Education Commons^™

Teachers Of General Education: Perceptions And Experiences Teaching Inclusion In U.S. Schools, Ann C. Sander

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of a group of U.S. public schools, kindergarten through fifth grade teachers, certified in general education with experience teaching inclusion--a federally mandated practice requiring schools to educate students both with and without disabilities in the same classroom. Much of the literature surrounding inclusion focuses on the perceived benefits of the program and children with disabilities' legal rights. The literature has a limited number of references describing the perceptions and experiences of teachers who are required to provide the educational services necessary for inclusion in the classroom.

In this study, 35 participants …

How Hearing Parents With Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing Children Construct Deafness Through Their Early Intervention Experience, Bettie T. Petersen

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This dissertation explores how hearing parents with deaf/hard of hearing children come to understand deafness. This mixed methods study used an online survey and multiple case studies (volunteers from survey). Participants were asked about early intervention experiences and beliefs about deafness. The survey had 74 respondents and five families participated in the interviews. Survey participants’ beliefs about deafness were primarily medical, focusing on the perceived barriers caused by deafness and the remediation of those barriers through spoken language options. A small number of respondents adopted a cultural perspective of deafness and focused on remediation of barriers through involvement in the …

Effectiveness Of The Social Behavior Mapping Intervention On The Social Communication Skills Of Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jessica Ann Donaldson

Special Education ETDs

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Social Thinking® Social Behavior Mapping (SBM) on adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. A pretest-posttest control group design with matched sampling was used. There were 22 participants between the ages of 13 and 17 who were matched by age and IQ and then were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or to a treatment-as-usual group. Results revealed that participants made significant improvements on the SBM rating scale scores and participant-reported scores on the Social Skills subscale of the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS; Elliott & Gresham, 2008) Rating Scales. …

Examining Parental Perceptions And Experiences Regarding Social Skills Interventions For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mary Jimerson

Special Education ETDs

ABSTRACT

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families often engage in various interventions to address social skills as this is a core area of development and often described as a challenge for individuals with ASD. Although interventions may vary in service delivery and the interventionists’ training and background, all encompass social skills interventions. The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative investigation to explore the experiences and perceptions family members had while their child participated in social skills interventions. Five family members participated in this study which included a questionnaire and an individual interview. Qualitative analyses …

Adults Perspectives Of Friendships And Social Interaction Between Students With And Without Complex Support Needs During A Pandemic, Jorden Morales

Special Education ETDs

Social interactions and friendships are important for all individuals including those with complex support needs (CSN). The voices of adults including parents/guardians, primary caregivers, teachers, and related service providers who responded to a survey provided insight into supporting social interactions and friendships for children with CSN during the Covid-19 pandemic This mixed methods study used thematic analysis to explore participants’ responses to open-ended questions while multiple choice questions were analyzed through descriptive statistics. Additionally, this study included a research narrative to speak to the various roles I hold related to this study (i.e., parent, educator, researcher). Three themes emerged from …

Issue In Equity For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students With Complex Support Needs: A Comparative Analysis Of District-Level Student Data, Rosalia Pacheco

Special Education ETDs

Research has shown that English learners with disabilities should have access to both special education and Title III services as required by law (de Valenzuela et al., 2006, 2018, 2016, 2022; de Valenzuela & Copeland, 2018; Kangas, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021). This quantitative study uncovers issues of educational inequities related to: (a) the identification of these students as English learners; (b) their access to Title III services; and (c) the instructional settings in which they are educated for culturally and linguistically diverse students with Autism (ASD), Developmental Delay (DD), Intellectual Disability (ID), Multiple Disabilities (MD), or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). …

Effects Of Inclusive Social Skills Training On Preschoolers, Lauren E. Weiss

Special Education ETDs

Social interventions for children with disabilities are generally conducted in small groups and outside of the classroom; therefore, little is known about inclusive and classwide social interventions in early childhood educational settings. This study evaluated the effects of inclusive social skills training (ISST), a program delivered remotely to inclusive preschool classrooms via direct instruction, video modeling, rehearsal, and feedback, to teach social skills. Educators rated preschoolers' social skills in a nonequivalent pretest-posttest design and evaluated the social validity of ISST. I examined the differences in scores. A significant interaction effect was detected in the program group between abilities. Overall, educators …

African American Female Caregivers’ Perceptions, Experiences, And Expectations Of The Special Education Process, Lenell Denise Walton

Special Education ETDs

A select few African American families who have a child with a disability have the skills and knowledge to be proactive in the special education process. Special education teams must guide and mentor African American students and their families through the special education process. However, African American families have consistently contended that their child’s special education team does not provide the services necessary to meet their child’s academic goals. This qualitative study examined the perceptions, experiences, and expectations of African American female caregivers regarding the special education process. Participants were nine African American mothers and one sibling whose family members …

