Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Attitudes Toward And Images Of Children With Special Needs, Halah Elhoweris, Mahmoud F. Gharaibeh, Olla Abdulrahman, Wasmeya Al Ahbabi, Marwa Alkaabi, Maryam Saif Alshamsi

International Journal for Research in Education

The media and literature play significant roles in shaping children’s attitudes toward children with special needs. Indeed, several research studies indicate that people with special needs were often portrayed negatively and inaccurately in children’s literature books. To date, no study has been found that investigated the available Arabic and/or English children’s literature books in the UAE to see how people with special needs are portrayed. The aim of this study, therefore, was twofold: a) to analyse children’s literature which feature books with special needs characters, and b) to examine the differences between Arabic and English ...

Combining Intake And Iep Meetings: Evaluation Of The Effects Of Interagency Collaboration Between Vocational Rehabilitation And Special Educators, Katrina Cummings

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports

Collaboration between agencies has been shown to be an indicator of post-school success for individuals with disabilities. While it is shown to be important, collaboration between Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and Special Educators (SPED) does not always occur. This project examined the effects of combining Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and intake interviews on the rate and satisfaction of collaboration and the understanding of the other agencies roles and responsibilities. Participants included four SPED teachers and two VR counselors. All participants worked with individuals with disabilities between the ages 15-22 years who attend public education in a school district in the western ...

Co-Teaching And Its Effect On Student Growth, Troy Weiss

All Capstone Projects

With the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990 and again in 2004 Congress stated that students with special needs were to be educated in the least restrictive environment to the greatest extent possible. In order to meet the federal mandate many districts used co-teaching as a service delivery option for special needs students who are in a general education classroom. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of co-teaching on academic growth, particularly for students with an Individualized Education Plan. When reviewing the literature it was found that co-teaching has been studied and ...

"I Met My Goal!": The Use Of Self-Regulated Learning With Students Receiving Tier 3 Instruction In Reading, Ashley Pennypacker Hill

Journal of Practitioner Research

In this article, I share two lessons learned through engagement in practitioner inquiry. The purpose of my inquiry was to understand self-regulated learning as it developed in students receiving intensive instructional supports within a newly designed 21^st century learning space. I illustrate each lesson with salient excerpts from three types of data: field notes, student artifacts, and my own daily journal entries. Prior to my discussion of these lessons learned, I define self-regulated learning and describe how I applied it to my Tier-3 instructional practice. This study affirms the importance of structure when first introducing self-regulation to students, and ...

Administrator And Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusion, Heather N. Lemay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the attitudes of teachers and administrators toward inclusion in the classroom. Specifically this study analyzed grade level, years of teaching experience, and levels of education to examine the manner in which these factors relate to attitudes of teachers and administrators toward inclusion.

Participants in this study were located in 3 school districts in East Tennessee. All data were collected through an online survey distributed to prek-12 teachers by way of email from school principals. The analysis of data was based on the responses of 183 teachers and administrators from these 3 school districts. Findings ...

Teacher Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of The Response To Intervention Framework With English Learners, Donna Stapleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine teacher perceptions of the effectiveness of the Response to Intervention (RtI) framework with students who are acquiring English as a second language.

Students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds have been disproportionately represented in special education programs for decades (Artiles & Trent, 1994; Donovan & Cross, 2002; Heller, Holtzman, & Messick, 1982). Legislators responsible for the authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act in 2004 (IDEIA 2004) allowed state education leaders the option to use RtI as an alternative identification method. RtI was believed to be a framework through which the number of inappropriate EL referrals ...

The Good Behavior Game: Effects On And Maintenance Of Behavior In Middle-School Classrooms Using Class Dojo, Komila Dadakhodjaeva

Dissertations

Classroom management is one of the key components for successful instruction and affects both instructors and learners. Although most frequent discipline strategies in schools involve punitive actions, research suggests that using positive statements to teach and reinforce desirable behaviors is more appropriate and effective. A form of a group-oriented contingency that focuses on desirable behaviors is a positive variation of the Good Behavior Game (GBG). The GBG has been used widely in its original form, focusing on undesirable behaviors, and more research is needed on its positive version. Another strategy that can be used within classrooms is Class Dojo, a ...

