Digital Commons Network^™

Academic Achievement And Divorce, Christine M. Neilio

Theses and Dissertations

Divorce is a major crisis in the life of a child and can lead to a decline in academic achievement. Numerous studies indicate that children of divorce show lower academic achievement than those from intact families. Studies have shown that children from one parent families score lower on achievement tests but the reasons for the test scores vary based on the individual situation.

Educational systems can play an important role in helping children of divorce deal with their problems. Teachers and counselors are very important to the success or failure of children in coping with problems associated with divorce. Since …

Kindergarten Curriculum, Kelly-Ann Grossman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to develop a kindergarten curriculum suitable for a rural disadvantaged full-day kindergarten program. This was accomplished by a review of literature including five major theories of curriculum: the enrichment curriculum, the directed teaching curriculum, the cognitive emphasis curriculum, the custodial care curriculum and the combination curriculum. A combination curriculum was decided on and specific curriculums were reviewed for further content and design. Curriculums from nearby schools were reviewed and blended with the textbooks and areas of content felt necessary by the school's kindergarten teachers.

Does Learning Style Instruction Have A Positive Effect On Academic Achievement In The First Grade?, Nancy D. Rosenberg, Pamela M. Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of learning style instruction when implemented in a typical first grade classroom setting. The study was designed to determine if the use of several learning style methodologies would produce an increase in academic achievement.

Two regular first grade classes were used as the Study and Control Groups. Each student in the Study Group was surveyed to discover possible learning styles present within the group. For approximately six months, the Study Group received instruction which was modified, wherever possible, to allow for each student's individual needs. During this period, the Control …

An Investigation Of The Effectiveness Of Behavioral Strategies Applied To Students In Inclusive Education Settings, Theresa Thum Gerber

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop strategies for regular education teachers to use in order to control the behavior/attention problems exhibited by some classified students included in their classrooms.

The study consisted of five regular education teachers, grades three through seven, and twelve classified students from Southampton Township Schools, New Jersey. The teachers were obtained through a letter which asked for teachers to volunteer who had classified students exhibiting behavior problems.

Success of the implemented strategies were measured through a pretest, posttest design using the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale-28 (CTRS-28). Analysis of the pretest results and teacher input …

Specific Strategy Instruction To Enhance Revising And Editing Skills For The Learning Disabled, Barbara J. Stubbs

Theses and Dissertations

For years, research and replications of research have supported the findings that grammar taught in isolation is at best ineffective. As a result, some teachers have abandoned grammar instruction altogether. Other teachers are unaware of the findings or simply choose to ignore them. With so many mildly handicapped students being placed in regular education classes, these curricular decisions are having an impact on their success in producing correct written communication.

This study compares eleven learning disabled seventh grade students taught in the mainstream with traditional grammar instruction to nine learning disabled peers taught in a resource center with specific strategy …

The Efficacy Of An Alternative School, Celeste Wilden

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines a self-contained day school for emotionally disturbed adolescents by evaluating whether changes produced by the intervention result in practical personally and socially worthwhile improvements. Such evaluation, often called social validation (Kazden, 1977) involves determining whether the changes have brought the student's performance within acceptable levels. Social validation deals with how closely the student's functioning fits expectations of appropriate performance in society (Haring & McCormick, 1990). This hypothesis was tested by the results of a questionnaire given to graduates from the program since DYFS withdrew its funding in 1983. Success was defined as having the ability to support …

The Effectiveness Of Prereferral Interventions Through Pupil Assistance Committees On Academic And Behavioral Needs Of Students, Barbara G. Fletcher

Theses and Dissertations

The general purpose of the study was to determine if prereferral interventions, through a PAC team, were effective in adding to the ability of a school to respond to a broad range of students' academic and behavioral needs. The population of this study consisted of 31 students. These fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students were referred to their elementary school's PAC team for behavioral and academic needs. PAC records were analyzed for information including the problems and reasons for referral, the goals of the teachers, suggested interventions, the results of each meeting, and the success of the interventions. Both a …

The Impact Of An In-Class Support Program On Regular And Special Education Teachers, Cheryl A. Marino

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an in-class support program on teachers. The subjects of this study were six pairs of teachers consisting of one regular educator and one special educator. To solicit participation, cover letters and a narrative survey instrument were mailed to each of the twelve educators. The responses were analyzed using content analysis. Most responses provided positive feedback on in-class support programs. There are some concerns for future implementation of these programs.

