Education Commons^™

Literary Devices: Effects Of Classroom Management On Student Engagement With 1:1 Devices, Elizabeth Parker

All Master's Theses

The study compares two different classroom management strategies in a 5th and 6th grade classroom using an iPad based intervention. The students participated in 10 sessions of a language and grammar intervention on the Moby Max program. During five of the sessions, the teacher actively monitored the classroom, walking around the room, and redirecting students as necessary. For the other five sessions, the teacher used data from the intervention and monitored and redirected students from her computer screen. The data collected included the number of corrections given to each student by the teacher, the number of minutes the program considered …

How Might Active Video Gaming Affect Physical Activity And Physical Fitness Of Students With Intellectual Disabilities?, Mark E. Davis

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In the United States, there has been increasing concern about the obesity crisis. A large factor in this crisis is physical inactivity, which may have detrimental effects on an individual’s health. Participation in physical activity is essential to preventing and reducing obesity and may positively affect physical fitness. Researchers have begun to look at a newer form of video gaming called active video gaming (AVG), which is a physically interactive video game that helps individuals stand up and move. The purpose of this research study was to examine what effects active video gaming has on physical activity and physical fitness …

Teachers' Perceptions About Addressing Literacy For Students With Vision Impairment, Samantha Washington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Regular education teachers are sometimes at a disadvantage when required to instruct learners with a visual impairment or other special needs in the classroom. A problem exists with reduced support and training for regular education teachers responsible for meeting literacy needs of students with visual impairment. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive case study was to explore regular education instructors' perceptions of their self-efficacy and ability to modify literature for learners with visual impairment. The research questions targeted this purpose, specifically in the areas of training opportunities and technology use. The social cognitive theory, a model emphasizing learning occurring through …

Fostering Literacy Learning With Three Middle School Special-Education Students Using Therapy Dogs As Reading Partners, Donna E. Lamkin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This case study explored dog-assisted reading with three middle-school special education students in a self-contained alternative school. Data collection conducted over a 15-month period included observations, interviews, and artifacts. In this study, reading with therapy dogs and their handlers, helped three adolescent readers with their reading motivation, engagement, and literacy processes/behaviors. The students’ engagement with the dog, the role of the dog handler, and the role of the context all impacted students in different and multiple ways.

A_Case_Study_Of_Factors_That_Influenced_The_Attrition_Or_Retention_Of_Two_First-Year_Special_Education_Teachers.Pdf, Marquis Grant

Marquis C. Grant, Ed.D

A Tale Of Two Teachers.Pptx, Marquis Grant

Marquis C. Grant, Ed.D

Closing The Achievement Gap In Mathematics For Students With Learning Disabilities Utilizing The Resource Room As An Intervention, Esta H. Brownstein

Theses and Dissertations

Students with learning disabilities are placed in general education classrooms in increasing numbers. Many of these students receive additional services in Resource Room programs taught by a special education teacher. The intent of this study was to determine if students with disabilities, who were struggling in mathematics, increased achievement utilizing Resource Room instruction as an intervention. Students in the study were in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades and performed at least one grade level below expectations for that grade in mathematics. All of the students had a specific learning disability. This study investigated the correlation, if any, between the amounts …

The Impact Of Procedural Compliance To The Individualized Education Program Document On Student Achievement And Academic Benchmarks, Christine Robertson

Dissertations

Currently, the practice of special education service delivery is undergoing a transformation. This transformation is largely due to the United State Department of Education Office of Special Education’s current framework of “results driven accountability” for the determination of program effectiveness (USDOE, 2011). Since the inception of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) more than 40 years ago, students with disabilities have been provided increasing access to general educational programs and curriculum. Academic outcomes for those same students, however, have not improved, and the achievement gap between students with and without disabilities continues to widen when measured on national and …

Teacher Perceived Barriers To Inclusive Instructional Delivery Approaches, Casey M. Wright

Honors Theses

The aim of this undergraduate thesis is to identify the perceived barriers to Inclusive Instructional Delivery Approaches (IIDA) through the perspective of general education teachers. For decades, students identified as having special educational needs have not been adequately served in the classroom. This study reveals the best practices used to include students with disabilities in the general education classroom and why they are not being employed as often as they should be. Through use of survey, the researcher allowed for the opportunity to answer (a) Which IIDAs are used most often? (b) How much time per week do teachers spend …

Increasing Engagement Of Students With Learning Disabilities In Mathematical Problem-Solving And Discussion, Rachel Lambert, Trisha Sugita

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Engagement in problem-solving and mathematical discussion is critical for learning mathematics. This research review describes a gap in the literature surrounding engagement of students with Learning Disabilities in standards-based mathematical classrooms. Taking a sociocultural view of engagement as participation in mathematical practices, this review found that students with LD were supported towards equal engagement in standards-based mathematics through multi-modal curriculum, consistent routines for problem-solving, and teachers trained in Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching. Using this small set of studies (7), we identify the need to deepen the engagement of students with LD in mathematical problem-solving and discussion. This review concludes with …

A Qualitative Study Analysis On How Utilizing A Token Economy Impacts Behavior And Academic Success, Solomon Defrancis Dr.

