Education Commons^™

Teacher Professional Development For Disability Inclusion In Low- And Middle-Income Asia-Pacific Countries: An Evidence And Gap Map, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, David Jeffries, Anannya Chakraborty, Toby Carslake, Petra Lietz, Budiarti Rahayu, David Armstrong, Amit Kaushik, Kris Sundarsagar

Assessment and Reporting

In the Asia‐Pacific region, around one‐third of the children who are out‐of‐school have a disability and given that teacher readiness and capability are key contributors for inclusive education, it is high time for a mapping of disability inclusive teacher professional development (TPD) interventions in this region. The key objective of this evidence and gap map (EGM) is to locate evidence on interventions for in‐service TPD focussing on education for the inclusion of students with a disability in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) in the Asia‐Pacific region. A broad range of bibliographic databases and repositories were searched electronically to identify the …

Linguistic Awareness And Dyslexia Beliefs Among Teachers Of Students Who Are Blind Or Visually Impaired., Nosheen Gul, Lindsay N. Harris, Alicia Larouech, Gracie Strohm

CISLL Publications

US students who are blind or have visual impairments do not read at the level of a third-grader with typical sight until, on average, halfway through the seventh grade. As a first step toward narrowing that gap, we investigated levels of linguistic awareness among teachers of students who are blind or visually impaired (TSBVIs) because research with general education teachers has demonstrated a link between teacher linguistic awareness and student literacy outcomes. We also examined the accuracy of dyslexia beliefs among TSBVIs and whether TSBVI linguistic aware- ness and dyslexia beliefs are associated with training and experience variables. A survey …

Protocol: Teacher Professional Development For Disability Inclusion In Low- And Middle-Income Asia-Pacific Countries: An Evidence And Gap Map, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, David Jeffries, Anannya Chakraborty, Petra Lietz, Amit Kaushik, Budiarti Rahayu, David Armstrong, Kris Sundarsagar

Assessment and Reporting

According to prior research, teacher readiness and capability are key contributors for successful transition towards disability inclusive education, yet in-service teacher professional development for disability inclusion remains an under-researched area. The key objective of this evidence and gap map (EGM) is to locate evidence on interventions for disability inclusion focused teacher professional development (TPD) in low-to-middle-income-countries (LMICs) in the Asia-Pacific region. As such, it will illustrate different levels of evidence for TPD interventions as well as where there is no evidence (i.e., gaps). In other words, the EGM can make agencies aware where they might be operating in an area …

Peer Review Of Teaching Portfolio - Sped 990: Intervention Design Lll, Susan J. Loveall

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This portfolio documents the development of SPED 990: Intervention Design III, a doctoral course being taught for the first time in the Spring of 2021 in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders. The primary goals motivating my creation of this benchmark portfolio included: 1) deciding what to teach and how to teach it for the course’s first iteration, 2) understanding how this course fits into my department’s broader curriculum and doctoral training program, 3) upon completion of the course, reflecting on what worked and what didn’t to improve the course for future semesters, and 4) continuing my professional …

Preservice Teachers' Referral Of Students For Special Education, Annie Maclachlan

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this study was to understand which students teachers nominate for special education services, and what student qualities influence the nomination. Specifically, in this study, we investigated whether a student’s ethnicity and classroom behavior influence his or her nomination for special education. We created six profiles in which we varied ethnic names and classroom behaviors, and asked juniors and seniors in a selected teacher preparation program to evaluate the profile they were given. They were then asked to indicate whether or not they would refer their given hypothetical student for special education services, and to provide justification for …

Developing Students' Grammar Skills, Andrew P. Johnson

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

Learning about grammar doesn't have to be boring and meaningless. This paper starts by dispelling some myths, other wise known as silly grammar ideas. It ends by describing seven activities that can be used to develop students' ability to use conventional grammar.

From Advocacy To Activism: Families, Communities, And Collective Change, Janet Story Sauer, Priya Lalvani

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

Although countries across the globe support the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), when faced with competing economic priorities, their policies and practices too often negatively impact children with disabilities and their families (Ferguson,). Current social and educational structures are implicated in inequitable services, particularly for those families from nondominant languages and minority racial and ethnic groups (McCall & Skrtic, Ong-Dean,). Recognizing the importance of contexts and power imbalances, we posit that the broader communities in which families live and that determine the opportunities they are afforded, should be explicitly addressed when evaluating a family's …

Whole Language Vs. Phonics?: Meaning-First And Code-First Approaches To Reading Instruction, Andrew P. Johnson

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

This chapter excerpt describes approaches to reading instruction based on two different theoretical perspectives: a meaning-based approach and a skills-based approach. Video mini-lectures are included.

