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Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

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Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities (JSESD)

The Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities is a multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed journal with an international focus on providing information on science education for students with varying types and levels of disabilities. We aspire to publish the best of theoretical research and practical application and we review articles by both special and general educators. Interesting topics have included innovative curricular ideas, instructional adaptations, research-based modifications, best practices, and management issues in science education.

Copyright Statement

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Publication rights to works is granted to Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, however, full copyright for works published in this journal is retained by the author(s). The author(s) may post their works online in an institutional repository, on their University departmental website, or on their own personal websites

Debriefing The Interpretive Researcher: Spider Sniffing With Critical Friend, Jan K. Williams, Reese H. Todd

The Qualitative Report

This auto-ethnographic study describes a practical application of qualitative research skills in an intensive writing retreat. The retreat was held in response to an inadequate dissertation defense just three weeks before final university deadline for graduation. It uses narrative and double- storytelling to step in and out of the experience of a debriefing process that put the writer in a vulnerable position with a critical friend. The reality of not completing the PhD demanded aggressive and immediate action – an intense commitment to critical analysis of the dissertation. The reflective self-study of the writing retreat experience describes the significance of …

How Can Self-Regulated Learning Be Supported In E-Learning 2.0 Environment: A Comparative Study, Hong Zhao, Li Chen

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

As a critical factor that affects the learning performance in distance education, self-regulated learning (SRL) has elicited considerable interest. Self-regulated learners can manage their learning activities efficiently but researchers indicate that learners have difficulties in SRL behavior. Thus, providing support to facilitate self-regulatory processes is important. E-learning has the potential to be a learning tool to examine students’ self-regulatory skills. New advances in technology, especially the development of Web 2.0 technology, have provided effective support for self-regulated learning. This study addresses the following research question: How can SRL be supported properly in E-learning environment? Because learning processes cannot be conceptualized …

Flipped Learning And Influential Factors: Case Analysis, Leping Liu, Darren Ripley, Angela Lee

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Flipped learning has been a focus of research to explore potential learning environments that may positively affect student learning. The key issue is whether or how educators design such a learning environment, and what might be the factors that educators need to consider when designing a flipped learning environment. The first part of this study presents a critical review and analysis on factors identified from the literature that may influence the success of a flipped-learning case. 216 cases selected from current literature were analyzed on seven factors (Overall Design, Design of Information, Design of Technology Use, Active Learning, Motivation, Special …

The Efficacy Of A One-To-One Technology Initiative In Improving The Four Cs, Ching-Wen Chang

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

The Ozarks Educational Research Initiative, a consortium of 19 Southwest Missouri public school districts, partnered with Missouri State University’s Institute for School Improvement from 2011 – 2015 to investigate effective practices for utilizing one-to-one digital technologies in the classroom. The focus of this descriptive study was to determine whether a one-to-one technology initiative would result in improving any of the “four Cs” (communication, collaboration, creativity, or critical thinking) of the Framework for 21st Century Learning. Of the teachers surveyed who have one-to-one classrooms, three-quarters of them (77.5%) believe there were improvements in the four Cs as a result of the …

Evaluating Language-Learning Mobile Apps For Second-Language Learners, Xiaojun Chen

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

As mobile technologies become more affordable and more advanced in function, researchers suggest that using mobile apps to assist English language learning are appropriate. This three-step evaluation study (designing a theory-driven rubric, selecting apps, and evaluating the apps) aims to investigate and evaluate the affordances of English language learning mobile apps for adult learners. The results of this evaluation study contribute to the literature of mobile learning targeting adult learners, and also broaden the knowledge body of integrating mobile learning into English Language Learning (ELL) classes.