Differential Diagnosis Of Specific Learning Disability Within A Response To Intervention Framework, Michael J. Boneshefski

Theses and Dissertations (All)

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent two major specific learning disability (SLD) criteria, including a student’s level of academic achievement and rate of improvement (ROI), predict multidisciplinary evaluation teams’ decision-making regarding referral for special education evaluation and special education eligibility. Reading curriculum-based measurement (CBM-R) and demographic data were obtained from 383 second and third grade students in a Midwestern state who were receiving general education intervention in reading but not referred for a special education evaluation or who were found eligible for special education. CBM-R data were analyzed to determine whether students found eligible ...

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Supervision And Self-Efficacy In Early Career School Psychologists, School Psychology Interns, And Practicum Students, Felicia M. Kaas

Theses and Dissertations (All)

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between self-efficacy and supervision in early career school psychologists and school psychology graduate students who are currently completing either their practicum or internship experiences. The sample consisted of practicing early career school psychologists (ECPs) and school psychology graduate students (50 ECPs, 34 graduate students). Participants completed a demographic survey and the Huber Inventory of Self-Efficacy for School Psychologists (HIS-SP). Results indicated that ECPs and graduate students experience relatively low levels of self-efficacy relative to the domains of practice. ECPs reported significantly higher self-efficacy related to counseling than graduate students, but ...

Yoga And Mindfulness In The Inclusion Classroom, Maria Petruzzelli

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the effectiveness of implementing mindfulness and yoga techniques in two sections of fourth grade inclusion language arts classes. More specifically, this paper examines the effectiveness of yoga and mindfulness techniques on the frequency of off-task behaviors and academic achievement. It was hypothesized that off-task behaviors would occur less frequently and that academic performance in writing would improve after a yoga and mindfulness intervention was implemented.

Using a pre-post no-control design, thirty-six students, eighteen per class, from a public elementary school in Southern New Jersey participated in this investigation. Baseline and post implementation data were collected using On-Demand ...

The Influence Of Instructional Coaches On Special Educators’ Skills And Effectiveness, Julie Olsen

All Theses And Dissertations

Instructional coaching has been a practice in public schools since the early 1990’s and began in the area of reading coaching. While coaching has expanded nationally to include other content areas over the years, there is little information regarding the use of Instructional Coaches who are experts in the field of special education. This qualitative study, grounded in Vygotsky’s (1934) sociocultural theory of human learning and Jim Knight’s (2007) partnership theory, examines the ways in which Instructional Coaches influence special educators’ skills/effectiveness and the experiences special educators have with coaching models in a K-8 public school ...

The Effects Of Using Digital Texts On Chromebooks On The Reading Comprehension And Academic Engagement Of Elementary School Students With Learning Disabilities In The Inclusive Classroom, Kimberly Michelle Milchanoski-Bach

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of digital texts on Chromebooks as an assistive technology to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities in an inclusive classroom. Specifically, the study examined (a) the effectiveness of using digital texts on Chromebooks on reading comprehension, (b) the effectiveness of digital texts on Chromebooks to improve engagement and on-task behavior of students with learning disabilities, and (c) student satisfaction using digital texts in the inclusive classroom. Students displayed variation in performance on comprehension and academic engagement throughout the intervention. Findings suggest that digital texts may hinder the comprehension ...

The Effects Of Graphic Organizers To Identify Main Idea And Supporting Details In Informational Text On Students With Learning Disabilities, Heather Coombs

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of graphic organizers to identify main idea and supporting details in informational text on students with learning disabilities. The participants were eight 6th grade students classified with learning disabilities in reading. This study implemented an ABAB design. Data was collected during the Baseline (A1), Intervention (B1), Baseline (A2), and Intervention (B2) phases. The independent variable for this study was the utilization of a graphic organizer to assist in identifying main idea and supporting details, as well as reading comprehension. The dependent variables were student identification of main idea and supporting ...