Approaches To Phonics Instruction, Andrew P. Johnson

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

This chapter excerpt provides a brief overview of synthetic and analytic approaches to phonics instruction. Related mini-lectures are included.

Strengthening Executive Function Development For Students With Add, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

What are the root causes of Attention Deficit Disorder in our children and youth, and how do we address these challenges? According to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 11 percent of children in the United States age 4-17 (6.4 million) have been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2011.

Dr. Russell Barkley, clinical professor of psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina and medical expert in ADD, shares that this disorder is primarily about emotional regulation and self-control. It is not just about inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Emotional regulation, which is foundational to social, emotional, and …

The Perceptions Of Caucasian Female Elementary Teachers And The Overrepresentation Of African-American Males In Special Education, Thomas Seaberry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a disproportionate amount of African-American males in special education programs. Several factors have been offered by researchers as to why this phenomenon continues to be a problem throughout the county. The purpose of this study was to understand how Caucasian female teachers' perceptions of African-American male students might influence their overrepresentation in special education. This qualitative study employed an ethnographic case study method, and relied primarily on a pilot study and teacher interviews to obtain data related to this phenomenon. Using this research design, the researcher established six themes related to the research phenomenon: (1) cultural discontinuity between …

The Impact Of Standards-Based Reform: Applying Brantlinger's Critique Of Hierarchical Ideologies, Jessica Bacon, Beth Ferri

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

Brantlinger's [2004b. "Ideologies Discerned, Values Determined: Getting past the Hierarchies of Special Education." In Ideology and the Politics of (in)Exclusion, edited by L. Ware, 11-31. New York: Peter Lang Publishing] critique of hierarchical ideologies lays bare the logics embedded in standards-based reform. Drawing on Brantlinger's insightful analysis, we trace how hierarchical ideologies impacted inclusive practice at one urban elementary school, deemed failing under the No Child Left Behind Act. Drawing on the qualitative analysis of data from interviews, public forums, and documents, we chart some of the negative effects of hierarchical ideologies on inclusive practice. We illustrate, for instance, how …

Land Of Misfit Toys: Mothers Perceptions Of Educational Environments For Their Children With Down Syndrome, Priya Lalvani

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

In this qualitative study, 19 mothers discussed the education of their children with Down syndrome. Mothers reflected on their expectations and perceptions of different educational environments, focussing particularly on their understanding of inclusive education. The findings suggest that mothers beliefs and decisions related to the education of their children with Down syndrome were embedded in culturally constructed notions of normalcy and stigma. Their support for particular educational programmes was inextricably linked with their understanding of the sociocultural meaning of Down syndrome. Findings revealed the existence of institutional resistance to inclusive education as well as dominant educational discourses that positioned students …

A Collective Case Study Of The Perceptions And Implementation Of Self Advocacy From Four Educators Of Students With Disabilities, Heather Heap

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study identified four educators' perceptions and their implementation of teaching advocacy to students with disabilities within a public secondary educational setting. Federal mandates, such as Public Law 94-142, requested educators including administrators, counselors, special educators, and general educators to help facilitate self advocacy skills in the public educational setting. Using observations, comprehensive interviews, and available documentation, this collective case study identified four educators' experiences (an administrator, a counselor, a special educator, and a general educator) in developing student self advocacy as it pertains to the educators' perceived role in working with students with disabilities. This study identified their …

Privilege, Compromise, Or Social Justice: Teachers' Conceptualizations Of Inclusive Education, Priya Lalvani

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

This qualitative study explored the beliefs of teachers in the USA about the education of students with disabilities, focusing on their conceptualizations of inclusive education. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 30 teachers. The findings highlight multiple interpretations of inclusive education and suggest that teachers' support for inclusive education may be linked with the ways in which they conceptualize this practice. Most teachers' beliefs about the education of students with disabilities were embedded in dominant educational discourses that centered on the otherness of some students, and an unquestioned acceptance of implicit assumptions in special education. Findings support the need …

The Co-Teaching Journey: A Systematic Grounded Theory Study Investigating How Secondary School Teachers Resolve Challenges In Co-Teaching, Sharon Gerst