Using Technology To Facilitate Modeling-Based Science Education: Lessons Learned From A Meta-Analysis Of Empirical Research, Jing Lei, Patrick Heng Luo, Qiu Wang, Ji Shen, Sunghye Lee, Ye Chen

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This study focused on the integration of technologies in regular science teaching within the pedagogical framework of modeling-based instruction (MBI), a well-established instructional method in science education, and aimed to identify new trends of technology integration in MBI, explore the particular features (Interactivity, Collaboration, and Scaffolding) and affordances of new technologies, and examine the effect of technology-supported MBI on students learning outcomes. By analyzing empirical MBI studies from 2000 to 2010 through a meta-analysis and qualitatively reviewing studies from 2011-2016, this study shared three major findings: (1) computer-based software was the most commonly used technology in MBI, with Internet and …

An Examination Of Accessible Hands-On Science Learning Experiences, Self-Confidence In One’S Capacity To Function In The Sciences, And Motivation And Interest In Scientific Studies And Careers., Mick D. Isaacson, Cary Supalo, Michelle Michaels, Alan Roth

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This study examined the potential relationship of accessible hands-on science learning experiences to the development of positive beliefs concerning one’s capacity to function in the sciences and motivation to consider science as a college major and career. Findings from Likert survey items given before and after engaging in accessible hands-on science laboratories show that students who were blind or had low vision (BLV) were more likely to agree with the following items after engaging in accessible science experiences: 1) I plan on enrolling as a science major in college; 2) My educational experiences, so far, have given me the …

Using A Bci To Assess Attention During An Online Lecture, Ethan Hanner, Marguerite Doman

The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin

Brain computer interfaces (BCI) use neural signals as input into computer applications. In this study, we demonstrate the use of a low-cost, commercially available BCI to directly measure participants’ attention levels while using WUtopia, and online learning platform developed at Winthrop University. Previous research demonstrated that students using this platform performed better on a post-lecture quiz than those who only viewed the lecture (Grossoehme et al.). We hypothesize that the increase in performance is due to an increase in attentiveness when using the WUtopia platform. We divided participants into the intervention (n = 7) and non-intervention (n = 12) groups. …

The Attitudes Of University Faculty Toward Humor As A Pedagogical Tool: Can We Take A Joke?, John A. Huss, Shannon Eastep

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Faculty members in a College of Education responded to a mixed methods questionnaire regarding their attitudes toward the use of humor as a pedagogical tool. Quantitative data and coding of open response questions revealed that instructors overall considered humor to be an integral part of their teaching plan and that humor relaxes students, contributes to a more enjoyable classroom climate, and helps students make content connections, in both traditional and web based classes. Despite general acceptance, the feedback suggested instructors could benefit from targeted training in how to effectively and consistently use humor as a teaching strategy, particularly in their …

Two Models For Evaluating Evidence-Based Practices In Autism, Jennifer Lee Suppo Ed.D.

Journal of Research Initiatives

The search for evidence-based practices within the realm of autism has continued to be at the forefront of autism discussions in education. The author describes two models, CEC Practice Study Manual (2008) and the National Standards Report (National Autism Center, 2009), for evaluating interventions as evidence-based practices (EBP) in autism, and compares and contrasts their features. The author applies the National Standards Report model, as it is the most frequently used model when evaluating EBP’s, in an analysis of two interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that are known to be EBPs, and applies the same model in …

The 'Rules Of Engagement': The Ethical Dimension Of Doctoral Research, Christopher Berg

Journal of Research Initiatives

The pursuit of a doctorate is a rite of passage that requires a student to successfully navigate the transition from “student” to “scholar.” One area of practice, however, that is often marginalized is the role of ethics. Though there is no formal coursework in ethics, its importance cannot be understated. This essay examines the conceptual role of ethics in doctoral research as both an individual reflective essay as well as a broader discussion of ethics in general. The ethical dimension considered is broken down into eight principles or ethical research and practice in doctoral research. The “Eight Ethical Principles” will …

Back Matter, Teacher-Scholar: The Journal Of The State Comprehensive University

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

List of contributors.

