Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

A Mixed Method Study Investigating High School Teacher-Student Perceptions Of Teacher-Caring Behaviors, Patricia C. King

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects

The teacher-student relationship, which sociologists believe to be the driving force of change in student learning experiences, has largely been overlooked and underdeveloped. As Noddings (2003) explained, in teacher-caring behavior, the carer must take on a dual perspective and see the world not only through the lens of the carer but also through the lens of the one being cared for.

In this study, a mixed-method approach was used to investigate what high school teachers and students perceive to be caring-teacher behaviors. The purpose was to gain a better understanding of the factors that contribute to the development of caring ...

Predictive Admission Criteria In Graduate Programs In Speech-Language Pathology, Mary Lloyd Moore

Dissertations

Speech-language pathology is a profession for which there is increasing demand as well as being one of the most desirable career paths in the United States. Graduation of qualified persons who can pass the Praxis exam is an essential outcome of all graduate programs in speech-language pathology. If predictors of competence could be identified before admission, graduate programs would be better able to select students who would maximize the expenditure of materials, energy, and expertise, thereby decreasing the potential failure for both students and universities. Therefore, this research addresses the extent to which selected variables may serve to predict success ...

Off Sunset Boulevard: Students, Homelessness And Disability In Los Angeles- Idea, Mckinney Vento And The Void In Between, Remy Krumpak

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

Homeless youth with a disability must overcome many barriers to receive the meaningful, individualized education they are legally entitled to. Over the last two decades, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the McKinney-Vento Act have begun to acknowledge the challenges that exist for this population. These laws require school districts to identify homeless youth with a disability, allow them immediate enrollment and access to special education services, and free transportation to school. This article examines the Los Angeles Unified School District as a case study for policy implementation. In analyzing the success of the policies as implemented, this article ...

Kyted President's Letter, Steve Crites

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Read a letter from the president.

Perceived Classroom Management Needs Of Pre-Service Teachers, Nielsen Pereira, Jillian Gates

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

A disconnect exists between pre-service teachers’ expectations concerning classroom management course content and the reality of teaching in an elementary school. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived needs of pre-service teachers in a classroom management course for elementary education majors at a Midwestern university.

Comparing Types Of Student Placement And The Effect On Achievement For Students With Disabilities, Patricia Mason

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since implementing No Child Left Behind, schools have improved student achievement while also preparing students for the 21st century. Schools continue to strive for 100% proficiency in all subgroups by 2014, but achievement gap exists for students with disabilities. This study used a causal comparative research design to test the concept of co-teaching by comparing types of placement for students with disabilities and the effect on student achievement. For this study, placement was considered where the student received instruction in either a general education class or a co-taught class during 9th through 11th grade. Student achievement was based on the ...

Examining The Relationships Between Secondary General Education Teachers' Attitudes Toward Inclusion, Professional Development, And Support From Special Education Personnel, Lynn Wogamon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This correlational research study examined the relationships between secondary general education teachers' attitudes toward inclusion, hours of professional development in topics related to special education and hours of support from special education personnel addressing the needs of students with disabilities received weekly. The research also investigated whether this information could be used to predict secondary general education teachers' attitudes towards inclusion. General education teachers in six South Carolina high schools completed the Scale of Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms (STATIC) and a demographic survey that asked about hours of professional development in special education topics and hours of support received ...

Building A Foundation For Confidence Thinking In The Acquisition And Development Of New Choices, Clarissa E. Steffen Ed.D.

Faculty Scholarship (COE)

No abstract provided.

Integrative Holistic Educaton: A Flexible Model To Meet The Needs Of Students In Our Post-Modal Society, Clarissa E. Steffen Ed.D.

Faculty Scholarship (COE)

No abstract provided.

Ted Talk Selection: Annotated Resource List, Brooke Cooper

Undergraduate Research Award

Undergraduate research award given by WKU Libraries and University Experience, Library Skills, for best annotated resource, December 3, 2013

Universal Design Of Instruction And Cognitions Of Choice: An Integrated Approach To Learning, Clarissa E. Steffen Ed.D.

Faculty Scholarship (COE)

No abstract provided.

Advance Organizers In Secondary Special Education Resource Classrooms: Effects On Student Engagement Behaviors, Lisa King

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Student engagement and appropriate behaviors are essential for effective instruction in secondary special education classrooms. Research suggests that proactive engagement strategies and interventions can have a greater effect on overall classroom behaviors than negative consequences. A single case experiment measured the effects of expository advance organizers on academically engaged behavior, respectful behavior, and disruptive behavior in the special education self-contained resource classroom. The single-case A-B-A-B design for this study evaluates these components of student engagement during academic instruction over a four-week period. Three secondary special education small-group resource Language Arts classes from a Northeast Georgia high school comprised the subject ...