Longitudinal Predictors Of Functioning In Children With Asd, Alli Smith, Megan Lyons, Katherine Tsatsanis, Rhea Paul

Rhea Paul

Objective: To examine whether maternal education and number of intervention hours are correlated and/or predictive of a range of developmental outcomes in a longitudinal cohort of children diagnosed with ASD.

Disentangling Language Differences From Disability: A Case Study Of District-Preservice Collaboration, Julie Esparza Brown, Phyllis Campbell Ault

Julie Esparza Brown

Identifying which K-12 English Learners (ELs) should receive special education services has historically been challenging and fraught with error. Educators are commonly puzzled as to whether an EL student’s academic difficulties are the result of insufficient academic English language, inappropriate instruction, or an intrinsic learning disability. This article examines the influence of a university–district partnership designed to prepare bilingual/bicultural special educators with specific skills and knowledge in disentangling language difference from disability. A unique aspect of the program was that these “BiSped” educators were mostly bilingual, bicultural paraprofessionals in their schools. This feature of the program recognized ...

Success Of Secondary Special Education Students Outside Of Classroom In Integrated Occupational Learning Environments, Erik Yost

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to highlight the benefits of vocational work outside of the classroom for special education students, primarily those who are in enrolled in secondary school. It also questions how effective a vocational setting is compared to a traditional classroom setting for special education students nearing the end of their initial educational track. It was hypothesized that special education students, primarily enrolled in secondary or high school, benefit from a learning environment outside of a normalized classroom setting due to the first-hand experience gained in a real-world setting is more conducive to long-term success after completing ...

The Effects Of Classical Music On Children With Learning Disabilities In A Sixth Grade Mathematics Classroom, Amy C. Mckeever

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this exploratory investigation were to (a) determine if sixth grade students would improve their math performance (in areas of staying on task, focusing, and completing work) while classical music was being played, (b) determine if students will report they feel differently and more successful in the mathematics classroom while classical music was being played, and (c) determine if students with learning disabilities will improve their mathematical performance (in areas of staying on task, focusing, and completing work) while classical music is being played. In this study, there were 19 students. The results show that classical music had ...

Using An Apple Ipad And Communication Application To Increase Communication In Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jamy H. Meeks

Georgia Educational Researcher

With the increase in the number of students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it is imperative to determine productive interventions to enhance communication skills. Recent investigations regarding the use of speech generated devices (SGD), such as the Apple iPad, to communicate have been performed with mixed results (Flores, Musgrove, Renner, Hinton, Strozier, Franklin, & Hill, 2012). The researcher used a single subject design, incorporating multiple baselines across settings, for two preschool students diagnosed with ASD in a public preschool during snack time and center time. The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of a SGD increased ...

Effects Of Parent Training On Increased Knowledge And Changes In Perceptions Regarding Transition To Adulthood For Middle School Youth With Disabilities, Lauren E. Wright

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parents of children with severe/moderate disabilities experience uncertainty and a lack of knowledge as their children go through the transition to adulthood. Research has shown parents play a key role in their child's postschool outcome success and that parent training and beginning transition preparation early are key predictors. This study examined the effects of parent training on parents' knowledge, expectations, and action towards their child's transition to adulthood. Participants consisted of parents of middle school youth with severe/moderate disabilities. The study measured parent knowledge, expectations, and actions. Procedures involved (a) a pretest administered to parents on ...

The Effects Of Training On Parent Knowledge And Expectations Of Student Postschool Outcomes, Robert Hunsaker

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports

Most students with disabilities have poor postschool outcomes related to employment or postsecondary education. Very few of these students gain meaningful jobs or go to college. A key predictor of successful postschool outcomes for students with disabilities is high parental expectations. This project examined the effects of parent training on transition agency services on increasing parents’ knowledge and expectations for postschool outcomes for their young adult with disabilities. Participants included English-speaking parents/guardians of young adults with disabilities from Alpine school district in Utah. Participants’ knowledge was measured by correct answers on identical pretests and posttests. Participants’ expectations were measured ...