of children who had been diagnosed with hearing loss at birth and were between ages 5 and 12. Data were in-depth interviews that were analyzed, coded, and organized into themes using an inductive approach to analysis informed by Hatch. Results indicated that parents believed they needed more guidance on what to expect during the first IEP meeting, that advocating for appropriate accommodations for their child …
Teacher Perception Of Technology As A Conduit To Acquiring Critical Thinking Skills,
2016
Walden University
Teacher Perception Of Technology As A Conduit To Acquiring Critical Thinking Skills, Wanda Pearl Patrick
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Seventh-grade and eighth-grade special education students struggle to learn higher-order thinking skills in pre-algebra and algebra that can be addressed by using technology. However, little is known about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers' attitudes toward use of and their actual use of calculators and technology to access students' development of higher-order thinking skills. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of rural middle school Grade 7 and 8 STEM teachers in one Western state. This study used Gardner's multiple intelligences and Armstrong's neurodiversity theories as a framework. Participants were 10 Grade 7 and …
Elementary General Education Teachers' Knowledge Of And Experience Teaching Students With Disabilities In Science And Social Studies,
2016
Walden University
Elementary General Education Teachers' Knowledge Of And Experience Teaching Students With Disabilities In Science And Social Studies, Diane Rice
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
In Grades 3 to 5 at a suburban southeastern elementary school, the percentage of students with disabilities (SWDs) who do not meet state standards in science and social studies is greater than that of their nondisabled peers. To address this disparity, district administrators required that proficiency ratings increase for SWDs without providing general education (GE) teachers with training. A qualitative bounded case study was used to understand how GE teachers constructed their knowledge of and met SWDs instructional needs and to understand GE teachers' needs as they worked toward meeting the district goals. Piaget's constructivist learning theory served as the …
Adult Learners' And Millennials' Preferred Methods Of Instruction In The College Classroom,
2016
Walden University
Adult Learners' And Millennials' Preferred Methods Of Instruction In The College Classroom, January Marie Baker
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Today's college students are diverse and include students who differ in chronological age and developmental learning levels. This recent shift in student demographics, including millennials and adult learners, has created a need for instructors to understand and address their students' learning preferences. Traditionally, student feedback has been collected from course evaluation forms after each term ended, thus preventing instructors from incorporating student feedback into their teaching. Accordingly, this narrative qualitative case study was conducted to explore what instructional methods students in a community college developmental reading course preferred to meet their learning preferences and classroom needs. Willingham's interpretation of informational …
Effects Of Direct Instruction Common Core Math On Students With Learning Disabilities,
2016
Walden University
Effects Of Direct Instruction Common Core Math On Students With Learning Disabilities, Joseph Ifeanyi Monye
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
U.S. students with learning disabilities' math skills acquisition has been on the decline in recent years. Studies show that teachers using traditional methods of teaching math lack knowledge of task analysis, chunking, sequencing, mass practice, modeling, and repetition of instruction. These components of direct instruction or pedagogical activities are hallmarks of special education teaching and are collectively described as cognitive support pedagogy. The study evaluated direct instruction teaching strategies to teach Common Core math to middle school students with learning disabilities, to determine if the current downward trend in math skills acquisition amongst them can be reversed. The theoretical framework …
Educational Assistants Supporting Inclusive Education In Secondary Schools,
2015
The University of Western Ontario
Educational Assistants Supporting Inclusive Education In Secondary Schools, Amy C. Kipfer
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
As school boards in Ontario move towards more inclusive models of learning, more students with disabilities are taught in regular classes instead of self-contained placements. This move results in a role change for the educational assistant (EA). Research is needed to determine the overall framework that will make the use of EAs a more effective practice for student and school. Fifteen EAs working in secondary schools within a school board in southwestern Ontario which was moving to a more inclusive model of education were individually interviewed. EAs chosen for the study had a background of supporting students with developmental disabilities …
Post Hoc Analysis On The Effect Of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention Provided To Preschool Children On The Autism Spectrum,
2015
Dominican University of California
Post Hoc Analysis On The Effect Of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention Provided To Preschool Children On The Autism Spectrum, Catherine R. Maxwell Dumont
Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects
Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) provides a framework for educators to assist children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to increase independence and positive social skills in the classroom (Reichow, 2012). Preschoolers with ASD who do not have access to programs tend to display negative and socially inappropriate behavior, such as acts of aggression, withdrawal, and inability to attend to lessons. Studies on program effectiveness documented that preschool children who received EIBI scored higher on IQ, language comprehension, imitation, expressive language, nonverbal communication, play, stereotyped behaviors and adaptive functioning compared to preschool children who do not receive EIBI. The literature …
Deaf Children’S Science Content Learning In Direct Instruction Versus Interpreted Instruction,
2015
Rochester Institute of Technology
Deaf Children’S Science Content Learning In Direct Instruction Versus Interpreted Instruction, Kim B. Kurz, Brenda Schick, Peter C. Hauser
Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities
This research study compared learning of 6-9th grade deaf students under two modes of educational delivery – interpreted vs. direct instruction using science lessons. Nineteen deaf students participated in the study in which they were taught six science lessons in American Sign Language. In one condition, the lessons were taught by a hearing teacher in English and were translated in ASL via a professional and certified interpreter. In the second condition, the lessons were taught to the students in ASL by a deaf teacher. All students saw three lessons delivered via an interpreter and three different lessons in direct ASL; …
National Assessment Of Educational Progress (Naep) Results For 2015,
2015
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
National Assessment Of Educational Progress (Naep) Results For 2015, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter
Policy Briefs
The National Center for Education Statistics has released this year’s NAEP results which measure nationwide student performance in 4th and 8th grade Reading and Math. NAEP is administered nationally to a representative sample of students from all 50 states, so acts as a standard measure of student performance across states and time. This policy brief will examine Arkansas’ 2015 results and consider possible causes and implications.
What I Taught My Stem Instructor About Teaching: What A Deaf Student Hears That Others Cannot,
2015
Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical Insitute for the Deaf
What I Taught My Stem Instructor About Teaching: What A Deaf Student Hears That Others Cannot, Annemarie Ross, Randy K. Yerrick
Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities
Overall, science teaching at the university level has remained in a relatively static state. There is much research and debate among university faculty regarding the most effective methods of teaching science. But it remains largely rhetoric. The traditional lecture model in STEM higher education is limping along in its march toward inclusion and equity. The NGSS and Common Core reform efforts do little to help university science teachers to change their orientation from largely lecture-driven practice with laboratory supplements. While it is impossible to address all diverse student groups, the need for accommodations tend to be overlooked. As a Deaf …
Education Funding Equity In Arkansas,
2015
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Education Funding Equity In Arkansas, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter
Policy Briefs
Thanks to the landmark Lake View case, Arkansas has doubled-down on its commitment to ensuring an equitable education to all students. This brief examines the equity of current education spending in Arkansas.
