Education Commons^™

A Qualitative Descriptive Case Study Of Special Education Teachers' Experiences Utilizing Interactive Whiteboards For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Elementary Self-Contained Classrooms, John P. Terrell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to describe the experiences of special education teachers who use Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) to instruct students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in elementary self-contained special education classrooms. The theoretical framework for this study includes the persuasive technology theory and the social learning theory. Ten special education teachers from two elementary schools in a suburb of north Georgia will be asked to participate in this study. Data collection included an individual interview, and participant letters, followed by a focus group. Data analysis consisted of categorical aggregation, development of naturalistic generalizations, and …

The Ability Of Autism-Specific Professional Development And Years Of Experience To Predict Teacher Self-Efficacy For Those Working With Students On The Autism Spectrum, Kathleen M. Howard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative predictive correlation study was to examine teacher self-efficacy while working with students on the autism spectrum (ASD), as related to autism specific professional development and years of experience. Autism is being diagnosed at an exceptional rate, resulting in a greater emphasis being placed on educators to provide effective interventions, in both the general education and special education classrooms. Positive self-efficacy among teachers working with students on the autism spectrum is critical to improving educational outcomes for this unique population. A random sample of 73 teachers from six schools in a rural Virginia school district completed …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of What Schools Can Do To Retain Lumbee Indian Students With Disabilities Through High School To Graduation, Telisha Daniell Locklear

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore what schools can do to retain Lumbee Indian students with disabilities through high school to graduation. The theory guiding this phenomenological study was Maslow’s theory of human motivation. It relates to the motivation to satisfy a series of basic needs before individuals can meet their full potential. There were 12 special education teacher participants in this study who serve Lumbee Indian students. Data were collected through participant interviews, open letters, and focus groups. Data were analyzed thematically using the Van Kaam methodology. Five major themes emerged from the analyzed data. …

Course Outline And Weekly Plans For Eds 718 Culminating Master’S Project, Lisa Cavallero

Open Educational Resources

Topics covered in this course include: getting to know your students, edTPA, baseline data, student profiles, differentiation, academic language, writing measurable goals and objectives, lesson planning, flexible grouping, choices, tiered assignments, IEPs, classroom environment, online tools for differentiation, and grading

This course outline includes:

• all assignments for the course (link to assignments packet).
• links to lecture slides
• instructor notes
• additional resources

Note: users will be prompted to make their own copy of documents when clicking on links to Google Docs and Google Slides.

Course Outline And Weekly Plans For Eds 741 Psychoeducational Evaluation Of Children With Learning Problems, Lisa Cavallero

Open Educational Resources

Topics covered in this course include: psychoeducational evaluations, IEPs, standardized tests, fair assessments, measures of intelligence, disproportionality of linguistically and culturally non-dominant backgrounds in special education, assessment of adaptive behavior, learning disabilities, attention, and social and emotional behavior, functional behavior assessment, assessment of multilingual learners, math and literacy assessments, response to intervention.

This course outline includes:

• all assignments for the course (link to assignments packet).
• links to lecture slides
• instructor notes
• additional resources

Note: users will be prompted to make their own copy of documents when clicking on links to Google Docs and Google Slides.

Lessons From The Past And Challenges For The Future: Inclusive Education For Students With Unique Needs, William Evans, Robert A. Gable, Amany Habib

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

The school-age population of students is becoming increasingly more culturally and linguistically diverse. There is mounting recognition that English Learners (EL) represent a unique group of students who have special educational and linguistic needs. This article considered the needs of learners with diverse special needs such as (a) learning and behavior challenges and (b) English Learners identified as students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). We highlighted some potential lessons to be learned from past-to-present efforts to serve students with behavior problems. Selected evidence-based practices were featured that are applicable to learners with special needs, thereby supporting the development …

Increasing Inclusive Education Through A Learning Center Model: A California Approach, Aja Mckee, Audri Sandoval Gomez

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Learning center models offer students with disabilities learning experiences in general education classrooms, while retaining support and services from special education personnel. The learning center approach examines existing educational perspectives, practices and structures, surrounding access to general education for students with disabilities. This study used a document analysis, a qualitative data method, to examine how two California school districts developed a learning center model to transform special education programming from segregated special education classrooms and practices to placement and access to general education. The findings inform educational programming for students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment, to comply with …

