Education Commons^™

Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Self-Determination Supports In Inclusion Classrooms, Suzanne Tiffany-Salogub

Theses and Dissertations

The outcomes presented in this dissertation were motivated by a scarcity of research that explores self-determination practices explicitly within inclusive classrooms. Three overarching goals motivated my research. The first was to understand what inclusion teachers know and do in relation to self-determination (Chapter 2). The second was to understand how their practices align with existing knowledge about self-determination in the field (Chapter 3). Finally, I sought to create an accessible, research-based tool tailored to inclusion teachers who seek to support their students in developing self-determination skills (Chapter 4). To achieve these goals, I designed an investigation using a case-study design …

Using Behavior Skills Training To Promote Self-Advocating Behaviors: A Single Subject Research Design To Examine The Effectiveness Of Behavior Interventions Among Teachers, Clarence Cooper

Theses and Dissertations

Using Behavioral Skills Training to Promote Self-Advocating Behaviors: A Single-Subject Research Design to Examine the Effectiveness of Behavior Interventions Among Teachers. Clarence Cooper, 2022: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: applied behavior analysis, behavioral skills training, inclusion, individual education plan, operant conditioning, prompting, reinforcer, self-advocacy, accommodation

This applied dissertation utilized the behavioral skills training to train teachers on how to prompt, identify, and reinforce self-advocacy behaviors among students with learning disabilities. In applying behavioral analytic interventions to strengthen desired outcomes, a one- day intervention that was grounded in a …

Meeting Them At "Tha" Crossroads: Examining General Education Teachers' Knowledge And Understanding Of Reaching And Teaching Black Boys With Disabilities, Benita Kluttz-Drye

Theses and Dissertations

Black boys with disabilities struggle in general education classrooms throughout the United States and face challenges and barriers regarding access, success, and equity. Educators must better understand how these students learn and create equitable opportunities by leveraging students' cultures, strengths, and knowledge. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods research study is to examine teachers' knowledge and understanding of enacting culturally responsive tenets. Four theoretical frameworks are used: Culturally Responsive Teaching (Gay, 2002b, 2018), Ethic of Care (Noddings, 2012), Differentiated Instruction (Tomlinson et al., 2003; Tomlinson, 2017), and Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory (Annamma et al., 2013). The …

Disrupting Inequitable Practices In Special Education: Privileging Student And Family Voices, Armineh E. Hallaran

Theses and Dissertations

Black, Latinx, and other minoritized students have long been overrepresented in the high-incidence, subjective, disability classifications including Learning Disability, Speech and Language Impairment, Emotional Disturbance, and Intellectual Impairment. Special education places these students on trajectories that deny them access to quality education and the same postschool outcomes and opportunities as their nondisabled peers. Using Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), and grounded theory analysis this study foregrounds the voices of minoritized middle school students receiving special education under high-incidence classifications. DisCrit allowed for an investigation of how student’s intersecting marginalized identities impacted their experiences as special education students. Further, Education Journey …

Perspectives Of Students With Asd And Their Parents: What Does It Truly Mean To Be Included?, Keara M. Browne

Theses and Dissertations

Though there are a number of practices identified by researchers and other professionals as inclusive, the question remains about whether the students themselves truly feel included. There has been limited research surrounding specific experiences in inclusive classrooms that students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) perceive to be facilitators and barriers to being included in general education and co-teaching settings. The purpose of this study was to inform educational policies and school practices surrounding the inclusion of students with ASD in general education and co-teaching settings by analyzing the perceptions of students with ASD and their parents to determine what it …

Improving Read-Aloud Instruction In An Autism Preschool Classroom, Amanda M. Bruffy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to look at what literacy strategies can be implemented to engage autistic preschool students during read-aloud instruction. Through this qualitative case study, I conducted research to find strategies that would engage my students in a way that is purposeful, effective, and create instruction where students take something meaningful away from the lesson. The research was conducted in a self-contained preschool classroom with a focus on Autism. A teacher's journal, family questionnaire, observational and anecdotal notes were used and collected to analyze data from read-aloud instruction. The data that was collected was analyzed through the …

Evidence-Based Practices And Teacher Practice, Deanna Mozingo Parish

Theses and Dissertations

The use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) by special education teachers is still inconsistent. Additionally, special education teachers often have little knowledge of high-quality indicators of research that identify specific EBPs proven effective for designated populations of students with disabilities. Teacher preparation during college programs (i.e., pre-service) and training from districts (i.e., in-service) can certainly play an important role in introducing EBPs to special education teachers. In pre-service and in-service training, observation, feedback, and coaching experiences can help to ensure the acquisition of skills and implementation of EBPs into daily teaching. In this study, I investigated special education teachers’ experiences with …

Run, Hide, Or Fight?: Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Lockdown Drills, Melissa A. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Lockdown drills have become a regular practice in schools across the United States. These drills are currently carried out with little guidance and encompass a general plan with no differentiation for children with disabilities. This is concerning for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), since the skills needed to participate in a lockdown drill may be difficult for them. In the absence of evidence-based interventions, these children and the educators who support them are vulnerable in the event of a real emergency. It is important to understand what training practitioners need to design empirically sound lockdown drill interventions and …

Work Based Learning Experiences For High School Special Education Students: Best Practice And Student Impact, Pauline Shea

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the various types and components of work-based learning experiences (WBLE), best practices, and the special education students’ outcomes in a suburban public high school located outside of a large metropolitan area. Students with disabilities (SWD) have a difficult time transitioning postsecondary, and acquiring and maintaining employment in a competitive global working environment. Due to their diverse needs, it became quite complex to match their abilities, interests, and preferences to the appropriate job experiences. In addition, this population needed to acquire not only appropriate job and career related skills but the essential 21st …

