Education Commons^™

Effect Of Education Tablet Applications On Beginning Reading Skills Of Students With Autism, Jillian Ratliff

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the effect of tablet computer applications and the reading skills of students with autism. Two subjects diagnosed with autism selected by using a convenient sampling method participated in this study. A single subject ABA design was used for collecting data regarding phonemic identification, letter identification, letter discrimination, ap.d sight word identification. Following the collection of baseline data, interventions in the form of different iPad applications were used in individual tutoring sessions and data were collected on the percent of correct responses given per trial. At the completion of a …

Service Learning With Individuals With Disabilities: Emerging Themes, Angela Brickhouse, Jennifer Harris, Kelly Mcgraw, Lauren Wernli

Theses & Honors Papers

In this study, 92 students, enrolled in introductory level courses at a small liberal arts university in rural central Virginia, were asked to fulfill 15 hours of service learning with individuals with disabilities. Students were required to keep journal reflections after each hour they completed. The researchers analyzed this data qualitatively by looking at themes and changes in attitude toward individuals with disabilities across the service learning activities. Data was organized into case studies representing each service learning activity. Then, common themes across the activities were discussed to assess the impact the activities had on attitudes of the college students …

Making The Grade: Authentic Assessment Through Music Portfolios, Kendra June S. Aylor

Theses & Honors Papers

Research shows assessment is an important part of education. However, information on assessment in music is often limited to secondary education leaving elementary music teachers to devise their own systems of evaluation students. This teacher research addresses elementary music assessment by examining the implementation of student portfolios as a way to manage the data that is created in the music classroom. The portfolios were compiled using fourth grade student work which was divided into section that mirror the MENC National Standards. This research shows that student portfolios provide tangible evidence of student understanding to be shared with teachers, parents, and …

Transitioning The Struggling Reader: Evaluating The Effects Of Middle-School Direct Instruction On Traditional High-School Learning In The English Classroom, Sarah Tanner Anderson

Theses & Honors Papers

In this qualitative study, I investigate the academic performance of three current ninth-grade students who were tracked throughout middle school by the 1999 McGraw-Hill SRA Corrective Reading Direct Instruction program. To study their respective transitions from middle to high school, I investigate their test performance on the fifth- and eighth-grade reading and writing Virginia Standards of Learning assessments, analyze the quality of student work from sixth through ninth grades by evaluating student products and test documents, and conduct intensive interviews with students and their former and current teachers. By constructing a case-study of each student and conducting a cross-case analysis …

Special Education Teachers' Collection And Use Of Data To Measure Student Progress, Crystal Thacker

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this research was to determine whether or not teachers use systematic and direct formative assessment techniques and if implementing these techniques has an effect on teacher efficacy. The participants (N = 89) were practicing special education teachers from urban and rural school divisions across Virginia and from one graduate-level course in special education. Data were collected using portions of the Data Collection and Analysis Survey (Cooke, Heward, Test, Spooner, & Courson, 1991) and selected items from the Teacher Efficacy Scale (Gibson, 1983). The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Of the 89 surveys distributed, …

A Review Of General Education Teachers' Perceptions Of Classroom And Instructional Accommodations For Students With Disabilities, Jennifer Askue-Collins

Theses & Honors Papers

The primary purpose of this study was to find out whether general education teachers believe that accommodations for students with special needs help those students succeed. Secondarily, this study seeks to find whether general educators find accommodations to be practical (feasible for general classroom use and fair to students without disabilities) in promoting success for all students. This review will discuss special education laws, service models for special education, and how accommodations fit into these parameters. The researcher created an online survey for K-5 general educators in Virginia's Region 8 to complete. From the responses it was found that this …

Reducing The Stereotypic Behavior Of Individuals With Mental Retardation Using Response Cost Within Applied Behavior Analysis, Crystal Holmes

Theses & Honors Papers

The focus of this study is to demonstrate that using response cost through applied behavior analysis is an effective treatment for reducing the stereotypic behaviors of individuals with mental retardation. McEntee and Saunders (1997) conducted a study in which response cost was used as an intervention within applied behavior analysis successfully to reduce the stereotypic behaviors in four male individuals with severe or profound mental retardation. An attempt was made to replicate this study and provide further research on the effects of response cost through applied behavior analysis on the stereotypic behaviors of individuals with mental retardation. There were three …

The Effect Of Direct Instruction Reading Remediation For Fourth Graders, Jonathan Collins