Dissertations

Utilizing a qualitative study analysis, this study examines how behavior impacts academic success utilizing a token economy with students who suffer from emotional disturbance disorder. Through focus groups of para educators, therapists and teachers on special education settings, there will be a comparative analysis of behavior and academic success. The study will consist of six education sites throughout the Antelope Valley: A kindergarten through eighth grade (Yellen Learning Center), a kindergarten through sixth grade elementary (Valley View Elementary), a seventh through eighth grade intermediate school (Joe Walker) and three high schools that are ninth through twelfth grade (Desert Pathways, Palmdale …

The Effect Of Social Stories On The Socialization And Self-Control Of Preschool Children With Disabilities, Jessica German

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of social stories on the number of social exchanges between children, the verbal requests for items during play centers, and the number of impulsive behaviors. A single subject design with three phases was used. This study also evaluated maintenance data to assess generalization of skills post intervention. Specifically, in the area of impulse control and verbal requests, results reveal that all three participants in the study were able to increase their ability to control their impulsive behaviors and verbal requests with the use of the social stories. In the area of social exchanges, research data …

Strategies For Teaching English Language Learners With A Specific Learning Disability, Olga M. Torguet

South Florida Education Research Conference

This poster is related to students with disabilities who are English Language Learners (ELLs). It explores the effectiveness of implementing differentiated instructional strategies through multiple modalities in small groups.

Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Special Education: Teacher And Outcome Proficiency Self-Rating Form Ensuring Assessment Competency, Tyler Edward Herman

Graduate Education Student Scholarship

This Master’s project investigated current research literature for prevailing prereferral and referral processes of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students to special education evaluation. To that end, this Master’s project sought to strengthen the validity of the referral process for CLD students by creating a self-rating form to guide teachers in accurately differentiating CLD students who are in need of receiving special education services from those who do not need such services. The self-rating form is founded on three competencies of multicultural teacher efficacy and requires teachers to reflect on classroom-level, team collaboration, prereferral, and referral practices. Limitations and suggestions …

Teacher Retention: Perceptions Of The Organizational Factors That Influence Teacher Transition From Private School Classrooms Of Individuals With Autism To Public School Autism Classrooms, Kathryn Cerino Britton

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Nine experienced certified special education teachers who chose to move from the private sector to the public sector were interviewed to gain knowledge and information that could be used to improve the private sector school for learners with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as the conceptual framework, this study explored the respondents’ beliefs about their workload, work responsibilities, compensation, and perceptions regarding their teaching experiences in private and public schools. Specifically, telephone or face-to-face interviews were conducted to ascertain the motivating factors that led the respondents to leave one private school, The Apple School, for teaching …

From Access To Interaction, Daniel Atkins

Occasional Paper Series

Atkins calls on educators to see beyond access to identify “core moments” for child-centered experiential learning in inclusion classrooms. He warns that “[t]he process of scaffolding the child’s inclusion in the activities or interactions of the day can too often become conflated or confused with the process of scaffolding the child’s physical ability to gain access to those activities or interactions.”

Overcoming Barriers To Coteaching, Seamus O'Connor

Occasional Paper Series

Seamus O’Connor, a high school special education teacher, shares a story of bridging a divide. He takes a clear and honest look at the evolution of his relationship with his coteaching partner, Carol. In doing so, he explores themes of equity, trust, and negotiated differences in building a collaborative classroom.

Doing The Civil Right Thing: Supporting Children With Disabilities In Inclusive Classrooms, David J. Connor, Kristen Goldmansour

Occasional Paper Series

David J. Connor and Kristen Goldmansour explore cotaught inclusion classrooms through the lens of the social justice narrative. They write about the parents who asserted “that it was their children’s civil right to be educated within a diverse classroom, one that truly mirrored the nation’s population.” They critique the alternative to inclusion as “segregation,” which results in “devaluation, a loss in cultural capital for individuals” and argue that cotaught classrooms can upend “artificial notions of ‘normalcy’ that have served to diminish and devalue ‘disabled’ children.”

Inclusion: What Came Before, Judith Lesch

Occasional Paper Series

Judith Lesch’s firsthand account of her teaching experiences from the late 1970s through the mid-1990s takes us on a journey through the evolving approaches to inclusion.

Front Matter And Introduction, Valentine Burr

Occasional Paper Series

The writers in this issue of Occasional Papers advocate for models of inclusion that support children’s capabilities and challenge systemic inequities based on ableism and cultural biases. They examine the complex and changing nature of collaboration between general and special educators in inclusion settings. Underlying these essays, though not always explicitly stated, is recognition that the fields of special education and disability studies can deepen and inform each other.