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to explain how problems inherent in co-teaching relationships are resolved by secondary school special education and general education teachers at an urban school district in Eastern Iowa. The participants were general and special education secondary school teachers involved in effective co-teaching partnerships. Data was collected from five partnerships, utilizing focus groups, interpersonal behavior theory questionnaires, classroom observations, and individual interviews. The researcher analyzed the data using systematic grounded theory procedures of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding to develop a theory grounded in the data collected about the process by …

Challenges Native Chinese Teachers Face In Teaching Chinese As A Foreign Language To Non-Native Chinese Students In U.S. Classrooms, Hui Xu

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative case study targeted the perceptions of Chinese teachers (n= 7) who had teaching experiences in China or Taiwan and the challenges they faced in transitioning to teach non-native Chinese students in U.S. classrooms, specifically about their teaching beliefs, styles, pedagogy, classroom management strategies which may be different from that of American education system. Results showed that Chinese teacher participants encountered numerous challenges including language barriers and culture shock, different perceptions and expectations of the roles of the teacher and students, communication with parents, different teaching pedagogies and styles, classroom management, and inclusion of students with special needs. The …

Parent-Teacher Partnerships In Special Education, Cassandra Braley

Honors Projects

There is an old African proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child (Buzzell, 1996, p.1).” In today’s society, this saying is applicable to the idea of parent-teacher partnerships in education. The underlying assumption of such partnerships is that everyone who has a stake in a child’s life, including the parents, teachers, and community, should work together to give that child the best education possible. In reality, however, key stakeholders in a child’s life may have many different ideas and beliefs, and, as a result, a disconnect in communication and relationships among them can arise. In such …

An Analysis Of Disability-Related Provisions In The 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act (Heoa): What Universities And Policy Makers Should Know, Alan Kurtz

Education

The purpose of this October 2011 policy brief is to provide state agencies, postsecondary institutions, and policy makers with an overview of changes in the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) affecting the access to education of postsecondary students with disabilities and the way teacher education programs at Institutions of Higher Learning (IHEs) prepare general and special educators to teach students with disabilities. Specifically, this analysis reviews disability-related terminology new to this revision of the HEOA, access to instructional materials for students with print disabilities, changes in access to financial aid for students with intellectual disabilities, model demonstration projects both …

Disability Studies In Education: The Need For A Plurality Of Perspectives On Disability, Susan Baglieri, Jan W. Valle, David J. Connor, Deborah J. Gallagher

Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works

This article asserts that the field of special education, historically founded on conceptions of disability originating within scientific, psychological, and medical frame works, will benefit from acknowledging broader understandings of disability. Although well intended, traditional understandings of disability in special education have inadvertently inhibited the development of theory,limited research methods, narrowed pedagogical practice, and determined largely segregated policies for educating students with disabilities. Since the passage of P.L. 94-142, along with the growth of the Disability Rights Movements, meanings of disability have expanded and evolved, no longer constrained to the deficit-based medical model. For many individuals, disability is primarily best …

The Status Of Students With Special Needs In The Instrumental Musical Ensemble And The Effect Of Selected Educator And Institutional Variables On Rates Of Inclusion, Edward C. Hoffman Iii

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Creative Work, and Performance

The purpose of this study was to describe the current status of students with special needs in the instrumental musical ensemble and to examine the effect of selected educator and institutional variables on rates of inclusion. An online survey was designed by the researcher and distributed electronically to 600 practicing K-12 instrumental music educators in the states of Idaho, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Rhode Island. While 13.6% of the total school-aged population nationwide received special education services, demographic data provided by respondents revealed that students with special needs accounted for 6.8% of all students participating in bands, orchestras, …

Evaluation Of A Merged Secondary And Special Education Program, Ann Fullerton Dr., Barbara Ruben, Stephanie Mcbride, Susan Bert

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

If classroom teachers are among the greatest determinant of student learning, then teacher preparation programs have a role to play improving educational outcomes for struggling learners. There are currently three established teacher preparation program models: (1) "discrete"; (2) "integrated"; and (3) "merged." In the "discrete" model, which is the most widely implemented of the three, general and special education programs are separate. In the "integrated" model, separate programs are retained but faculty work together to develop some courses and/or field experiences in which special education candidates learn about the general education curriculum while general education candidates learn about inclusive education. …

Development And Design Of A Merged Secondary And Special Education Teacher Preparation Program, Ann Fullerton, Barbara Ruben, Stephanie Mcbride, Susan Bert

