Education Commons^™

Self-Determination And Student Persistence: A Case Study Of A Higher Education Institution Exclusive To Students With Disabilities, Nachole Marie Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative embedded single case study was to understand how the unique experience of attending a post-secondary school exclusive to students diagnosed with LD and ADHD affects student success in developing and using self-determination skills to increase persistence to graduation. Guiding this study is the theory of self-determination while seeking to explain the reasoning for student persistence to degree completion and the execution of self-determination skills autonomously. This study uses a qualitative embedded single case study design to examine a post-secondary educational institution that exclusively services students with learning disabilities from different perspectives. The research setting is …

Perceptions Of Middle School Teachers Regarding Differentiation Instruction, Karen Mclerran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of middle school teachers regarding differentiation of instruction for students with mild to moderate disabilities. Although there has been little documentation in the literature regarding instructional differentiation five factors that facilitate change have been identified in the framework.

Data collection strategies included one-on-one semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Analysis of data occurred in three phases: (a) transcribing interviews, (b) member checking of the transcripts, (c) coding-recoding of the data. The analysis of data was based on the theoretical proposition that student achievement, positive behaviors, and increased learner motivation fosters …

Current Knowledge And Future Directions: Proportional Reasoning Interventions For Students With Learning Disabilities And Mathematics Difficulties, Gena Nelson, Jessica H. Hunt, Kristi Martin, Blain Patterson, Andy Khounmeuang

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of proportional reasoning interventions for students with learning disabilities (LD) or mathematics difficulty (MD). We evaluated fifth to ninth grade interventions on proportional reasoning content, instructional features, and disability and difficulty identification. The nine studies met inclusion criteria yielded intervention effects ranging from g = −0.10 to 1.87 and from Tau-U = 0.88 to 1.00. Two of the nine studies were deemed high quality and very few studies included participants with LD. Although most studies identified the concepts addressed in the interventions, authors rarely provided in-depth descriptions of …

Using Co-Teaching In Developing Reading Skills Among Female Students With Learning Disabilities And Their Regular Peers, Maha Hamad Alsheeha Phd

International Journal for Research in Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using co- teaching on developing reading skills for students with learning disabilities and their regular peers on a sample of fourth grade students at primary school in Riyadh. The subjects for this study were (74) female students distributed into two groups (control and experimental), each group consisting of (30) regular students and (7) students with learning disability. A pre and post-test was applied to both groups to measure their achievement in the reading skills: reading accuracy, speed and comprehension. The two groups were taught (40) lessons, each session lasting …

A Systematic Review Of Research Syntheses For Students With Mathematics Learning Disabilities And Difficulties, Gena Nelson, Angela Crawford, Jessica Hunt

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this document is to provide readers with the coding protocol that authors used to code 36 research syntheses (including meta-analyses, evidence-based reviews, and quantitative systematic reviews) focused on mathematics interventions for students with learning disabilities (LD), mathematics learning disabilities (MLD), and mathematics difficulties (MD). The purpose of the systematic review of mathematics intervention syntheses was to identify patterns and gaps in content areas, instructional strategies, effect sizes, and definitions of LD, MLD, and MD. We searched the literature for research syntheses published between 2000 and 2020 and used rigorous inclusion criteria in our literature review process. We …

A Systematic Review Of Treatment Acceptability In Mathematics Instruction For Students With Learning Disabilities, Gena Nelson, Andrea Johnson, Mali Sawyer

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Treatment acceptability is an aspect of social validity that refers to participants’ beliefs and perceptions about the intervention, such as the helpfulness of the strategies or the interventions’ efficacy to improve performance. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of treatment acceptability measures administered during mathematics interventions for students with learning disabilities (LD). We sought to identify the characteristics of the measures and the treatment acceptability outcomes. To be included in this review, studies had to (a) focus on testing the effectiveness of a mathematics intervention, (b) include preschool through 12th grade students who were diagnosed …

Parent Reports Of Executive Functions In Students With Learning Disability, Jane Roitsch, Annemarie L. Horn, Lisa Morin

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

This study examines the results of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-2) (Gioia et al., 2015) reported by parents of children with Specific Learning Disability (LD) and/or other comorbid disabilities. LD is most notably associated with comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Alloway & Stein, 2014; Westby &Watson, 2004; Willcutt et al., 2013). A total of 43 parents completed the BRIEF-2 rating scale. Findings suggest children with LD and ADHD display greater challenges with inhibition, working memory, planning, along with greater challenges in organization and metacognition. Parents of children with LD reported their children have greater levels of …