Self-Recording Of Attention And Its Effects On Achievement, Harvey N. Gross

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine if self-recording of attention to task after cueing improves the performance of learning disabled students. Subjects were fifty-two students in two eighth grade American History classes. The experimental group (n=25) of students had within it a subgroup of thirteen students classified perceptually impaired with moderate to severe attention disorder. Another subgroup of twelve non-learning disabled students within the same class received intervention. The control group (n=27) were all regular education students. Both groups were taught the same lessons using similar formats. A serious limitation of this study is that a small convenience …

Effect Of Computer Assisted Instruction On Written Expressive Language Of Mildly Mentally Retarded Students, Vicki R. Newman

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of computer assisted instruction on the written expressive language of mildly mentally retarded students was investigated. The quality of written work samples produced using paper and pencil was determined and compared to the quality of the expressive language samples produced on the computer after computer assisted instruction was implemented. Attitude toward writing with both modes of expression was measured. The results indicated that computer assisted instruction improved the quality of written expressive language in the areas of product length, legibility and mechanical construction. It did not significantly improve the content, complexity or thematic maturity of ideas produced on …

A Study Of Characteristics In Learning Disabled Dropouts Who Have Returned To Adult Education Programs, Deborah A. Ciapanna

Theses and Dissertations

The first purpose of this study is to identify common characteristics in a sample population of learning disabled dropouts who have returned to an adult basic education program. The second purpose is to identify characteristics of this same population which are attributed to their success in an adult education program. If we examine the information as reported by those learning disabled individuals who have been unsuccessful in completing their education, warning signals may be identified for other potential dropouts. Intervention strategies could also be created to encourage learning disabled students to stay in school. In addition, strategies may be developed …

Cognitive Apprenticeship: Authentic Problem-Solving Experiences Challenges Traditional Isolated Learning Outcomes, Nancy R. Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine if seventh grade basic skills and special education students who experienced different teaching styles would demonstrate an increased ability to solve problems on a criterion-referenced test. Pre and posttesting requiring multiple choice responses were given to a sample of 27 seventh grade students. The Control group consisted of 11 BSI students while the experimental group of sixteen students contained 6 classified, 2 ESL students, and 8 borderline BSI students.

A task performance project, Games-Recycled Math, in which students of the experimental group planned, designed, and constructed a mathematical game, was designed and implemented …

Are Learning Disabilities Discovered Or Constructed: The Unintended Consequences And Failures Of Realism As The Philosophical Basis Of Learning Disabilities Theory, Nicole C. Buhl

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

The historical and current conceptualization of learning disabilities was analyzed in terms of its underlying assumptions and guiding paradigms. It was determined that since its beginning, the field of learning disabilities has been dominated by the traditional realist perspective under the mechanistic paradigm. It was argued that such a perspective is inadequate in the field of learning disabilities. A nonrealist perspective as part of a holistic paradigm was suggested as more appropriate for the conceptualization of learning disabilities.

A Descriptive Multiple Case Study Of Three Elementary Schools In Project Homecoming, The Inclusion Program Within The Dallas Independent School District, Sharron A. Caraker

Dissertations

Topic. The focus of this study was the actions, policies, and procedures used in the successful implementation of an inclusion program in three elementary schools participating in Project Homecoming within the Dallas Independent School District. I was interested in how these actions, policies, and procedures affected the different groups within the schools--students, parents, certified staff, and non-certified staff as well. The data gathered in this study should be useful to other school districts in the process of developing an inclusion program in the elementary school.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify the actions, policies, and procedures needed …

Gender Differences In Cognitive Ability Of Children With Hearing Impairment On The Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-3rd Edition, Damian D. Jones

Masters Theses

This research thesis investigates possible gender differences of deaf children on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (3rd ed.). The Illinois School for the Deaf (ISD) in Jacksonville, Illinois collated the standard scores of the five standard WISC-III Performance scale subtests and the Performance IQ of 25 students attending ISD. To examine gender differences on the Performance scale subtests and the Performance IQ's, a series of oneway-analyses of variance was calculated. No significant differences were noted on any comparison. A hypothesis that gender differences would occur was not confirmed. The results are discussed with respect to the intellectual assessment of …

Impact Of "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder" On Educational Placement And Service Delivery, Marsha L. Groves

Masters Theses

Children with "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder" face many changes within the school environment. Teachers strive to help these students meet those changes by providing for special learning and behavior needs. This study obtained teacher responses to examine demographic data, disability categories, placement, and educational treatment of children clinically diagnosed and/or suspected of having "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders". Of the 76 teacher surveys returned, 107 students were reported to have or were suspected of having "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder". Forty-five were identified as learning disabled, seven were considered behavior disordered, seven were receiving speech services, seven others were health impaired, three …