Emotional Regulation And Technology In Various Educational Environments, Aimee Boyle

EDL Sixth Year Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of technology in various educational environments. Specifically, it looked at the ways in which technology is integrated into special education classrooms, and how it impacts learning. Two self-contained special education high school classrooms were studied, using qualitative methods of data. These included field notes based on observations and a semi-structured interview. In addition, a review of the literature on this topic was conducted to better place the study within the context of wider work done in this area. The data from the two classrooms were analyzed using the constant comparative …

Social Emotional Development's Effect On Academic Achievement Of Children With Special Needs, Adrienne Dunn

EDL Sixth Year Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine how social emotional strategies could be embedded into the academic curriculum for students with special needs. In order to develop a greater understanding on how to most effectively embed the strategies, a variety of stakeholders were called upon to gather information about strategies the could be implemented. The effectiveness of the strategies would be illustrated by the students’ attitudes towards learning after the implementation of embedded strategies and skills. This study focused on gathering information from a faculty at an intermediate school and the implementation of strategies was done in a collaborative …

Adapted Physical Education: Where Does It Stand?, Danielle M. Wilkins

All Capstone Projects

Sixty-six teachers were surveyed regarding adapted physical education. The three types of teachers surveyed were physical education, special education, and general education. The teachers' perceptions to the importance and necessity of adapted physical education were analyzed. The findings showed most physical education teachers felt training was inadequate in their preservice program, as well as in professional development to teach students with disabilities. Discussion of the results and implications for further research are provided.

"We Walk That Boundary. It's A Tightrope." : A Grounded Theory Approach To The Experiences Of Direct Support Professionals Who Work With People With Intellectual Disability And Possibly Sexualized Challenging Behavior, Jason Buckles

Special Education ETDs

Matters of sexuality and concepts of risk have played a central role in the development of systems of supports for people with intellectual disability (ID) in the United States during the past 150+ years. As community based programs have risen in prominence since the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1970s men and women working as Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) have been tasked with a myriad of responsibilities which may at times include enacting supports or limitations on the sexual or possibly sexual actions of people with ID. How DSPs experience their jobs, understand, and make decisions regarding sexuality is an area …

Do Early Elementary Teacher Ratings Of Classroom Behavior Predict Similar Outcomes Across Demographic Groups? An Examination Using The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort (Ecls-K), Amira Conservilla Mattison

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that how teachers perceive the behavior of individual children in the early years of elementary school has important implications for the school success of those youth over time (Darney et al., 2013; Hibel et al., 2010; Jimerson et al., 1997; Reinke et al., 2008). This may be because children who are of concern to teachers are often identified for practices such as grade retention and/or special education placement. Although these practices are intended to help children, they have not been shown to be associated with long-term positive outcomes. Rather, youth who are subject to these practices experience negative …

Infographic: Preparing Teachers For The Classroom, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

In the experience of Australian Principals, how well prepared are recent teacher graduates in relation to areas such as dealing with difficult student behaviour, making effective use of ICT, and subject content knowledge? Find out in today's infographic.

Enhancing Teacher Learning From Guided Video Analysis Of Literacy Instruction: An Interdisciplinary And Collaborative Approach, Carrie Eunyoung Hong, Irene Van Riper

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

The technological infrastructure for the use of instructional and professional videos is common in today’s educational venues. However, there has been a dearth of awareness and training to help teachers critically analyze and effectively utilize video recordings of authentic classroom instruction for their professional development. This self-study examined the teaching and learning process, particularly knowledge and lessons that we, as teacher educators, learned from commentary regarding video analysis and pre- and post- surveys completed by the candidates in a graduate level special education course. The investigation explored the extent to which the guided video analysis process facilitated the candidates’ learning …

The Preparation And Self-Efficacy Of Teachers Of Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disabilities, Claire F. Higgins

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Inadequate preparation, combined with challenging work conditions, contribute to the shortage of skilled special educators in the United States (Levenson, 2011). Because teacher quality is linked to student achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2001), the discrepancy in access to qualified teachers has remained a serious issue, particularly for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD), whose intensive needs present great obstacles to learning. Although the research identifies strong content knowledge and social emotional competence as critical skills for educators (Bridgeland, Bruce, & Hariharan, 2012; Shulman, 1986), current standards for licensure (as they apply to EBD teachers) largely overlook these attributes (Massachusetts Department of …

Affects Of Extracurricular Activities On Youth In The Asd Population, Kristina Munyon

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) lack the understanding of appropriate communication and social skills. Considerable research has proven that extracurricular activities boost numerous positive effects academically, emotionally, and behaviorally. Given that participating in extracurricular activities provide such outstanding benefits to overall quality of life, it is important to understand the opportunities presented to youth with ASD. Research suggests that poorer school districts who suffer budget cuts have been forced to reduce funding for extracurricular activities. Furthermore, more affluent school districts are able to seek extracurricular activities through private resources, in addition to their already plentiful selection of programs. This …

Analysis Of African American And White American Cognitive Profiles For Language And Cultural Influences, Nicole Jones

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Abstract

One of the most concerning aspects of special education is the overrepresentation of African American minority youth receiving special education services. Samuel Ortiz and colleagues considered the issue of the representation of the Latino, English Language Learner (ELL) population in special education services based on cognitive performance in relation to the mainstream population. To target this concern they determined an estimated level of expected cognitive performance of ELL’s and impact of language and cultural differences to help eligibility teams more appropriately interpret and place students with the aid of the Culture-Language Interpretive Matrix (C-LIM) model they developed. The current …