Perceptions Of Saudi Recently Graduated Unplaced Special Education Teachers Of Students With Intellectual Disability Toward Their Preparation, Marwan Alatawi

Special Education ETDs

The Saudi Ministry of Education and Saudi universities have taken significant steps toward meeting the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 by reviewing the performance of teacher preparation programs in Saudi universities to improve the quality of teacher preparation, including for those who teach students with intellectual disability (ID). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of recently graduated unplaced teachers (RGUTs) specializing in ID toward their preparation, and to identify how these programs can be continuously improved. Five themes emerged based on the analysis of their responses in the interviews: (a) the RGUTs’ motivations to become …

Parental Choice Of Charter Schools For Middle School Students With Disabilities, Oluwole Ilesanmi

Special Education ETDs

For many decades, traditional public schools were the dominant public schools available for educating students, including those with disabilities. However, in the current climate of school choice, parents can now choose from a variety of educational options for their children. This study sought to explore the reasons parents of students with disabilities enrolled their children in charter schools. Research questions addressed the reasons parents considered when enrolling their children with disabilities in charter schools, as well as their degree of satisfaction and experiences after enrollment in charter schools. A total of 108 parents of sixth-eighth grade middle school students with …

Through The Funnel: A Critical Policy Analysis Of Educational Policy Relating To The School-To-Prison Pipeline., Jesse V. Hall

Special Education ETDs

The purpose of the present study involved analyzing the policies of the Trump administration to determine the ways it impacted the school-to-prison pipeline. The focus of the study included the Departments of Education and Justice. The findings revealed educational policies and deregulatory practices that maintained and intensified the school-to-prison pipeline.

Parental Perspectives Of Their Involvement In Special Education Among English-Speaking Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Families, Yi-Ling Lin

Special Education ETDs

This study aimed to examine (1) levels of parental involvement among parents from different ethnic groups, and (2) factors predicting parental involvement in their children’s special education. A total of 112 parents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds participated in the study. A survey study was conducted to investigate how marital status, parental education levels, income, perception about school climate, their belief of roles in parental involvement, and parental perception of self-efficacy for helping the child succeed in school impacted the level of parental involvement in their children’s home-based and school-based activities. The survey was sent out to the center …

Factors Related To Retention And Self-Efficacy Of Special Education Teachers Working With Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Tabuk-Saudi Arabia: Teachers’ Interviews, Abdullah M. Alatawi

Special Education ETDs

Special educators' self-efficacy and retention may be negatively impacted due to many factors related to work conditions and internal factors related to teachers themselves. In this qualitative methodology, I aimed to explore factors that influence teachers of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to stay in their careers and factors affecting their self-efficacy to teach students with autism in Tabuk-Saudi Arabia. This study was based upon Bandura's theoretical construct of self-efficacy and conceptual models of special educators' retention. Six participants: four male and two female special educators participated in semi-structured interviews. After using the qualitative data analysis program Dedoose to …

Project-Based Learning Instruction For A Student With Disabilities: Experiences Of A Student And Teachers, Robert C. Shauger

Special Education ETDs

Students with disabilities have been underrepresented in research examining the implementation of project-based learning (PBL) instruction. This qualitative case study described the experiences of a student with a disability in an inclusive classroom where teachers used PBL instruction. I used interviews, observations, audio recorded conversations in class, and analyzed teacher-created curriculum documents and student artifacts. Thematic analysis generated four primary themes including: Supporting students, student buy-in, teacher and student interactions in PBL are complex, and student demonstration of learning. Recommendations for classroom practice to support students with disabilities in PBL instruction included extensive teacher collaboration, individualized instruction, and teaching students …

Factors Contributing To Young Men Of Color Dropping Out Of High School And Experiencing Incarceration: What Influenced Their Decision To Return To School And Graduate?, Justina C. Montoya

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Dropping out of high school is an issue that disproportionately affects the lives of young men of color in New Mexico and across the country. While there are multiple reasons that impact a student's decision to drop out of school, it is often compounded by other factors that also lead to incarceration.