Writing Majors: Eighteen Program Profiles, By Greg Giberson, Jim Nugent, And Lori Ostergaard, Cheryl Hofstetter Duffy

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

Giberson, Greg, Jim Nugent, and Lori Ostergaard, ed. Writing Majors: Eighteen Program Profiles. Logan: Utah State UP, 2015. What does a writing major look like? In Writing Majors: Eighteen Program Profiles, Greg Giberson et al. have compiled a diverse and detailed collection of answers to that question. The book’s plural title, Writing Majors, is apt, for this is not a description of the writing major; instead, we find little consensus among the many programs outlined here. The notion of a writing major, it turns out, is amorphous. Sometimes a writing major is housed in its own department, as are the …

The 160-Character Solution: How Text Messaging And Other Behavioral Strategies Can Improve Education, By Benjamin Castleman, Amanda Fields

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

Castleman, Benjamin J. The 160-Character Solution: How Text Messaging and Other Behavioral Strategies Can Improve Education. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015. 152 p. ISBN 978I421418742. $22.95. In The 160-Character Solution: How Text Messaging and Other Behavioral Strategies Can Improve Education, Benjamin J. Castleman offers specific approaches for recruiting and retaining college students, especially those students whose socioeconomic conditions may deter them from making informed choices about their education. Castleman asks university stakeholders to be cognizant of the overabundance of information students and their families must wade through when seeking out a university. He suggests the need for more effective …

Introduction: Reflecting On The Red Balloon Project, George L. Mehaffy

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

On a warm July afternoon in 2010, AASCU convened its Academic Affairs Summer Meeting in Chicago. The hotel ballroom had a festive look about it, with red balloons hanging from every imaginable place. At that conference, we used the red balloons to announce the launch of the Red Balloon Project, a national initiative focused on reimagining undergraduate education. The Red Balloon Project grew out of three critical challenges for AASCU institutions: declining state support, increasing expectations, and dramatic changes in technology. The year 2010 witnessed an acceleration of disinvestment in public higher education as states, struggling with the consequences of …

Online Supervision Case Analysis: The Case Of Kelly, Thommi Odom Lawson

Journal of Counseling and Psychology

Providing supervision to graduate counseling students using secured online technology is becoming a trend given the advancements in technology, students’ attending extended campuses rather than traditional universities, and convenience. Building a strong working alliance between the supervisee and supervisor is critical, particularly when the parties involved are establishing the relationship remotely. This article analyzes a case involving online supervision through the application of the Supervisory Working Alliance Model and the Individual Psychology Supervision Model. The supervisory relationship is discussed, and issues such as developing a working alliance virtually, the supervisory relationship, multicultural competency, and supervisor/supervisee evaluation are addressed.

A Context For Extramural Funding At State Comprehensive Universities: Tilting At Windmills Or Fighting The Good Fight?, John Falconer

Teacher-Scholar: The Journal of the State Comprehensive University

Once upon a time, colleges hired professors to teach students. It was a simple world. But in the 1800s, the German model of higher education began to influence American higher education, and we embraced the notion of faculty members who would both develop knowledge and transmit it to students. This expanded the job of the professor considerably, although the spread of this model across higher education was gradual. Indeed, it is still underway. Despite the widely held notion that a faculty member who is engaged in his or her discipline offers more to a department and to students than someone …

Attitudes Toward Statistics Studies Among Students With Learning Disabilities, Orly Lipka, Itay Hess

Numeracy

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a support course to change attitudes toward statistics studies of post-secondary students who were diagnosed with learning disabilities (LD) and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The participants were 22 students in a support course that was provided over a single academic term on a weekly basis. The design of the study was according to 'Pre-Post' comparison. The effects on attitudes toward statistics were examined quantitatively and qualitatively to provide a comprehensive methodology for the research purposes. Results suggest that the weekly support course model that was taught simultaneously to the on-line course …

Constructing Online Communities Of Practice, Marvin Cohen, Babette Moeller, Michelle Cerrone

Occasional Paper Series

The authors document the ways in which online communities of practice enable teachers to have meaningful conversations sharing practices and discussing the nuances of teaching math.