Effects Of A Video Based Intervention On Job Interview Skills Of Youth With Autism, Kelsey T. Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I conducted a multiple-probe-across-participants design to examine the impact of a video-based intervention on interview skills of youth with autism. First, I conducted a systematic literature review of interview interventions. Results were used to guide the development of this study’s measure and procedures. Finding that previous literature relied on rubric measures to rate interview skill behaviors, I developed and piloted a primary measure for examining direct speech production. Using transcripts and video analysis, this study captures the construct of interview skills using both quantity (frequency of relevant/irrelevant c-units) and quality (interview skills rubric score). The intervention consisted …

Supported Employment Services And Employment Outcomes For Low-Income Youth With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: A Case Control Study, Hannah Seward Phd

Theses and Dissertations

Transition-age youth, ages 14-24 years old, with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face unique barriers to entering the labor force when exiting high school. These barriers can be even more severe if the youth is from a low-income background. Supported employment (SE) services may help this population overcome these barriers and be employed in competitive integrated employment (CIE) settings. SE provides an employment specialist to guide them through obtaining and retaining a job (McDonough & Whittenburg, 2020; Wehman et al., 2007). However, limited research has been done on the SE experiences and outcomes of transition-age youth with IDD (Wehman et …

Udl: Practicing What We Preach, Peter E.L. Temple

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of UDL in a special education program’s coursework and analyze how it affects college students outcomes beyond their classrooms. Past research has suggested that UDL has been increasingly used in college-level coursework design, and courses designed with UDL have higher reports of college student achievement. Based on the principles of UDL and andragogy, this study identified four central research questions. Specifically, a small qual/large quant mixed-method research design was used to investigate instructor utilization of the UDL principles, teacher candidate corroboration of UDL elements in their coursework, and an exploration …

Does Most-To-Least Prompt Fading Lead To Independence In Tooth Brushing In Children With Intellectual Disability?, John W. Byrd

Theses and Dissertations

The problem identified in this research was that the most-to-least (MTL) prompting strategies used for individuals with intellectual disability (ID) had not been consistently demonstrated in research for personal hygiene, specifically tooth brushing. It has been well known that people with ID acquire skills differently than typically developing individuals (Cengher et al., 2018). Difficulty with developing hygiene skills such as brushing teeth is not limited only to those with physical disabilities because individuals with ID can struggle with hygiene skills as well. MTL prompt fading procedures have been used to teach many skills to individuals with ID (Drummond, 2018).

The …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Siblings Of Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adrielle Benini

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to better understand the experience of having a sibling with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research has historically focused primarily on parents of individuals with ASD and their perceptions of how siblings were impacted; however, there was a lack of adequate research where information was obtained from conducting interviews with the siblings themselves.

The researcher conducted a qualitative study with 10 neurotypical siblings, ages 10 to 17, of individuals with ASD. These siblings were interviewed to explore their individual experiences and perceptions about areas in which they found and needed support. The researcher also utilized demographic …

A Comparative Evaluation Of The Effects Of Social Skills Group Training And Computer- Based Social Skills Training, Indira Hightower

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to evaluate the effects of social skills training programs as a method to improve social skills in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The study sought to advance the social skills training options for children with autism spectrum disorder by comparing various evidence-based social skills training programs in hope to provide meaningful, significant, and sustainable social-emotional changes that are explicitly taught and later generalized across individuals, settings, and environments. The researcher specifically evaluated the effects of social skills group training and computer-based social skills training among the three study participants with autism spectrum disorder.

The …

Autoeficacia Del Docente De Educación Física General Y La Inclusión De Estudiantes Con Necesidades Especiales [Self-Efficacy Of The General Physical Education Teacher And The Inclusion Of Students With Special Needs], Raul Berrios

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de este estudio fue determinar el nivel de autoeficacia de los docentes de educación física general, sobre la inclusión de estudiantes con necesidades especiales en las áreas de estrategias de instrucción, manejo de la sala de clases y cómo lograr la participación de los estudiantes.

El diseño utilizado fue uno no experimental con un enfoque transeccional o transversal descriptivo. El marco teórico seleccionado fue la teoría social cognitiva de Bandura, de la cual se desprende el componente de la teoría de autoeficacia.

La muestra estuvo conformada por los 37 docentes de educación física general de un municipio del …

Liderazgo Directivo Escolar En El Funcionamiento Del Programa De Educación Especial De La Región Norte De Puerto Rico, Meilin Gomez Román

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de este estudio es explicar el efecto del liderazgo directivo en el funcionamiento del Programa de Educación Especial en la Región Norte de Puerto Rico. Mediante este estudio se pretende conocer de qué manera el liderazgo que ejercen los directores escolares afecta el funcionamiento del Programa de Educación Especial.

Este estudio tiene un enfoque cuantitativo con un diseño no experimental transversal de alcance descriptivo. Se administraron dos cuestionarios para la recolección de datos. La muestra estuvo constituida por 32 directores escolares que participaron de manera voluntaria.

Los resultados demostraron que el estilo de liderazgo predominante y que más …

Understanding Hispanic Parent Experiences Of Participation In Children’S Special Education Programming, Ana Katrina Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of the applied dissertation was parents who have children with disabilities at the target middle school are not fully involved in their child’s IEP educational planning. The purpose of the qualitative study was to understand Hispanic parents’ experiences with participating and contributing to the education of their children who are in the special education program. The study explored parent involvement in the process of their children’s Individualized Education Plan. It explored the issues Hispanic parents face when becoming involved with their child’s education and working with the school.

Parent participation in Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings with schools …