This study focused on young men of color who dropped out of school, experienced incarceration, and through this process made the decision to return to school and earn a high school diploma. This study was performed at a charter high school in a southwestern state. The mission of …

Stories We Carry Into Classrooms: The Literacy Narratives Of Teachers Of Students With Complex Support Needs, Sharon L. Head

Special Education ETDs

In this study, I used a case-based narrative inquiry to investigate the literacy narratives and the thinking about instructional practices of four teachers of students with complex support needs (CSN) from a small, rural school district in the Southwestern United States. I conducted initial and follow-up interviews and facilitated two focus groups across an eight-week period using a process designed to look at teacher narratives across time and after interactions with peers. My data were in the form of transcripts of all interviews and focus groups that I analyzed using two analytic processes: thematic and narrative (Polkinghorne, 1995). I described …

Disability And Belonging In One Intentionally Inclusive Christian Faith Community, Deborah Winn Huggins

Special Education ETDs

The voices of people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) are underrepresented in research examining their participation in faith communities. This qualitative case study examined the participation of people with IDD in one intentionally inclusive Christian faith community with a primary focus on the perceptions of faith community members with IDD. This community was unique in its theological stance toward inclusion, and in the steps the community had already taken to be inclusive. I conducted two types of interviews (in-depth individual and Photo-Voice) with people with disabilities who were active in the community and their family members to explore their …

Knowledge And Desires Of Parents Of Middle School Students With Intellectual Disability Regarding Inclusive Education Laws And Practices In South Korea: Qualitative Case Study, Yunji Jeong

Special Education ETDs

The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge and desires of parents of middle school students with ID regarding inclusive education practices and laws in South Korea. I interviewed seven mothers of children with ID who attended South Korean middle school. Three themes emerged including (a) mother-teacher communication, (b) particular knowledge that suppressed further desires for inclusive education, and (c) culture-based advocacy for inclusive education. I discussed these findings based on Confucianism, collectivism, social and medical models of disability, and Rawls’s theory of justice. The mothers neither knew about inclusive education laws nor valued the laws. Instead, they …

Mothers’ Voices: A Narrative Study Of The Experiences And Perspectives Of Mothers Raising School Age Children With Disabilities In One Of Zimbabwe’S Urban Areas, Emillia Masaka

Special Education ETDs

This narrative study examined (1) how women raising school age children with disabilities in one of Zimbabwe’s urban areas, articulated and conceptualized (a) their children’s disabilities and (b) their experiences as mothers of children with disabilities and (2) how their social status, marital status, age, ethnicity, and/or race intersected with their experiences of raising children with disabilities. A localized understanding of how mothers view their children’s disabilities was important because it influences results of any interventions their children might receive. Eight participants volunteered to have three interviews each, with me. Utilizing the social construction of disability, intersectionality, and thematic analysis …

Teaching Evidence-Based Practices To Teachers, Jennifer M. Pena

Special Education ETDs

A convenience sample of 32 teachers (general and special education) and instructional coaches participated in professional development (PD) focused on finding, researching, and implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) in a charter elementary/middle/high school that uses an inclusive model of special education services. Research questions addressed participants’ understandings and implementation of EBPs prior to and following the PD, as well as their reports about the PD model itself. Results indicated teachers had limited understanding of EBPs and knowledge of resources (i.e., where to find EBPs), and mixed reports of implementation prior to the PD. Throughout the study, participants reported a desire to …

Drop In Or Drop Out: A Case Study On The Effects Of Academic Track Placement, And Levels Of Student Skill And Will, On Successful Ninth-Grade Completion, Channell M. Wilson-Segura

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The ninth grade is a transition year from middle school to high school where many students struggle to successfully navigate a new environment, new teachers and peers, new academic and behavioral expectations, and the concept of graduation requirements. This qualitative study examined the effects of academic track placement, and student levels of skill and will, on successful ninth-grade completion in one New Mexico Title I high school. It also provided insight into their perceptions of the success factors and challenges that they felt impacted their ability to successfully promote to the tenth-grade, and thus, remain on-track for graduation.

This study …

The Support Needs Of First Generation Immigrant Families With Sons And Daughters With Disabilities, George Jacob

Special Education ETDs

This study examined the support needs of four first generation immigrant families with sons and daughters with disabilities from a city in the South West of the United States and gave them a voice to add to the knowledge base that can inform the development of supports and policies for families. Parents talked about their separation from extended families and being alone in an unfamiliar country without knowledge and information on how to raise a child with a disability. Spouse and children were the closest forms of support, but for a single parent, the needs multiplied. All families shared the …

Exploration Of The Qualities And Interactions Of Post-Secondary Faculty Identified As Exemplary By Students With Support Services, Joan E. Green

Special Education ETDs

Recent statistics indicate that approximately 11% of undergraduate college students seek out disability support services (National Center for Education Statistics, 20015). The review of research indicated a lack of research regarding faculty in postsecondary education and their knowledge of disabilities and services, experiences of individuals with disabilities, and in particular, experiences and interactions toward students with support services attending postsecondary educational institutions. The purpose of this case study was to explore the classroom experiences of seven faculty nominated by students with support services as exemplary at a four-year public university. The semi-structured interviews focused on the abilities of students with …