Trainee Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Students With Specific Learning Disabilities, Stuart Woodcock

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Policies on the inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms have focused attention on how general education teachers perceive these students. Furthermore with specific learning disabilities forming a large group of diverse students, and teachers’ attitudes often not changing over the career span, preparing teachers for inclusive education is vitally important. This study aimed to identify the attitudes of trainee¹ teachers towards students with specific learning disabilities and differentiation of the curriculum. Significant differences were found between the attitudes of primary and secondary school trainee teachers, and the influence of training. There were no differences in ...

The Impact Self-Graphing Has On The Writing Fluency And Writing Attitudes Of Three 3rd Grade Students With Special Needs, Julie Anne Hyatt

Education and Human Development Master's Theses

With the demands of the Common Core Standards, a large emphasis has been placed on writing in all content areas. Unfortunately, in regards to students with special needs, teachers are unsure how to instruct them to produce higher quality writing and increase writing fluency. This study was designed to explore the impact self-graphing has on the writing fluency and writing attitudes of three third grade male students with special needs. Each student was given a survey to determine his or her attitude towards writing and asked to write about a prompt for varying amounts of time for six weeks. The ...

Early Identification And Improvement Of Variables Related To Course Success, Carolyn Anne Blondin

Doctoral Dissertations

The process of identifying and improving factors related to early exam success or failure in an undergraduate setting (Ed Psych 210) was divided into 2 separate studies. The first study was a retrospective analysis of 2 years’ of data that compared high and low performers on the first course exam with respect to their subsequent success in the course. Mean comparison between initially high (N = 158) and low (N = 163) performers revealed significantly higher means for those in the former group across several academic variables (i.e., critical thinking, grade point average, subsequent exams, practice exams, quiz scores). Analyses of ...

Using Mobile Technology To Improve Autonomy In Students With Intellectual Disabilities In Postsecondary Education Programs, Catherine Caudle Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

Nationwide there are approximately 200 postsecondary education programs that provide inclusive college experiences for young adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) (Grigal & Hart, 2010). To navigate college campuses, the greater surrounding community, and ultimately competitive employment, young adults with ID need literacy, communication, and navigation skills. The purpose of these two studies was to investigate the effects of mobile technology to improve the autonomy of students with ID enrolled in a postsecondary education program. The purpose of experiment I was to examine the effectiveness of three different communication applications (i.e., text, audio, and video) to send and receive text messages ...

An Examination Into The Relationship Between Teacher Efficacy And Organizational Commitment Of Special Education Teachers, David P. Murphy

Education Doctoral Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher efficacy and organizational commitment of special education teachers in Massachusetts. A sample of 168 of current special education teachers from across the state of Massachusetts participated in the web- based survey. The findings indicated that no significant correlation exists between teacher efficacy and organizational commitment of special education teachers in Massachusetts. Yet, the data showed a positive correlation between one's personal teaching efficacy and one's continuance commitment and a negative correlation between one's personal teaching efficacy and one's normative commitment. These findings also indicated ...

Experiencing Transition Planning: The Perspective Of Students With Moderate Special Needs, Petra Wellington Platt

Education Doctoral Theses

Special educators must engage students with special needs in transition planning to help students set and achieve goals with regard to postsecondary education, vocation, community engagement, and independent living. Researchers have examined many aspects of transition planning, but few have examined how students with special needs experience the transition process and the outcome of transition. It is important to examine the student perspective to fill a gap in the literature, to enable schools to develop more effective transition planning services, and to provide these students with a voice. This study used a phenomenological approach to fulfill these goals by examining ...

Using A Mobile Device To Deliver Visual Schedules To Young Children With Autism, Leslie Nelson

UNLV Theses/Dissertations/Professional Papers/Capstones

Young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently display an inability to self-regulate (use materials appropriately and refrain from self-stimulatory behavior) and self-monitor (complete each step in a task before continuing to the next step) their behavior and therefore experience a great deal of failure within their respective school and home environments and frequently end up receiving instruction in restrictive, self-contained classrooms. Visual schedules have been used to help students with ASD self-regulate their behaviors in academic and community settings (NPDC, 2010; NSR, 2009). The purpose of this study was to determine whether high-tech visual schedules increase the self-regulation and ...

Investigating The Effects Of A Sentence Writing Strategy And A Self-Monitoring Procedure On The Writing Performance Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, David Rago

UNLV Theses/Dissertations/Professional Papers/Capstones

Writing is a tool students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can use to communicate and interact with other people socially and professionally. Strong writing skills may lead to social and economic success, as well as a sense of self-empowerment. Unfortunately, there is very little research related to the use of sentence-writing strategies and self-monitoring procedures to improve the writing performance of adolescent students with ASD. Thus, this study was designed to examine the effects of a sentence-writing strategy and a self-monitoring procedure on the writing performance of adolescents with ASD.

The study included five participants. These participants attended the same ...