An International Immersion Into Co-Teaching: A Wake-Up Call For Teacher Candidates In General And Special Education, Kevin Oh, Wendy Murawski, Natalie Nussli

School of Education Faculty Research

This case study explored the short-term international co-teaching experience of pre-service general education teachers who were paired up with intern special education teachers (N = 8) to provide English language instruction to students in South Korea. Pre-, during-, and post-data were collected to investigate how the participants experienced their co-teaching. The narratives of two participants were chosen for phenomenological analysis, reflecting an overwhelmingly positive and a rather negative co-teaching experience. The key ingredients to a successful partnership were identified as open communication, the willingness to accept both positive and negative feedback, the willingness to learn from or get inspired by …

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 …

Analysis Of Stakeholder Perceptions Of A Clinical Model Involving Co-Teaching And Extended-Field Experiences In An Inclusive Middle-Grades Setting, Barbara Ruben, Nicole R. Rigelman, Matthew Carl Mcparker

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

A qualitative study of the impact of a school university partnership in which eight teacher candidates from a two-year graduate program were placed together in a poverty level middle school was conducted. Teacher candidates in this particular program receive a master’s degree, as well as a teaching license in their content area and special education. Using primarily focus group interviews with school leaders, cooperating teachers in special education and content classrooms, and teacher candidates, we wanted to determine the influence of the partnership on all stakeholders. We read transcripts to identify themes and coded by those themes. Later, we tracked …

Cogenerative Dialogue: Developing Biology Learning Accommodations For Students With Disabilities, Edward Lehner

Publications and Research

A prominent challenge, at times under-addressed in the science education literature, is considering what types of learning accommodations science teachers should employ for students with disabilities. Outside of science education, researchers have consistently outlined how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is one efficient means by which to engage students with disabilities in the curriculum. This paper presents the results of a research study in which teachers employed cogenerative dialogue as a learning space where UDL was used to differentiate and individualize instruction in an inclusive biology class. The data originated from a larger, ongoing, longitudinal ethnography of science learning in …

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 …

High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Inclusion, Carmen Wiggins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, school systems must ensure students with disabilities receive instruction in general education classrooms. Implementing the inclusion model has been challenging for many school systems as the systems try to find ways to meet the needs of their diverse student populations. The purpose of this quantitative casual-comparative and correlational study is to identify high school teachers' perceptions of inclusion. One hundred seventy-three high school teachers from six school districts located in a southeastern metropolitan area completed a survey to allow the researcher to examine if a relationship existed between teachers' perceptions of inclusion …

The Co-Teaching Journey: A Systematic Grounded Theory Study Investigating How Secondary School Teachers Resolve Challenges In Co-Teaching, Sharon Gerst

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to explain how problems inherent in co-teaching relationships are resolved by secondary school special education and general education teachers at an urban school district in Eastern Iowa. The participants were general and special education secondary school teachers involved in effective co-teaching partnerships. Data was collected from five partnerships, utilizing focus groups, interpersonal behavior theory questionnaires, classroom observations, and individual interviews. The researcher analyzed the data using systematic grounded theory procedures of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding to develop a theory grounded in the data collected about the process by …

Evaluation Of A Merged Secondary And Special Education Program, Ann Fullerton Dr., Barbara Ruben, Stephanie Mcbride, Susan Bert

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

If classroom teachers are among the greatest determinant of student learning, then teacher preparation programs have a role to play improving educational outcomes for struggling learners. There are currently three established teacher preparation program models: (1) "discrete"; (2) "integrated"; and (3) "merged." In the "discrete" model, which is the most widely implemented of the three, general and special education programs are separate. In the "integrated" model, separate programs are retained but faculty work together to develop some courses and/or field experiences in which special education candidates learn about the general education curriculum while general education candidates learn about inclusive education. …

Best Practices For Inclusive Science Instruction, Lucinda S. Spaulding, Jenny Sue Flannagan

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this session is to provide an overview of evidence based best practices for inclusive science instruction and to equip teachers with applicable strategies for scaffolding instruction and responding to learner needs based on research in special education and science instruction. As a result of this session, participants will learn strategies and methods for helping students learn to independently design experiments, use the scientific process, and develop critical thinking skills. There will also be an emphasis on effective co-teaching practices and employing instructional strategies for reinforcing skills and content knowledge across the curriculum, providing more time for instruction …