The Heart Of K'E: Transforming Dine Special Education And Unsettling The Colonial Logics Of Disability, Sandra Yellowhorse

American Studies ETDs

This paper takes up the roles of ideology and spatiality as they impact Diné students and learners in understanding conceptions of normativity, neuro-diversity and bodily variance. I am concerned with how the movement and creation of Indigenous schools and their praxis still maintain and often times produce settler colonial ideologies of being, personhood, difference and ability. I illustrate the challenges that Diné planners and educators face in entrenching cultural knowledge and language into their educational initiatives, while some of the problematic manifestations and expressions of normativity present themselves through state polices, federal law and mainstream curriculum.

I focus on the …

A Case Study Of Two Taiwanese Students With Hearing Loss Navigating The English As A Foreign Language Requirement At Their University, Yu Chen

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Many institutions of higher education (IHE) students in Taiwan now need to meet the English proficiency requirement to earn their higher education degrees. In this case study, I intended to a) provide the opportunity for IHE students with hearing loss in Taiwan to share their opinions, thoughts, and experiences of learning English as a foreign language in higher education institutes; and b) understand how English as a foreign language policies and educational practices contribute to create opportunities and barriers for IHE students with hearing loss. The research question I intended to examine was “what are the perceptions of the lived …

Autism Spectrum Disorder Policymaking In New Mexico: An Ethnographic Case Study, Elisheva H. Levin

Special Education ETDs

ABSTRACT

Understanding how ASD policy is made at the state level is important to the various institutional and individual stakeholders who make, apply, and are governed by it. Critical disability theory was applied to this qualitative study of ASD policymaking in New Mexico. This study examined how policymakers and stakeholders brought their identities, knowledge, values, and beliefs to policymaking in New Mexico. The study was guided by the question, “How is ASD policy in New Mexico constructed?” The research used the following methods: (a) individual interviews of policy stakeholders, (b) observations of public policy meetings, (c) document review. Six major …

Autism Spectrum Disorders (Asd): Knowledge, Teaching Skills, Preparation, And Needed Knowledge Of Saudi Arabian Special Educators To Meet The Needs Of Their Students With Asd, Suliman Saleh Alothaim

Special Education ETDs

The Saudi government pays much attention to improving the quality of teachers who teach students with disabilities, including those identified with ASD. The purpose of this study was to explore the beliefs and perceptions of teachers of students with ASD in Al Qassim about their knowledge, teaching skills, and preparation to teach students with ASD. This study addressed two questions. The first question was what teachers in Al Qassim believe they know about ASD and how to teach students with ASD. The second was what teachers of students with ASD believe they need to be successful teachers of students with …

Cooperating Teachers' Experiences Mentoring Preservice Teachers, David H. Lewis

Special Education ETDs

Abstract

Recent literature was reviewed to locate articles with perspectives and attitudes of cooperating teachers who work with preservice teachers at school sites in coordination with institutions that have teacher preparation programs in general and/or special education. The results showed an emphasis in reporting the external aspects of being a cooperating teacher such as the daily activities, and little was reported about the internal aspects of being a cooperating teacher such as personal experience and rationale for working a preservice teacher into a classroom. This led to the research question “What do cooperating teachers report as their experiences while mentoring …

"We Walk That Boundary. It's A Tightrope." : A Grounded Theory Approach To The Experiences Of Direct Support Professionals Who Work With People With Intellectual Disability And Possibly Sexualized Challenging Behavior, Jason Buckles

Special Education ETDs

Matters of sexuality and concepts of risk have played a central role in the development of systems of supports for people with intellectual disability (ID) in the United States during the past 150+ years. As community based programs have risen in prominence since the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1970s men and women working as Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) have been tasked with a myriad of responsibilities which may at times include enacting supports or limitations on the sexual or possibly sexual actions of people with ID. How DSPs experience their jobs, understand, and make decisions regarding sexuality is an area …

Reciprocal Relationships And Creative Expression In Literacy Learning: Ameliorating Disability Circumstances And Empowering Individuals, Laurel Ann Lane

Special Education ETDs

Individuals engaged in the production of art, who are untrained, and marginalized by disability, are known as outsider or visionary artists. With them in mind I sought to better understand the relationship between art-making and meaning-making. Students with disability attributes in my classroom were motivated by arts-based activities, prompting me to include art in the content I taught. My own art-making grew out of those efforts, and in order to better understand how to implement my classroom practices, I began an autoethnographic study that evolved into phenomenology, positioning myself in the disability culture first, and then conducting an archival document …