Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

The Impacts Of Incarceration On The Wellbeing Of Family Members Of African American Males Who Experience The U.S Prison System: A Phenomenological Study, Tremaine N. Leslie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

African Americans encounter a high rate of imprisonment, and the social, economic, mental and other effects of imprisonment are extended to their families and communities (Roberts, 2004). In addition to separating individuals from their families and communities, incarceration maximizes the probability for fractured relationships, fragmented communities, and encumbers the public service systems (DeHart, Shapiro & Clone, 2018).Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to explore the mental health effects of incarceration on the family members of African American males who experience the U.S prison system.

The theoretical framework utilized for this study was the critical race theory (CRT) immersed …

Underrepresentation Of Female And Minority Students In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Academies In Texas, Darnisha Lanette Carreathers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Female and minority student groups are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs and careers. Researchers have attributed this disparity to many factors; however, the primary factors are motivation and self-efficacy beliefs emerging during middle school. The purpose of this study was to examine why female and minority students enrolled and persisted in designated Texas-STEM academies by identifying themes related to Eccles’s expectancy-value model. In this qualitative case study, the researcher classified nine students from designated Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (T-STEM) academies in a North Texas school district as persisters or nonpersisters. The researcher used interviews, …

The Emotional Toil Of Paying For College: Lower Socioeconomic Status White Women’S College Experiences, 1880-1920, Heidi A. Jaeckle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Typically historical inquiries in higher education have been centered on privileged individuals from wealthier backgrounds who had the opportunity of attending primarily prestigious institutions. The experiences of college women from lower to middle class socioeconomic backgrounds have been for the most part ignored. This dissertation explores how socioeconomic backgrounds shaped the experiences of college women from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, focusing on lower class students. With no universal financial aid program, the majority of these women were from families who could afford to pay tuition. Women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds did attend college, but their …

Grading And Equity: Inflation/Deflation Based On Race, Gender, Socio-Economic And Disability Statuses When Homework And Employability Scores Are Included, Robert Thomas Griffin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this research was to gain an understanding if traditional high school grading practices provide equitable outcomes for students particularly when homework and employability points based on participation, behavior, and attendance are included in the grading structures. With a strong movement of schools starting to use standards-based grading practices one of the purposes of this study is to learn how traditional grading practices potentially contribute to our equity concerns in society. Furthermore, this study illustrates how standardized grading practices, focusing strictly on student achievement may or may not provide more equitable grading outcomes for students of differing race, …

On Being A Zebra: Negotiating A Professional Identity Whilst Coping With A Rare And Recurrent Illness, Phyllis Jones Professor

The Qualitative Report

In this autoethnography I discuss some of the impacts of a chronic and long -term illness on my professional identity of a professor. I examine issues of lack of control throughout the discussion. I also discuss the contribution of phenomenological accounts in the form of autoethnography in serving to challenge society’s view of disability. I suggest the individual intersection of disability and identity demand that the scholarly community listen more to the stories of people who have actual experience of long-term chronic illness. In doing this, we may develop nuanced understandings of the impact of chronic long - term illness …

Conceptualizing One’S Self-Efficacy As Advocate: Parents’ Perceptions As Embodied In Social And Cultural Capitals, Karmen Binion

Doctor of Education in Special Education Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to understand and generate theory relevant to educator-parents’ and non-educator parents’ perceptions of their efficacy as advocates for their own child(ren) with exceptionalities, as embodied in social and cultural capitals, as espoused by Bourdieu (1986). The present study was guided by the following research questions: How do educator-parents and non-educator parents perceive their efficaciousness as advocates for their own children with exceptionalities? How do educator-parents and non-educator parents construct the narrative of their efficaciousness as advocates as embodied in cultural and/or social capital?

Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2000, 2006) was chosen for the …

Special Education Services In Private Faith-Based And Nonsectarian Elementary Schools, Craig W. Bartholio

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

The purpose of this study was to investigate the existence of specialized support and services designed for students with disabilities in faith-based and nonsectarian elementary schools (n=57). An questionnaire was used to explore if there is a difference in how different faith tradition (Catholic, Protestant, Jewish) and nonsectarian affiliated elementary schools addressed the needs of enrolled students with identified disabilities. From 2006 to 2015, enrollment of students with a disability in a private school setting has increased from 1.0% to 1.4%. Faith-based schools overwhelmingly indicated a greater presence of special education type services: use of instructional aides, pullout …

Mothers Of Children With Dyslexia Share The Protection, “In-Betweenness,” And The Battle Of Living With A Reading Disability: A Feminist Autoethnography, Christine Woodcock

The Qualitative Report

In order to shed personalized light upon some of the confusions surrounding dyslexia, this study draws upon critical disability studies to share the stories of mothers of children with dyslexia. This feminist autoethnography shares the voice of the researcher alongside interviews with 5 participants, all mothers of children with dyslexia, who were in their 40s, and ethnically and socioeconomically diverse. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, results illustrated that the children inhabited an “in-betweenness” in their disability, in the ways dyslexia was less visual and therefore misunderstood. Likewise, the children presented a great deal of resistance in their learning, which was later …

Dinner Table Syndrome: A Phenomenological Study Of Deaf Individuals’ Experiences With Inaccessible Communication, David R. Meek

The Qualitative Report

Conversations at the dinner table typically involve reciprocal and contingent turn-taking. This context typically includes multiple exchanges between family members, providing opportunities for rich conversations and opportunities for incidental learning. Deaf individuals who live in hearing non-signing homes often miss out on these exchanges, as typically hearing individuals use turn-taking rules that differ from those commonly used by deaf individuals. Hearing individuals’ turn-taking rules include use of auditory cues to get a turn and to cue others when a new speaker is beginning a turn. Given these mechanisms, hearing individuals frequently interrupt each other—even if they are signing. When deaf …

Assessing The Aspirations And Fears Of Costa Rican Youth In Long-Term Correctional Confinement, Theresa A. Ochoa, Yanúa Ovares Fernández, Ana Estrella Meza Rodríguez, Claire De Mezerville López

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

This study used the Possible Selves Questionnaire (PSQ) with 30 incarcerated youth in a long term juvenile correctional facility in Costa Rica. The PSQ is a self-administered survey that measures a person’s aspirations and fears for the future and strategies to achieve who they wish to become and avoid becoming. Results showed that while participants reported having Expected and Feared Selves, they struggled to identify concrete strategies to reach their goals. This vulnerable, incarcerated, population faces a variety of social challenges that may hinder their ability to avoid the behavior that led to their initial incarceration once they are …

New York Early Care And Education Survey: Understanding The Impact Of Covid-19 On New York Early Childhood System, Kate Tarrant, Mark Nagasawa

Straus Institute for Thriving Children & Families

This is the first in a series of reports based upon a survey conducted with 3355 early childhood educators across New York City and New York State, which sought to understand how they were faring during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic (May 2020). Among the key findings were: (1) at that time the emotional stress of the pandemic was affecting respondents more than health and financial stressors; (2) Educators’ need for mental health supports exceed other areas of support requested; (3) approximately 70% were engaged in remote instruction in New York City and half were providing remote instruction …

A Comprehensive Model Of Employment Support, Alberto Migliore, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This brief describes a model of employment supports centered around achieving quality job matches and based on five key elements: building trust, getting to know job seekers, support planning, finding jobs, and support after hire.

Fostering Communication Through Physical Activity, Christine E. Ashby, Casey Woodfield, Brianna Dickens, Katherine Vroman, Katie Heath

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Many individuals with autism experience difficulties with reliable, meaningful communication often impacting their academic and social engagement. As the first and most frequent communication partners, parents of children with autism may struggle initiating or maintaining meaningful communicative interactions, and thus require training, tools, and support. This article describes an approach to coaching parents in fostering meaningful, reciprocal communication through recreational activities as part of a larger physical activity program for parents and families of children with autism. It describes a Cycle of Communication framework as a tool for parents to recognize opportunities to structure and support their children’s communicative attempts …

For Every Gender: Being Who We Are, Katherine Lewis

Faculty Authored Books and Book Contributions

Teaching about Gender Diversity is an edited collection of teacher-tested interdisciplinary lesson plans that provides K–12 teachers with the tools to implement gender-inclusive practices into their curriculum and talk to their students about gender and sex.

