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Elementary Teachers’ Preparedness For Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing Inclusion, Olga Westley Jackson Jan 2022

Elementary Teachers’ Preparedness For Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing Inclusion, Olga Westley Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Once deaf and hearing-impaired students with cochlear implants were exposed to sound, their parents began exploring oral education in the regular classroom setting. Limited research has explored the preparedness of teachers to teach DHH students. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore eight kindergartens through grade 6 (K–6) general education teachers’ self-assessed preparedness in professional knowledge, competencies, and skills to teach DHH students in the classroom. The conceptual framework for this study was based on Cogan’s trait theory of profession. Research questions focused on how regular education K–6 classroom teachers described the efficacy of their college courses …


Enabling Sustainable Organizational Change: A Case Of Cognitive Diversity In The Automotive Industry, Tonja Blom, Yvonne Du Plessis, Hamid H. Kazeroony Nov 2021

Enabling Sustainable Organizational Change: A Case Of Cognitive Diversity In The Automotive Industry, Tonja Blom, Yvonne Du Plessis, Hamid H. Kazeroony

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

In diverse societies such as South Africa, organizations continue to face inclusion challenges when implementing change. This study proposes a different method and new dimension of diversity management within the cognitive diversity construct, namely human niche theory, to tackle the diversity dilemma of exclusivity. The research question asked whether human niche theory, as a defined concept within cognitive diversity, could be utilized by managers to enable inclusion and promote sustainable organizational change implementation. Conceptually, this paper relates human niche theory to seven themes in the change process, namely, communication, training, motivation, resources, control, monitoring, and feedback. An exploratory single case …


Review Of Schooling Of Learners With Disabilities And The Manifestation Of The Hidden Curriculum Of Time, Theodoto Ressa Apr 2021

Review Of Schooling Of Learners With Disabilities And The Manifestation Of The Hidden Curriculum Of Time, Theodoto Ressa

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Postsecondary outcomes remain difficult to attain despite their significance to learners with disabilities. This qualitative study investigated the impact of a hidden curriculum of time on the education of five undergraduate students with disabilities at a Carnegie Research One institution in the midwestern U.S. Participants in their quest for an education experienced a hidden curriculum of time in the form of physical impairments, educational costs of ill-health, and disability discrimination. The academic barriers participants encountered in reaching their educational goals suggest that addressing the hidden curriculum of time is essential for authentic inclusion and achievement of postsecondary education outcomes.


Harnessing Diversity To Accommodate The Global Business Environment, Terrica Coleman Jan 2021

Harnessing Diversity To Accommodate The Global Business Environment, Terrica Coleman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective diversification strategies significantly affect a business owners’ competitive advantage. When business owners struggle to recruit and retain a diverse workforce, these owners fail to meet the diverse needs required to operate in varied business environments, impacting profitability and continued business sustainability. Grounded in the transformational leadership and human capital theory frameworks, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies that business leaders use to recruit and retain a diverse workforce to increase performance in the global setting. The participants comprised three business leaders in the southeast region of the United States, who successfullly used …


Teacher And Parent Perspectives Of Including Preschool Children With Disabilities In General Education, Charissa Palazzo Jan 2020

Teacher And Parent Perspectives Of Including Preschool Children With Disabilities In General Education, Charissa Palazzo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act brought about initiatives to educate students with disabilities in mainstream settings as frequently as possible. Although the policy trend is moving toward inclusive education, preschool children with disabilities continue to be underrepresented in mainstream early childhood classes. This study was conducted to explore the perspectives of parents and teachers about the inclusion of preschool students with disabilities in general education classes. This qualitative case study was grounded in the social model of disability, which asserts that individuals with disabilities are hindered more by their environment than by their disability. The research …


An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Teachers' Perspectives Of Differentiated Instruction In K-3 Inclusion Classrooms, Julie Franklin Jan 2020

