Education Commons^™

Building Principals’ Self-Efficacy Regarding Their Ability To Supervise Special Education Programing And Staff, Candida J. Marek

Masters Theses

This study uses quantitative data analysis to reveal Michigan building principals’ selfefficacy dependent on number of years on the job and types of certification they hold. These findings reveal the need for principals to have more opportunities to better understand this special population they are leading and are responsible for. Albert Bandura has established much research on self-efficacy and cognitive theory. Applying that research to that of principal responsibility reveals a need for more knowledge and confidence in the area of Special Education. Principals report that this area is not addressed formally in their certification journey and the need to …

Self-Efficacy Of Students With Visual Impairments Before And After Participation In An Inquiry-Based Camp, Kathleen Farrand, Tiffany Wild, Margilee P. Hilson

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine students’ self-efficacy level prior to participation and after participation in an inquiry-based science camp to determine if self-efficacy levels changed as a result of participation. A validated instrument, the 30 item Morgan-Jinks Student Self-Efficacy Scale (MJSES) (Jinks & Morgan, 1996) was used to identify the constructs of self-efficacy before and after the weeklong summer camp. The results suggest that the inquiry-based science camp had a positive impact on junior participants’ academic self-efficacy and did not increase senior participants’ academic self-efficacy.

Examining The Writing Motivation And Achievement Of At-Risk Elementary-Aged Students, Melissa Sue Martin

Doctoral Dissertations

Writing achievement of students in the United States is weak. Approximately 75% of 12th graders are not proficient writers (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2012) and performance of students in poverty lags behind that of more affluent peers. Because writing is complex (Torrance & Galbraith, 2006) and often viewed as aversive to students (Boscolo & Gelati, 2013), motivation is an important consideration for teachers. However, little research exists examining writing motivation.

A correlational research design was employed to examine writing achievement and motivation (i.e., self-efficacy and attributions) of at-risk elementary-aged students (N = 61). Participants, who attended Title 1 …

Special Education Instruction And Its Effect On Student Efficacy, Melissa Bonavia

All Capstone Projects

The key idea that is studied for this research is self-efficacy among special education students. The purpose of this study to look at the relationship of self-efficacy and special education students in both the general education classroom and the instructional classroom. There were a total of 28 special education students who participated in the study. They completed a survey on self-efficacy. The results found that special education students in the instructional classroom had slightly higher self-efficacy than the special education students in the general education classroom. Discussion and implication regarding education and further research is provided.

Beyond An Aide: Perceptions And Attitudes Concerning The Self-Efficacy Of Paraprofessionals In Special Education, Nicolas Jones

All Capstone Projects

This action based research study was conducted to examine the self-efficacy of paraprofessionals working with students in special education in a specific school district (School District A). The study used a survey design and the paraprofessionals were currently working with students from grades 9-12 in a Chicago Area, south suburban high school district in Illinois. The study was conducted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Multicategorical Special Education program at Governors State University in the spring of 2016.

Teacher Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Inclusion In Elementary Classroom Settings, Delicia Peacock Peacock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inclusion classrooms were introduced in the United States in 1990 when the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act required that special education students be instructed in a general education setting. Ensuing changes in instructional formats have caused role confusion for special and general education teachers, resulted in mixed attitudes toward teacher responsibilities, and lowered teachers' sense of efficacy about being able to teach their students. Guided by Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory, this bounded case study design in a rural elementary school in a southeastern state was used to understand the perceptions of general and special educators regarding their work in …

Middle School Teachers' Experiences With Teaching Self-Regulation Skills To Adolescents With Disabilities, Jessica Traylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research shows that adolescents with disabilities often lack self-regulated learning skills. Current research further indicates that explicit teaching of self-regulation skills is beneficial to adolescents with disabilities. The site of this study was a local middle school in rural Georgia that did not assess whether or not teachers were explicitly teaching self-regulation skills to adolescents with disabilities. It was unknown, therefore, whether adolescents with disabilities were learning self-regulation skills in school and whether teachers faced problems in teaching these skills. The study sought to explore this gap in knowledge and practice. Zimmerman's self-regulated learning theory and Bandura's self-efficacy theory served …