~publisher's description~

Gaps In The Mental Health System,Justice System And The Transition To Adulthood: An Analysis Of Unmet Needs, Maria Gremli Sanders

Dissertations

ABSTRACT More than two million adolescents and young adults are interconnected with the justice system every year. An alarming number of transitional age young adults (ages 17-25 years) in the United States justice system suffer with serious emotional problems that have at least one diagnosable mental health illness. The multiple needs for rehabilitation among these young adults have often gone unmet, and thus, they have become an extremely vulnerable subgroup in the justice system. The purpose of this study was to explore issues of disparity within mental health services, the justice system, and the unmet needs of transitional age young …

A Quantitative Examination Of Black And Hispanic Students’ Time-To-Graduation, Ferdinand A. Verley Ii

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

What factors influence Black and Hispanic students’ time-to-graduation, and is it different for their special opportunity program peers? Using theoretical lenses including intersectionality, class struggle, justice, and sociological practice, this dissertation employs data from a large urban public university system to examine the relative impact of demography, academic preparedness, and financial background on students’ time-to-graduation performance.

Time-to-graduation, operationalized in this dissertation as the duration of years before a student earns a bachelor’s degree, for full-time students often represents an investment of time at the expense of earning a wage or salary in the job market. The economic gain that accrues …

Cracks In The Bathroom Stall: A Discourse Analysis On Transgender Bathroom Usage At Garden Spot High School, Kirsten D. Corneilson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In recent years, high schools across the country have seen the concern around transgender students using gendered facilities, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, come to the forefront. Often, dissenters raise worries of privacy and of “catering to a minority,” no matter what decision is reached. At Garden Spot High School in New Holland, Pennsylvania, the site of this research, one such concern has led to a district-wide decision to eliminate gendered facilities and move to single-use facilities, in the name of preserving student privacy. Through the examination of historical precedent and discourse analysis, this paper examines how transgender surveillance …

The Effects Of Computer And Information Technology On Education, Iwasan D. Kejawa

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

In the society of ours, is it true really that computers and information technology have contributed immensely to the way we learn? After observing and reading various educational paraphernalia and scanning the environment research has shown that the educational systems have greatly been impacted by computers and information technology. With the growth of technology, the ways we learn have been improved tremendously. Innovative technologies have contributed to the innovation of learning in the education arena and outside. The traditional ways of conveying instructions to learners have been augmented with the use of computers information technologies. The educational system of our …

Black Girls Matter: The Impact Of Historical Representation On Contemporary Education, Carolyn Strong

Dissertations

A long history of misogynoir and negative stereotypes about Black
girls and women can be found throughout the literature and popular
culture of the United States. These stereotypes inform the lived
experience of Black girls and women, and in particular interfere with
African American girls’ ability to thrive in a school environment. An
autoethnographic research approach shows that various strategies, in
particular, Black girl-centric spaces, have proven to be helpful in
supporting Black girls who have to negotiate varying degrees of
hostility in general environments. These could be applied more broadly
to improve Black girls’ mental, psychological, physical, and
educational …

Reading Robot, Gillian Watts, Andrew Myers, Sabrinna Tan, Taylor Klein, Omeed Djassemi

General Engineering

Presently, there is an insufficient availability of human experts to assist students in reading competency and comprehension. Our team’s goal was to create an improved socially assistive robot for use by therapists, teachers, and parents to help children and adults develop reading skills while they do not have access to specialists. HAPI is a socially assistive robot that we created with the goal of helping students practice their reading comprehension skills. HAPI enables a student to improve their reading skills without an educator present, while enabling educators to review the student's performance remotely. Design constraints included: physical size, weight, duration …