The Use Of Phoneme-Grapheme Mapping Practice To Improve Foundational Reading Skills In A First Grade Student, Annah Scherling

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Literacy is widely accepted as a critical life skill in the United States, but many students struggle to acquire the necessary foundational skills. The National Reading Panel of the National Institute of Child Health and Development established The Big Five which identified five critical areas for effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. There are 26 letters or graphemes represented in the English language and 44 sounds or phonemes. The connection between grapheme and phoneme is referred to as correspondences. A first-grade student, from a Midwest elementary school, was given a phoneme-grapheme mapping intervention to assist in …

Recommendations For Creating Inclusive Classroom Andragogy: Perspectives Of Graduate Students With Learning Disabilities, Marcee Boggs

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Guided by principles of Disability Critical Race Theory (2013) and Universal Instructional Design (2006), the purpose of this study is to examine the structural inequalities in higher education that marginalize students with disabilities, identify the unique needs of graduate students with learning disabilities, and identify the ideal classroom characteristics that would reduce or eliminate the need for self-disclosure and accommodations. This phenomenological qualitative research study focuses on the voices of fourteen graduate students with self-identified learning disabilities to highlight the unique needs of graduate students and the areas for improvement. Participants shared their reason for self-disclosing and seeking accommodations, or …

Proportional Reasoning Interventions In Special Education Synthesis Coding Protocol, Gena Nelson

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of document is to provide readers with the coding protocol that authors used to code nine group and single case design intervention studies focused on proportional reasoning interventions for students (grades 5-9) with learning disabilities (LD) or mathematics difficulty (MD). The studies yielded intervention effects ranging from g = −0.10 to 1.87 and from Tau-U = 0.88 to 1.00. We coded all of the studies for variables in the following categories: study information, intervention features, dependent measures, participant demographics, LD and MD criteria and definitions, instructional content, study results, and quality indicators for group and single case …

Pair Programming: Leveling The Field For Students With Learning Disabilities, Silvana Watson, Ling Li, Li Da Xu, Wu He, Shana Pribesh, Debra Major, Elizabeth Langran (Ed.), Leanna Archambault (Ed.)

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

This paper is the report on the findings of a three-year study conducted in undergraduate computer science courses. It also describes the changes made to deal with COVID-19 during the summer and fall of 2020. We collected data on over 800 students with approximately 35 students identified as having learning disabilities (LD). These students were not professional programmers in a computer science department; rather, they were students from a Business College. Our preliminary results show that pair programming improved (a) teamwork and communication between the pairs; (b) confidence in students; and (c) comprehension and learning for all students. Thus, our …

Exploring The Implementation Of An Intervention For A Pupil With Mathematical Learning Difficulties: A Case Study, Kin Eng Chin, Sai Hoe Fu

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study presents a single case study of how a remedial mathematics teacher incorporated an instructional intervention into her teaching practices in order to teach counting to a pupil with mathematical learning difficulties. This new theory-driven intervention was developed by the authors of this study. Dyscalculia is a term which refers to a wide range of mathematical learning difficulties or disabilities. Dyscalculic pupils have a specific mathematics learning disorder with a core deficit in representing and processing of numerosity. They might not be able to recognise numerical quantities, performing counting and so on. Early supports such as interventions have a …

Focused, Josie Flowers

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

Assessing English Learners For Special Education Eligibility: Evaluator’S Perspectives And Procedures, Brenda Iveth De La Garza

Theses and Dissertations

There is a disproportionate number of English Learners (ELs) in Special Education across the United States (Kligner, Artiles, & Barletta, 2006). When educators are concerned about EL’s lack of progress and their underachievement they turn towards Special Education as a way of finding resources and a solution to their concerns (Kligner, Boile, Linan-Thompson & Rodriguez, 2014). This poses a challenge for evaluators, especially for those who lack or have little knowledge about the differences that exist between typical language acquisition differences and a learning disability. Evaluators who lack this knowledge might be more likely to confuse a student’s second language …

Teacher Questions In The Classroom: The Effects Of Using A Low- To High-Level Questioning Sequence On The Text-Based Reading Comprehension Outcomes Of Low-Performing Students, Shannon Harris Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teacher questioning may be an effective instructional procedure for building students’ reading comprehension. Strategically asking questions at two different levels, low-level (text explicit) and high-level (text implicit), may be needed to assist students to engage in higher order thinking skills.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a low- to high-level questioning sequence without or with linking prompts on the text-based reading comprehension outcomes of fifth-grade students who evidenced poor reading comprehension. A secondary analysis was used to determine whether the questioning sequence was effective regardless of students’ interest in the narrative …