Theses & Honors Papers

This study was to determine if below average readers in a reading remediation class receiving Direct Instruction reading would make larger gains in reading than average to above average readers who received whole language based reading instruction. These were 69 students in the study. Students were assigned to cohorts based on test performance on the Development Reading Assessment (DRA) and administrative recommendations. Instruction was provided for 5 months for the experimental group (n=36) using Scientific Research Associates Corrective Reading (a Direct Instruction reading program). The control group (n=11) received 5 months of reading instruction in a locally designed whole language …

Praise And Its Effects On Trust, Help-Seeking Behavior, And Self-Perception Of Students With Disabilities, Regina L. Rice

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this investigation was to examine praise and its effects on help-seeking behavior, trust, and self-perception as well as how different age groups respond to praise. the participants were 11 female students with disabilities and low achievers ranging in ages from 12-17 and up chosen through convenience sampling. Praise as a specific intervention was examined using a self-developed, Likert- type, 16 item questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Pearson 'r'. No significant relationship was found between praise and help-seeking (r=.36, P> .05) or praise and self-perception (r=36, p> .05). However, a significant relationship was found between praise and …

The Effects Of Extended School Year On Students With Mild Disabilities And Its Relationship To Regression Rate, Whitney C. Sears

Theses & Honors Papers

This study is an historical study comparing the spring and fall test scores of students who attended summer academic program of one particular private school for students with learning differences, including autism, Asperger's Syndrome, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, and nonverbal learning disabilities. This study concluded that there was a statistical significance between the regression rates in both reading vocabulary and reading comprehension among those who attended the summer program and those who did not attend the summer program. Those students who did not attend the summer program regressed in skills significantly. Those students who attended the summer program maintained or …

Participation In Graduate Level Coursework And Self-Efficacy Development Of Provisionally Licensed Special Education Teachers, Amy Corvello Mcginley

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) whether participation in graduate level coursework increased the self-efficacy of provisionally licensed special education teachers, (b) whether participation in graduate level coursework increased the self-efficacy of general education teachers and, (c) if there was a difference between the self-efficacy beliefs of the two groups of teachers. A total of twenty-three provisionally licensed special education and general education teachers in rural Virginia responded to both a pre and post questionnaire consisting of 30 items designed to assist the teacher in assessing his/her self-efficacy beliefs. The working hypothesis was that the provisionally licensed …

A Survey Of Student Participation In The Iep Process, Elizabeth A. Edgemon

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this research was to investigate teachers' compliance with the portion of the IDEA '97 amendments that mandates participation in the IEP process by students 14 and older, or younger than transition is discussed. Researcher-developed surveys were sent to middle and high school special education throughout Virginia. The results of these surveys reflect teachers' compliance with this component of the IDEA Amendments of 1997. Nearly all of the teachers surveyed reported that at least some of their students were present at their most recent IEP meeting and though less than half of those students had any preparation for …

The Effects Of Inclusion And The Virginia Standards Of Learning On Students With Mild Mental Retardation, Heather G. Duffy

Theses & Honors Papers

This study examined the perceptions of general educators towards the educational placement of students with mild mental retardation within the general education classroom and the implications, if any, that the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) have on instructional modifications . The subjects were elementary, middle, and high school general education teachers . The data were collected through a Likert scale questionaire using both descriptive and inferential statistics tested at a .05 significance level. The results indicated no significant differences in the perceptions of SOL based on school level teaching and years of experience. However, the findings did suggest significant differences …

Peer Perceptions Of Students Without Learning Disabilities Toward Students With Disabilities And A Self Perceptions Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Vernell Greene Scott

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of the nondisabled students toward students with learning disabilities and the self perceptions of learning disabled students. A survey research design was used for this study. Subjects were students in grades 6-8 with and without disabilities from a rural area in Virginia. The participants who were chosen were general and special education students at the middle school level.

