Education Commons^™

Personality Traits Of Special Education, Regular Education, And Non-Education Teacher Preparation Graduate Students, Carla Crawley

Theses & Honors Papers

With the growing need for special education teachers, institutions of higher education need new ways to screen candidates for admissions purposes. Since research shows that people with specific personality characteristics/traits seem to be attracted to and better suited for certain careers, screening with personality inventories may be a solution to the admissions problem. The purpose of this study was to gain information regarding personality types of three groups of graduate special education students: 1) those with a special education teacher preparation background, 2) those with a regular education teacher preparation background, and 3) those with a non-education teacher preparation background. …

Secondary Special Education Teachers' Attitudes Toward Extended School Year Calendars, Stephanie Elizabeth Kidd

Theses & Honors Papers

This researcher conducted a study in four traditional school year calendar districts to determine teachers' attitudes towards extending the school year. All special education teachers and a randomly selected sample of regular education teachers from the middle and high schools from each school district were surveyed. A researcher-made survey was constructed using a Likert scale. Questions were constructed to obtain information about their own feelings toward extended school year program s and how their students might benefit from these services. Results were categorized as either regular or special education. A t-test was conducted to determine any significant differences between the …

Criteria For The Removal Of Children With Serious Emotional Disturbance From The Public School System, Becky Flippin

Theses & Honors Papers

Over the last decade, educators, administrators, and parents have become increasingly concerned regarding the identification and appropriate placement of children with serious emotional disturbance. These special individuals need a variety of services to enable them to function at their greatest level in the school system and in the community. The literature suggests that there are differences in the availability of programs in various school divisions and communities which may contribute to a child being prematurely placed in a residential treatment facility. Through surveying members of eligibility committees in various areas of the state, both urban and rural, this study has …

The Role Of Transformational Leadership In The Collaborative Development Of A Full Inclusion Program: An Action Research Study, Paul R. Hain

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This dissertation is a critical action research study on full inclusion for students with learning disabilities. The study describes how full inclusion for 16 students with learning disabilities in three regular classes was implemented in an Illinois elementary school over a one year period. The purpose of this study is to describe how transformational leadership, collaborative decision-making and action research helped in the development of full inclusion.

Action research was the method used to 1) observe and collect data about the project, 2) to analyze what was happening, and 3) help guide the inclusion teaching team in taking actions …

An Investigation Into The Retention Policies Regarding Special Needs Students, Ronald Dean Graham

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the retention of special needs students in the Sangamon Area Special Education District (SASED) in Illinois. All of the principals of grades K-8 and the special education coordinators that work in those districts in SASED were surveyed. Inconsistencies in SASED's current practices led the author to explore possible alternatives in helping the Multidisciplinary Conferences (MDC) result in better decisions concerning the retention of special needs students. The results of the surveys were analyzed to develop a policy for all the districts to follow. This study focused on two objectives: 1. To determine …

Empowerment Versus Dependency Of Parents With Children In Special Education, Wendy J. Fisher

Masters Theses

This study attempted to determine whether parents of children receiving special education services are being empowered by the present special education system or growing dependent on it. A survey was constructed based upon the three criteria deemed necessary by social policy analyst Charles Murray to yield empowerment. The survey was administered by phone to 50 parents of children receiving special education services. Results indicated that primary source of income and expression of participation do not have an impact on degree of empowerment as measured by the Empowerment/Dependency Survey. Severity of handicap did not predict whether or not parents desired additional …

An Inclusion Program For A Small, Rural School District In Illinois, Victor R. White Iii

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field experience was to identify elements found in existing inclusion programs and incorporate those elements into an inclusion program that could be implemented almost exclusively by a single administrator. The information was obtained through an examination of existing literature and contacts with other administrators.

Survey instruments were provided for participating administrators and teachers in their building. The surveys identified elements of the existing programs and the other elements perceived as important by administrators and teachers.

The information collected from the literature, administrators, and teachers led to the development of an eight-part inclusion program that could be …