Exploring Mathematics Anxiety Of Students At-Risk For Mathematics Difficulties, Sarah Mccarthy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Students in mathematics classrooms are found to experience various levels of stress and anxiety during instructional time. Negative feelings associated with participation in math activities can lead to both physical and emotional manifestations, affecting performance, achievement, and even confidence with the academic subject. Students found to be at-risk for mathematics difficulties have greater risks when it comes to the possible experience of mathematics anxiety. Students with learning disabilities, students needing supplemental interventions, and students who are English learners can experience potential bouts of anxiety and stress, magnifying academic struggles in the math classroom. In addition, academic deficits can intensify levels …

Cultivating Educators’ Critical Consciousness Of Learning And Language Needs In Emergent Bilinguals, Alta Joy Broughton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study reports the application of the Cultivating Critical Consciousness in Educators (CCCE) model for the collective cases of instructional coaching in one school. Overall, this conceptual model informed the coaching model, data collection, and data analysis by integrating three interacting concepts; 1) conscientização, the process of developing critical consciousness, (Carlson, Engebretson, & Chamberlain, 2005; Freire, 1970; King, 1991), 2) knowledge and practice as interdependent and interactive domains for cultivating teacher growth (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999), and 3) tenants of culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogies summarized in three complementary strands: the Self, the Other, and the sociopolitical dimensions. Two …

Catherine's Story, Adam Lind

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

Writing Underachievement: How To Support Students With Learning Disabilities And/Or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Through Self-Regulation Strategy Development, Katie Ludin

Education | Master's Theses

Writing underachievement is a national dilemma, especially among students with LDs and/or ADHD. Difficulties with written expression create negative social and emotional consequences for students since writing is critical to academic and professional success. Despite this, few studies have explored the impact of writing underachievement. The purpose of this research was to better understand the experiences of struggling writers within the elementary school setting, especially students who receive special education services. Part of this research included an intervention group. Self-Regulation Strategy Development was taught to a group of students with LDs and/or ADHD. This research was conducted in an effort …

The Effectiveness Of Reading Interventions For Middle School Students With Learning Disabilities, Jennifer Hicks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with learning disabilities are often unable to master reading comprehension and often fail to acquire reading comprehension skills at basic levels as measured on reading achievement assessments. Reading intervention programs Compass Learning and SRA Corrective Reading teach students how to apply strategies to their reading to improve their understanding of written text. The purpose of this quantitative ex-post facto research design was to determine the extent to which the reading intervention programs implemented at the research school improved reading achievement scores for seventh grade students with learning disabilities in reading, and to determine how much scores changed from the …

The Impacts Of Explicit Systematic Phonics Instruction On The Areas Of Decoding And Fluency For Students With A Specific Learning Disability In Reading, Marina Hingston

Capstones, Research Projects, and Curricula

The purpose of this embedded, mixed methods action research study was to examine the impacts of explicit, systematic phonics instruction on students with a specific learning disability in reading. A phonics intervention program, S.P.I.R.E., was implemented over the course of four weeks. The participants were two 4th graders and one 6th grader, all who had an identified specific learning disability in the area of reading. Data was collected on decoding accuracy pre and post intervention, as well as on reading fluency using timed one minute fluency drills. In addition, student perceptions of the S.P.I.R.E. program were also gathered using a …

Triple Identity Theory: Conceptualizing The Lived Experiences Of A Gifted Black Male With Dyslexia., Shawn A. Robinson

Journal of Research Initiatives

Though overrepresented in special education, Black males are seldom given attention in scholarly literature addressing Twice-Exceptional (2e), and existing research has failed to systematically examine the intersectionality of race, dyslexia and giftedness. The article begins with definitions of key terms discussed throughout the paper. Second, the literature review synthesis relevant literature on the intersectionality that includes: race and misidentification, and my lived experience. Third, the article calls attention to a proposed cultural lens for understanding 2e Black males, its implications, and my interpretation. Finally, in the discussion section I offer PreK-12 educators with necessary information about the proper identification process, …

Looking Backward To Look Forward: Reflections Of Past Presidents Of The Council For Learning Disabilities, Apryl L. Poch

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Anniversaries offer a time for reflection, celebration, validation, and sometimes, simply a candid conversation on the current state of a field. In the field of learning disabilities, anniversaries offer a time to consider how far the field has come and just how far is left to go to understand what a learning disability is. Definitional understanding is foundational for moving forward. This column presents findings from a series of short conversations with past presidents of the Council for Learning Disabilities, individuals who are also leading experts in the field of learning disabilities. Results suggest four different thoughts about the definition …