The results from this study showed on most issues the two groups agreed, on such topics as friendship, social gathering, and favoritism. Findings indicated students without disabilities are accepting students with disabilities …

Teacher Knowledge And Attitudes Towards The Utilization Of Assistive Technology In Educational Settings, Theresa Ledger

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of special education teachers regarding the use of assistive technology in a school setting. This study also determined current information on teachers' knowledge levels of assistive technology. A survey questionnaire was sent to 120 elementary special education teachers in the Spring of 1999. The questionnaire was concerned wit h teacher knowledge and attitudes towards assistive technology. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated teachers perceive themselves to have a good knowledge base in regards to assistive technology. However, less than half of those teachers are utilizing devices and services …

Students' With Learning Disabilities Perception Of Mnemonic Strategies In Mathematics Instruction, Susan C. Moore

Theses & Honors Papers

This was a qualitative as well as quantitative study conducted at a middle school in a rural county in Virginia. The researcher examined learning disabled students for their perceptions of mnemonic strategies in mathematics instruction. After direct instruction and instruction involving mnemonics, the seven subjects were tested. The test scores were examined to determine if there was a significant difference between pre and post scores. After interviewing the subjects, the results indicated five themes: unfamiliarity of procedure leads to anxiety, mnemonics improves performance, students desire more mnemonic strategies, division and other multi-step problems are the most difficult, and an increase …

Connecting Personality Traits Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Thelma D. Llewellyn

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between personality type of students with learning disabilities using the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory and the students' GPAs. It was predicted that students with anintrovert personality would have a higher GPA at the end of their freshman first semester than students with extravert personality type. Sixty-eight students identified with learning disabilities upon entering college and taking the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator were compared.

The data was analyzed using Chi Square and a t-test. The results showed that the sample was representative of the population. Even though the Introverts did have higher GPAs …

General And Special Educators' Perceptions Of The Desirability And Feasibility Of Modifications For Students With Mild-Moderate Mental Retardation In The General Education Classroom, Alice E. Mccormick

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this research was to study the perceptions of general and special educators toward the desirability and feasibility of modifications for students with mild-moderate mental retardation in the general education classroom. The subjects were (N = 192) teachers from the elementary, middle, and high school levels of rural public school divisions in south central Virginia. Data were collected through a Likert-type questionnaire developed by Schumm and Vaughn. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Of the 192 surveys mailed, 103 (N = 103) subjects responded. The results indicated there were no statistically significant differences in …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Students With Mild Disabilities, Catrina Danette White

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if teachers viewed one group of mildly disabled students as more difficult to teach than the others. In addition, the study attempted to determine if there were any differences in the views of special education and general education teachers toward students with mild disabilities. Fifty teachers from the South Central area of the state of Virginia were surveyed with a 10-item survey to determine the tendency of the teachers to associate certain characteristics or needs with a particular category (i.e., LD, ED, MR).

Results showed that teachers tended to choose the category …

Teacher Recognition Of Student Learning Styles, Michelle Wright

Theses & Honors Papers

The ability of teachers in a special education classroom utilizing individualized instruction to recognize students' learning preferences was investigated. Each student's learning style preference was determined by the administration and evaluation of a learning styles inventory. Teachers were asked to respond to a similiar inventory as they felt their students would respond. A Pearson r performed on the results indicated that a relatively strong relationship existed between the responses at the . 10 level of significance .

The Prevalence Of Adoption Among Children Diagnosed With Learning Disabilities And Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Karma Jo Roach

Theses & Honors Papers

This study investigated the prevalence of adoption among children diagnosed with Learning Disabilities (LD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Parents who were members of the Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) of a mid­ Atlantic state completed a two-part questionnaire with information about their school aged live-at-home children. A Chi-Square one sample test was used to compute a chi­ square statistic based on the observed frequency in the study and the expected frequency of adoption in the general population. The Chi-Square value was 75.773 (df=l) with a significance level of .0001. This shows a significantly greater than expected prevalence of adoption …

Effects Of Auditory Perceptual Training On Reading Decoding, Jennifer L. Marshall

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this experimental study was to determine the effect of auditory perceptual training on reading decoding skills of adolescent students with learning disabilities. The subjects (N=4) were all being served in a self-contained high school setting. Three of the subjects were male and one was female. The subjects were pre­-tested and post-tested using the Test of Auditory Analysis Skills (TAAS) and word identification and word attack subtests of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test­ Revised(WRMT-R). The data were analyzed using dependent sample t-tests. Significant differences were found on auditory skills (t= -3.66, p<.05), word attack (t=8.3, p<.05) and the basic skills cluster (t=5.14, p<.05). Two limitations of this study were the small number of subjects and duration of the training exercises. Future studies with a larger sample and longer training period are recommended. Another recommendation is to use a single subject method when the sample size is this small.

