Education Commons^™

The Effects Of Distributed Trials On Behaviors Of Students With Significant Disability, Mona Nasir-Tucktuck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Teaching academic instruction to students with significant cognitive disability (SCD) has been done with success over the past years (Browder, Mims, Spooner, Ahlgrim-Delzell, & Lee, 2008; Hudson & Test, 2011; Mims, Hudson, & Browder, 2012), However, research is scarce and further instructional strategies are needed to help align the standard-based curriculum for this population of students (Browder, Ahlgrim-Delzell, Flowers, & Baker, 2012).

The academic inclusion of students with SCD has been a topic of interest for researchers over the past few decades. In 1997, research on teaching academics to students with SCD was scarce (Nietupski, Hamre-Nietupski, Curtin, Shrikanth, 1997). The …

The Relationship Between Roles And Responsibilities Of Co-Teachers And Co-Teacher Self-Efficacy, Janet Van Heck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study is a survey that was intended to measure the connection between what co-teachers actually do and what they think they should be doing as best practice. Second, it intended to study the roles and responsibilities that co-teachers report fulfilling. Finally, whether self-efficacy is a predictor of co-teacher roles and responsibilities is further reported.

Three hundred twenty co-teachers participated in the study: one hundred sixty special education and 160 general education teachers in a large urban school district in the southwestern United States. Bandura’s Teacher Self Efficacy Scale (1994) was used with a tool for co-teachers designed specifically for …

Self-Monitoring: A Behavioral Intervention For Children Attending Head Start, Samantha Riggleman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Addressing the needs of preschoolers with behavioral problems is important, as these issues often have long-term impacts on the outcomes of students (Fox et al., 2002). Self- monitoring strategies and techniques have the potential to improve the outcomes of this population of children. Self-monitoring requires students to pay attention to a specific aspect of their behavior and record whether the behavior being monitored has occurred or not occurred (Amato-Zech et at., 2006). Although preschoolers are capable of self-monitoring (Otero & Haut, YEAR), it is not widely used in early childhood education settings for increasing compliance or appropriate behaviors. A component …

Investigating The Use Of A Structured Self-Determination Curriculum With Students With Gifts And Talents, Rebecca Carolyn Norton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of K-12 education in the 21st century is to graduate students fully prepared for college and careers. The skills necessary for a successful transition from postsecondary education to adulthood are the skills of self-determination. These skills include: (a) goal setting, (b) self-evaluation, (c) collaboration, (d) listening and communication, and (e) problem solving. Though elementary students with gifts and talents express an interest in career exploration, and often choose careers that require postsecondary education, they do not receive the guidance or skills to prepare them for life beyond school. No curriculum currently exists to teach these skills to students …

Using Mobile Technology To Increase The Math Achievement And Engagement Of Students With Disabilities, Dominique Marie Tetzlaff

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The advent of advanced technologies provides new opportunities for delivering instruction to students with disabilities. Many classrooms have access to mobile devices, such as iPads and Kindles, and educators utilize these devices to differentiate instruction and augment teacher-led instruction. This delivery method, known as blended learning, can create an enriched learning environment where students are exposed to individualized lessons that are self-paced and provide multiple modes of presentation. However, there is little empirical investigation into how students interact with digital devices or what components of online learning directly impact student learning and engagement with the content. In order to design …

Preschool Teacher Knowledge And Skills: Phonemic Awareness And Instruction, Cecilia Anne Billow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The extent of phonemic awareness knowledge and skills early childhood teachers bring to beginning literacy instruction lays the foundation upon which reading success is built for preschool children in their care. A significant number of preschool children receive their first literacy instruction in community-based or Head Start preschools. Phonemes are the individual sounds that make up spoken words and developing the ability to attend to the sounds that letters represent is the first step in learning to read. No published studies were found assessing the ability of teachers in these two settings to provide effective instruction in phonemic awareness.

The …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Video Modeling Other And Peer-Implemented Pivotal Response Training To Video Modeling Other On Positive Social Interactions Of Young Children With Developmental Disabilities, Maryssa Kucskar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Young children with developmental disabilities (DD) frequently have delays in social play skills. Students with DD may require social skills instruction in order to be successful in playing cooperatively with others. These opportunities to practice social play skills learned from specialized interventions must be available throughout the school day. Providing opportunities for positive social interactions, engagement, and play within a classroom setting allows children to make friendships, engage in higher levels of play, participate with peers in multiple social contexts, and lead to overall school success.

The purpose of this study was to answer two research questions. The first question …

Instructional Math Technology In Secondary Special Education: Teacher-Reported Practices And Perceptions, Joice M. Higa

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Students with disabilities often have difficulty meeting established math proficiency levels. Without these skills, students may face increased challenges in transitioning to adulthood, including fewer post-secondary educational opportunities, limited career options, and decreased long-term income. Addressing low math skills is important to improving options for students with disabilities. Research indicates that technology-based interventions have the potential to improve academic outcomes.

The purpose of this study was to examine the math instructional technology used in secondary math classrooms with students with disabilities. The study also examined teacherperceived barriers and desired supports related to the integration of technology. A three-round Delphi method …

Comparing The Differences In Access To Professional Development For General Education And Special Education Teachers And The Subsequent Impact On Instructional Practice, Lori L. Slater

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The demands on schools, teachers, and students continue to increase as greater accountability measures are put into place at all levels. For teachers to meet these increased demands, it is important that they be provided opportunities to improve and enhance their content knowledge and pedagogy. One way to ensure the provision of these opportunities for teachers is through professional development. There is significant evidence that professional development can improve instructional practice and student outcomes (Drago-Severson, 1994; Garet et al., 2001; Guskey, 2000; Sparks & Loucks-Horsley, 1989; Wei et al., 2010; Zhang et al., 2015). However, there continues to be a …

Preview-View-Review: Increasing Academic Access For Students With Intellectual Disabilities Who Are English Learners, Dolores Marie Williamson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Recent changes to federal education laws for students with and without disabilities have kindled an increased interest in implementing evidence-based practices for teaching academic skills to all students, including students with severe disabilities and students learning English. Teaching students with significant disabilities who are learning English poses a unique set of challenges. To date, no research has been conducted on teaching science to students with significant intellectual disabilities who are learning English.

This study was designed to measure the effect of an evidence-based science curriculum, delivered in both English and Spanish using the preview-view-review (PVR) strategy, on the science vocabulary …