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

As middle and secondary classrooms become increasingly inclusive, some special educators may not be prepared to teach content, and some general educators may not be prepared to address diverse learning needs. This mismatch between the reality of today's schools and traditional teacher preparation has led to the development of new models for teacher education that integrate or merge special education and general education. Integrated and merged models are two approaches to combining special and general education pedagogy for teacher education. In merged programs, faculty in general and special education collaborate to develop one program in which all candidates receive licensure …

Learning Ideas - Special Education Tips For Foster Parents Who Are Surrogate Parents, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Education

Surrogate parents are appointed to represent children with disabilities whenever the birth parents or guardian of a child with a disability cannot be identified, located, or when the child is in the custody of the state. They have all the rights of birth parents for educational matters, e.g. permission for evaluation and placement, release information and request for educational hearing. The primary responsibility of surrogate parents is to ensure that children with disabilities are provided with a free, appropriate public education. (Adapted from http://www.maine.gov/doe/special ed/programs/surrogate/index.html)

Judging Competence, Marie A. Lynch, Linda Capalbo

Faculty Publications

This study analyzed written records created by college clinical supervisors, of student teaching observations carried out during the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 semester. Observations, conducted in public schools in a Northeastern state, reflected the dual enrollment status of each student teacher; that is, each candidate was observed, multiple times, in both a general elementary or middle level classroom and in a setting focused on students with special educational needs. The purposes of the analysis were to 1) examine the language used by the observer that both describes and evaluates the student teacher_s performance, particularly as it differentiates levels of …

Examining Teachers' Knowledge And Perceptions Of Response To Intervention, Ashley Elizabeth Moore Swigart

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-step approach to providing interventions to students within general and special education. This study investigated the relationship between elementary, middle, and high school teachers’ perceptions of RTI and (a) whether they taught general versus special education, (b) grade level taught, (c) knowledge level of RTI, and (d) presence in a school implementing RTI and participation in the process. Understanding teachers’ perceptions is of particular importance to school psychologists and can be used to ensure that teachers participate fully in the RTI process. Participants were given a questionnaire to complete that assessed their perceptions and …

Audio-Assisted Reading With Digital Audiobooks For Upper Elementary Students With Reading Disabilities, Kelli J. Esteves

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Audio-assisted reading has been used as an effective instructional intervention for students with learning disabilities (Carbo, 1978; Gilbert, Williams, & McLaughlin, 1996) and with struggling readers (Chomsky, 1976; Hollingsworth, 1978; Hoskisson & Krohm, 1974; Koskinen, Blum, Bisson, Phillips, Creamer, & Baker, 2000; Rasinski, 1990). The strategy involves reading along while listening to an audio recording of a fluent model (Evans, 1997).

The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy o f audio-assisted reading with digital audiobooks against the traditional practice of sustained silent reading in terms of reading fluency rates and reading attitude scores with upper elementary students …

Investigating The Role Of Eportfolios And Online Courses In A Community Of Practice: Assisting Bulgarian Special Educators With Lifelong Competency Development, R. Peterson, J. Herrington, D. Konza, M. Tzvetkova-Arsova, K. Stefanov

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Research and development for an Internet-facilitated distributed community of practice (DCoP) for special education in Bulgaria is in its final phase. The DCoP is called Special Education Bulgaria. Results from the needs assessment indicated that special education researchers, practitioners, and parents in Bulgaria would benefit from such a community and that there is sufficient Internet access. Formative evaluation results directed website usability and sociability improvements and the incorporation of Moodle, a popular course management system. An effectiveness evaluation is currently underway to investigate the DCoP’s effect on the job performance and satisfaction of special educators. Preliminary results indicate that though …

What Is In A Name? Labels And Terminologies Regarding Disability And Special Educational Needs: A Continuing Concern, Anupam Ahuja, Parvez Pirzado

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Establishing An Internet-Based Special Education Community In Bulgaria: A Summary Of Preliminary Findings And Future Steps, R. Peterson

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Research behind the establishment of an Internet-based community of practice, called Special Ed Bulgaria, www.specialedbulgaria.org, is discussed. Preliminary results show that special education researchers and practitioners in Bulgaria are familiar enough with using the Internet to benefit from an online community. Results also indicate that there is sufficient access to the Internet. Usability results directed modifications to the prototype online community and led to the incorporation of a popular course management system called Moodle.