Parents Of College Graduates With Learning Disabilities: Practices And Factors Attributing To Their Children's Preparation For Postsecondary Education, Alexander Johnston Hale

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate and describe parenting practices that parents believe were effective in helping prepare their children with LD for college enrollment. Participants were chosen from among the parents of students interviewed by Cook (2010). Six parents (three couples) volunteered to be interviewed by phone. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed using hermeneutic phenomenological methodology. Under the category of Parent Practices, themes emerged in the areas of early identification, self-advocacy training, and home accommodations, and under the category of Family Factors, themes emerged in the areas reading, expectation, and normalization. Findings are discussed …

Reframing Venerable Standpoints About Language And Learning Differences: The Need For Research On The Literate Lives Of Latina/O Language Minority Students, Taucia González, Alfredo J. Artiles

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

Despite the empirical attention that has been devoted to Latinas/os, language minority (LM) students, and students with learning disabilities (LD) as three separate subgroups, limited attention has been given to Latina/o students that fall into both LM and LD student categories. The literacy experiences of students living at the intersection of ethnic, language, and ability differences have been under-examined. This article calls for new insights into the literate lives of Latina/o LMs with LD, and posits that reframing cognitive models of literacy, sociocultural approaches, and resource pedagogies can offer a more comprehensive view of literacy and population complexity.

Differences In Physical Activity Participation, Screen Time, And Body Mass Index For Children With Learning Disabilities And Typically Developing Children, Andrew Q. Pawlick

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

TOPIC: There is a vast body of research revealing low levels of physical activity, excessive use of electronic media, and increasing obesity rates for children in the United States and Europe. This study measures differences in physical activity, screen time, and Body Mass Index (BMI) between typically developing (TD) children and children with learning disabilities (LD). METHODS: The study included 404, thirteen year old Irish children with an LD diagnosis and 440 randomly selected 13 year olds that are typically developing. Children self-reported on how many days in the past two weeks they participated in moderate to vigorous …

Applying Response To Intervention To Identify Learning Disabilities In Students With Visual Impairments, Beth A. Jones, Heather Haynes Smith, Lauren Hensley-Maloney, Kristin A. Gansle

Education Faculty Research

When visual impairments (VI) and learning disabilities (LD) coexist, it is common for one (i.e., typically LD) to go unidentified. Some school districts may be reluctant to identify students with both VI and LD, potentially causing students to miss out on much-needed services. Child study teams can find support to address this dual diagnosis using a response to intervention (RTI) framework. This article provides guidance and tools for using an RTI framework in the accurate identification of LD in students with VI.

The Effects Of Expository Text Structure Instruction On The Reading Outcomes Of 4th And 5th Graders Experiencing Reading Difficulties, Janet J. Bohaty

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a standard protocol supplemental expository text structure intervention (i.e., Structures) on 45 4^th and 5^th graders experiencing reading difficulties. Students were enrolled in six K-8 parochial schools located in a Midwestern suburban city. Within classrooms, students were randomly assigned to Structures intervention or a business-as-usual control condition. Students in the Structures condition were taught to identify and discriminate among the five text structures used by authors of expository text (Meyer, 1975, 1985): description, sequence, cause/effect, compare/contrast, and problem/solution. Students in the business-as-usual control condition participated in the …

Understanding College Students With A Learning Disability - A Phenomenological Study, Will Licht

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe the essence of what it means to be a college student at Midwest Christian University who is identified with a learning disability (LD) after beginning a collegiate learning experience. The theory that guided this study was three-fold. Combining Bandura's study of self-efficacy, the concept of resiliency, and a biblical worldview of learners, the study investigated the effects of a delayed LD identification on the academic and emotional lives of the participants. Additionally, the study analyzes steps that can be followed to alleviate the effects of the phenomenon. Data was collected …

Constructing And Resisting Disability In Mathematics Classrooms: A Case Study Exploring The Impact Of Different Pedagogies, Rachel Lambert

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This study demonstrates the importance of a critical lens on disability in mathematics educational research. This ethnographic and interview study investigated how ability and disability were constructed over 1 year in a middle school mathematics classroom. Children participated in two kinds of mathematical pedagogy that positioned children differently: procedural and discussion-based. These practices shifted over time, as the teacher increasingly focused on memorization of procedures to prepare for state testing. Two Latino/a children with learning disabilities, Ana and Luis, used multiple cultural practices as resources, mixing and remixing their engagement in and identifications with mathematics. Ana, though mastering the procedural …