An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Teachers' Perspectives Of Differentiated Instruction In K-3 Inclusion Classrooms, Julie Franklin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have addressed teachers' perspectives of differentiated instruction or teachers' perspectives on inclusion classrooms, but there was limited research on the combined topics of teachers' perspectives of differentiated instruction in inclusion classrooms. This interpretative phenomenological analysis used one to one interviews and reflective journals to explore nine teachers' perspectives of differentiated instruction in K-3 inclusion classrooms. The study's conceptual framework was comprised of Vygotsky's social constructivist theory and Piaget's theory of cognitive development. The research question and sub-questions asked about the challenges and successes teachers encountered in planning and implementing differentiated instruction in K-3 inclusion classrooms, and what teachers believed …


Elementary Teachers' Perceived Professional Learning Needs For The Inclusive Classroom, Laurel Taylor Ellis Jan 2019

Elementary Teachers' Perceived Professional Learning Needs For The Inclusive Classroom, Laurel Taylor Ellis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As a result of U.S. federal policy directives mandating inclusion, general education teachers in a rural elementary school in southern Maine were expected to be effective in working in inclusive classrooms with learners with diverse needs; however, teachers were meeting the mandates for inclusion but their students were not meeting the state's annual progress targets. The purpose of this project study was to explore teachers' perceptions of their readiness and needs for professional learning to work with diverse learners in the inclusive classroom. The research questions centered on teachers' beliefs, specific to their preparation and their needs and preferred mode …


Teacher Perspective On Differentiation For Gifted Students In The General Education Classroom, Karen Arnold Kilgore Jan 2018

Teacher Perspective On Differentiation For Gifted Students In The General Education Classroom, Karen Arnold Kilgore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gifted middle school students may not always be provided with a differentiated curriculum that ensures their academic progression in inclusive educational settings. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine teachers' perspectives on differentiation for gifted students in the general education classroom. The conceptual framework for the study was anchored by the theories of Gardner, who recognized that students learn in different ways, and Vygotsky, who determined that students learn best at their level of learning or zone of proximal development. The research questions focused on teachers' perspectives about teaching the gifted students in the general classroom environment …


The Role Of Leadership In Changing The Culture Of An International School To Be Inclusive Of Students With Special, Simon Norman Gillespie Jan 2017

The Role Of Leadership In Changing The Culture Of An International School To Be Inclusive Of Students With Special, Simon Norman Gillespie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educating a diverse student population is a core principle of international school education. Historically, many international schools have had admissions policies that excluded students with special learning needs. However, admission policies have changed to require more inclusiveness and school support for a wider range of students and for effectively meeting their needs. The study was based on change theory. Of interest was how school leaders best supported the change process to create the conditions for success in the context of changing admissions policies. Research questions targeted strategies that supported change and student success that were used to change the culture …


Inclusion And Attitudes Of Adolescents In A Camp Setting, Deborah Musher Jan 2016

Inclusion And Attitudes Of Adolescents In A Camp Setting, Deborah Musher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite increased inclusion of individuals with special needs in educational and leisure settings, people with disabilities continue to experience social isolation. Research indicates that negative attitudes play an important role in contributing to this marginalization. This study examined the impact of an inclusion program at a residential summer camp on the attitudes of its typical participants. Participants in the treatment group (n = 30) experienced contact with peers with disabilities through structured, intentional programming while participants in the control group (n = 77) experienced less formal inclusive encounters. The Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes toward Children with Handicaps (CATCH) scale was administered to …


Students' Perceptions And Experiences Of A Diversity And Inclusion Training Program At A Community College, Norma I. Corral-Chandler Jan 2014

Students' Perceptions And Experiences Of A Diversity And Inclusion Training Program At A Community College, Norma I. Corral-Chandler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A community college developed a diversity and inclusion training program, Maximizing Our Strengths as an Inclusive Community (MOSAIC), to address the lack of diversity training for students and staff. However, the program had not been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to learn about students' perceptions and experiences of the MOSAIC program. Guided by theories of constructivism and components of critical race theory related to critical studies in Whiteness, social identity theory, and best practices for diversity and inclusion training, this study explored how students described the effectiveness of the program. Interview data for this responsive program evaluation using …