Effects Of Computer Assisted Instruction And Pclogo Programs On Math Performance Of Seventh And Eighth Grade Students With Learning Disabilities, Katherine R. Sweeny

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of computer assisted instruction and Logo programming on the math performance of seventh and eighth grade students with learning disabilities. The sample included thirty (N=30) subjects with learning disabilities. The computer programs used were Deluxe Math Munchers and LOGO for Windows. A three group pretest-posttest experimental design was used to determine if a relationship existed between the three different methods of instruction and achievement, and whether or not a significant difference existed in performance based on grade levels. The 30 subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups, two …

A Comparative Study Of Perceptions Regarding Assistive Technology Among Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Parents And Teachers Of Elementary Students With Autism, Carolyn Lee Komich

Theses & Honors Papers

Forty subjects were surveyed to determine their perceptions of selection, funding, use and maintenance of assistive technology. The subjects included physical therapists, occupational therapists, parents, and teachers of elementary students with autism . A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect data for this study. 43% of the questionnaires were returned.

Descriptive statistics and Chi-square (X²) were used to analyze data for this study. Results obtained from the descriptive statistics showed that professionals from various disciplines felt comfortable using and maintaining assistive technology but had not been formally trained to do so. The data also indicated that the respondents …

Regular And Special Education Teachers' Perceptions Regarding Interventions For Improving The Behavior Of Students With Emotional Disturbances, Sandra M. Samek

Theses & Honors Papers

One of the purposes of this study was to investigate the perceptions of regular and special education teachers toward behavioral interventions and psychopharmacology for students with emotional disturbances . Another purpose was to investigate which interventions were considered the most effective and least effective in the teachers' classroom . The subjects of this study included regular and special education teachers from four school divisions in central Virginia. One hundred thirty seven (N=137) of the 250 surveys sent out were returned. A self-developed questionnaire, using a five point Likert scale for Part II and open-ended questions for Part III, was used …

Perceptions Of Residents Toward A Community Residential Facility In Eastern Virginia, Amy Marsden

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of a community toward a residential facility in Eastern Virginia. The subjects were (N= l50) community members from a suburban community in Virginia. A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect data for this study. out of the one hundred and fifty, fifty (30%) participants responded . Five of the surveys were not scorable since 30% or more of the questions were not answered. The data were analyzed by using both qualitative and quantitative methods. For the quantitative methods independent sample t-tests, Chi square ("X²), and Pearson-r were used. …

Staff And Student Perceptions Of The Time Out/Seclusion Booth In An Alternative Day School For Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disturbance, Kelley S. Regan

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of the time out procedure at an alternative day school for students with emotional and behavioral disturbance. This study interviewed student and staff members at the facility using parallel questions. Information from the time out log was observed in order to. verify student and staff responses. Results concluded that both students and staff members had similar perceptions of time out .

A Comparison Of Assessment Practices Between General And Special Education Teachers, Richard Lee Orr, Jr.

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the types of assessment formats that are being used in classrooms today,; (b) if a significant difference exists between general education and special education teachers' choices of assessment formats,; and, (c) if teachers' assessment training background correlated with the number or type of assessment formats chosen. One hundred thirty two middle school general and special education teachers from the state of Virginia were surveyed with a 22-item survey to determine how often each teacher used certain assessment formats in their classrooms.

Results showed that these teachers use a variety of assessment …

The Effects Of Self-Monitoring Of Task Completion Time On Assignment Completion And Accuracy, Kathryn B. Wright

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if productivity and accuracy would increase if subjects recorded the amount of time it took to complete assignments. Two students with learning disabilities were taught to record the times assignments were started and finished and to calculate the difference. Data were collected on the time spent on assignments, the percentage of the assignment completed, and the percentage of the assignment completed correctly. The results showed that productivity and the amount of time spent on assignments improved slightly. The accuracy of the work, however, decreased. Implications for future research are discussed.

The Perspectives Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Elizabeth A. Pasto

Theses & Honors Papers

One hundred and fifteen middle and high school students with learning disabilities selected from the Learning Disabilities Association of Virginia were surveyed on their perceptions on homework. An adapted questionnaire was used to collect data for this study with an 18.22% return rate.

Descriptive statistics and Chi square were used to analyze data for this study. Results obtained from the Chi square analysis show that middle school students daydreamed or played with objects and needed reminders to start homework more often than high school students. Several inconsistencies regarding completion rates of homework and amount of complaining about homework were revealed …