Operations Management Outside Of The Classroom: An Experiential Approach To Teaching Enabled By Online Learning, Kristen A. Sosulski, Harry G. Chernoff

Occasional Paper Series

This paper describes the design of an experiential approach to teaching operations management (OM) at New York University Stern School of Business. OM students study the design and management of the supply side of business, including how products are produced and how services are supplied. The course discussed in this paper is unique in that students learn operations while visiting real companies and organizations. The foundational concepts are not taught in classroom lectures, but through video minilectures, demonstrations, group work sessions, and practice problems that are available online and can be accessed at any time. This allows for classroom time …

Creating Meaningful Learning Opportunities Online, Hafdís Guðjónsdóttir, Svanborg R. Jónsdóttir, Karen Rut Gísladóttir

Occasional Paper Series

This paper describe the ways in which the authors have used digital pedagogy to address the loneliness of the distance learner by making their online course more inclusive and interactive.

Activating Emotional & Analytic Engagement In Blended Learning: A Multicultural Teacher Education Example, Ramona Maile Cutri, Erin Feinauer Whiting, Stefinee E. Pinnegar

Occasional Paper Series

The authors share their experience in designing a blended multicultural education course that they hoped would increase the likelihood that the teachers they were educating would take up socially just dispositions. They examined their own learning using a critical friend relationship with a colleague experienced in developing technological responses that honor relational aspects of teacher education within a framework of sociocultural theory.

Teaching Science Teachers In An Online Context With A Constructivist Approach, Frederick W. Freking, Jenny D. Ingber

Occasional Paper Series

The authors discuss the development of an online STEM-based teacher education program, providing a template for the inclusion of constructivist practices, such as course activities and student teaching.

Fostering Student Engagement: Creating A Culture Of Learning Online, Robin G. Isserles

Occasional Paper Series

The author addresses the ways in which distance learning offers possibilities for mitigating inequitable access to higher education — supporting community college students’ ability to take ownership of their learning, and encouraging them to think critically about what they are learning.

Preparing Teachers As Literacy Leaders In A Hybrid Classroom, Tamara Spencer

Occasional Paper Series

The author describes and analyzes how she developed a course (Literacy in the Elementary Grades) in hybrid format—50% online and 50% face-to-face teaching. First, she draws upon two overlapping frameworks in literacy studies—sociocultural theory and new literacy studies to describe the broader theoretical framework that grounds both the course design and the approach to literacy taken with the course. From there, the author provides a detailed analysis of the course, the objectives, overall content and assignments, and how she modified the course to be hybrid.

Beyond A Digital Status Quo: Re-Conceptualizing Online Learning Opportunities, Ellen Meier

Occasional Paper Series

According to the popular press and many policy pundits, online learning represents the next educational leap forward. Extraordinary claims have been made in the name of e-learning, including the assurance of educational equity, personalized learning for all, and significant cost savings for students — to name just a few. At the same time however, few policymakers are asking substantive questions about the educational nature of online learning environments. How are the classes organized, and what learning theories shape the design of these digital environments? What skills are needed to teach online and how are instructors prepared to teach in these …

Front Matter And Editors' Notes, Helen Freidus, Mollie Welsh Kruger, Steven Goss

Occasional Paper Series

Cover page, table of contents, editors' notes.

Considering The Virtual Classroom: A Call To Middle Level Education Programs, Brooke B. Eisenbach

Middle Grades Review

Today’s classrooms are changing and moving beyond the walls of a traditional school environment. With each passing year, a growing population of middle level learners are logging into full-time, or blended learning virtual courses. However, teachers often lack the training and experience necessary to address the developmental needs of middle level learners within this new context. In an effort to prepare tomorrow’s educators for the reality of the 21^st century classroom, it’s time to consider our post-secondary education programs, and the manner in which we prepare our teacher candidates to teach middle level learners within the virtual platform.