Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

Teachers’ Attitudes And Perceptions Of Inclusion In Relation To Grade Level And Years Of Experience, Marsha C. Barnes, Trudi Gaines

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The practice of inclusion is increasingly evident in today’s schools and expectations continue to rise with respect to how all students perform on high-stakes standardized testing. Positive attitudes about inclusion and concomitant lower stress levels among teachers would provide the most conducive environment for positive student outcomes. The authors investigated the relationship between teacher grade levels, years of experience, and their attitudes and perceptions toward inclusion. It was hypothesized that teachers of lower grade levels and with fewer years of experience would have more negative attitudes toward inclusion. A previously developed survey instrument was used to gather data from teachers …

Limits And Perspectives For The Promotion Of The Inclusive Culture And Paradigm Within School Context: Theoretical Considerations And Empirical Findings From Greece And Hungary, Elias Kourkoutas, Agnes Nemethne Toth, Elena Vitalaki

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The basic tenets of the "inclusive paradigm" in relation to pupils with Special Educational Needs are presented and analyzed in the first section of this paper. Also the findings from recent studies in Greece and Hungary referring to the perceptions of teachers regarding the possibilities of full inclusion of these students in mainstream schools are presented and discussed. Based on these data, at the final section of this paper, we also discuss the likelihood of building and "implementing" an innovative inclusive paradigm in mainstream school system, based on teachers' needs, and the demands and challenges of contemporary social and educational …

Issues Of Inclusive Education: Some Aspects To Be Considered, Farid Suleymanov

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The purpose of this article is to shed light on the aspects of inclusion which have proved to be essential for further development of newly founded inclusive education. The practice of inclusive education gets increasingly obvious in gains more support and interest in education system in almost all countries in the world. There is a distinctly declared agreement in the world that all children have the right to education regardless of their race, gender, nationality, disability and etc. And these agreements have been indicated in universally important documents. Over several decades the concept of inclusion has contributed a lot to …

Eportfolio Using The Power Of Nonlinear Space To Create And Interlink A Repertoire Of Skills Essential For Teaching, J. Evans Ochola, John Achrazoglou, Rebecca Anthony

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The ePortfolio is a web-based innovation that allows teacher education students to demonstrate their competency and share their work on websites. While the original impetus for this work was in professional placement. A platform where students could represent their strengths to potential employers was developed. It has since become the means by which to address state and national mandates for standards performance assessment. The three-part developmental structure of the ePortfolio, in fact, offers a mechanism for demonstrating to faculty, assessors, and to students themselves a mastery of complex learning systems and strategies. The framework for professional development begins with an …

Feelings: Actions, Methods, And Strategies To Prepare Students For Learning By Creating An Environment Considerate Of Affective Needs, Virginia Heslinga

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

This article examines two critical questions for building trust to provide learners in communities that have experienced violence with the ability to participate with hope in classroom settings: (1) After the many recent alarming and violent events that have occurred in our society, how can educators best meet the affective needs of students to create a positive environment for learning? (2) Are there strategies and methods that any educator can use to help students feel interested in learning and ready to learn in spite of the repeated upsetting events in the news and in their communities? The answer is yes. …

What Do Elementary School Librarians Know And Believe About Students With Color Vision Deficiencies?, Karla Collins

Education & Human Services Faculty Publications

Colour vision deficiencies affect approximately eight percent of the male population, yet the condition is often overlooked in the educational setting despite the pervasiveness of colour in the school. The purpose of this study was to explore how elementary school librarians provide instruction and prepare the library environment to meet the needs of students with colour vision deficiencies. Findings indicate that elementary school librarians in Virginia did not feel knowledgeable about colour vision deficiencies but were interested in knowing more and expressed a desire to make changes. The case study participants'ʹ knowledge increased from pre-­‐‑test to post-­‐‑test. There were noticeable …

Music’S Impact: A Review And Curriculum Proposal, Susanna M. Lindberg

Selected Honors Theses

The following thesis is a review of literature, covered in three chapters, and a proposal for a researched-based education curriculum. The goal of this research is to find how music affects the brain, how it influences education, whether it affects emotions, and if it has an impact on special populations in regards to education. In the final section of this thesis, there is a theoretical proposal for a yearlong music-based literacy curriculum for third grade students who struggle with reading and comprehension.

Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya: Health And Life Skills Curriculum, Kibera, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya builds the social, health, and economic assets of adolescent girls in urban slums and Northeastern Kenya. This collection of learning sessions was designed to increase adolescent girls’ knowledge of reproductive health and sexuality; reinforce and promote attitudes and behaviors that will lead to a better quality of life; and instill skills among adolescents to enable them to overcome the challenges of growing up and becoming responsible adults including communication skills, decision-making, assertiveness, setting goals and resisting peer pressure. The sessions were developed to be delivered without a lot of resources or materials, with limited time available …

Cds- Annual Report 2015, College Of Health And Human Services

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Evaluation Of A Trauma-Informed Teaching Intervention On The Educational Well-Being Of Youth In Residential Care, Angelique G. Day

Angelique G Day

In response to the high nationwide prevalence of psychological trauma among court-involved youth who have been exposed to abuse and neglect and the associated far-reaching adverse consequences, there are calls to develop a trauma-informed workforce across the various systems (child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health and education) designed to serve these traumatized young persons. We describe a pilot test of a modified version of the Heart of Teaching and Learning (HTL) curriculum, an intervention designed to increase trauma-informed practices in education settings. This program was implemented in a public charter school that exclusively serves court-involved youth placed in residential treatment. …

Inclusive Leadership And Gender, Margaret Grogan, Shamini Dias

Margaret Grogan

A review of relevant recent research indicates that girls’ issues are generally off the radar screen in local pre-K-12 schools in the United States. This is particularly problematic because gender inequities continue to be perpetuated in schools through largely unconscious cultural mores and pedagogies. Gender inequities are deeply rooted in historical, philosophical, and cultural narratives of gender so that we, educators, are ourselves articulations of gender-based narratives. Moreover, the intersectionalities between gender, race, English speaking ability, sexuality, class, religion, ability, poverty etc. greatly exacerbate this problem. Together with their teachers, principals must develop critical self-awareness as well as intentional ways …

Auditory Processing Learning Disability, Suicidal Ideation, And Transformational Faith, Frank S. Bailey, Russell G. Yocum

Russell Yocum

The purpose of this personal experience as a narrative investigation is to describe how an auditory processing learning disability exacerbated—and how spirituality and religiosity relieved—suicidal ideation, through the lived experiences of an individual born and raised in the United States. The study addresses: (a) how an auditory processing learning disability affected the primary participant’s view of life as a child, adolescent, and young adult, (b) how religiosity and spirituality helped to reframe that outlook after a near-fatal suicide attempt, and (c) how spirituality and religiosity serve to moderate the primary participant’s current view of life. Data were obtained from interviews, …

Gender Differences In Experiences Of Tafe It Students: A Work In Progress, Raina Mason, Graham Cooper, Tim Comber, Anne Hellou, Julie Tucker

Raina Mason

In Australia, one of the sources of loss of females in the IT education pipeline occurs at the TAFE (college) level. Female students comprise the majority of early TAFE IT courses and female completion rates for these courses are similar to males. Despite this early success, most females choose to not continue to Diploma level, and through articulation pathways into university IT courses. A survey was conducted to determine possible differences in experiences between male and female TAFE IT students. It was found that more females than males lived alone or with dependents. Female students had higher employment status, higher …

A Factor Analytic Validation Study Of The Scale Of Teachers' Attitudes Towards Inclusive Classrooms (Static)), Trisha Sugita Nishimura, Randy T. Busse

Education Faculty Articles and Research

General and special education teachers (N = 125) completed the Scale of Teachers’ Attitudes towards Inclusive Classrooms (STATIC). The internal consistency of the instrument was strong with an alpha of .89. The measure demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (r = .99) and a dependent t-test was non-significant, indicating mean group temporal stability. An exploratory factor analysis resulted in a five-factor scale accounting for 61.6% of the variance versus the original four factors identified by the author of the instrument. Future research and potential use of the instrument are discussed.

Understanding Employment Preparedness Needs For College Students With Asperger's Disorder, Rebecca S. Hansen

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

About 1 in 68 children has been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder and nearly half of those individuals have average to above average intelligence. A significant number of those individuals are currently earning college degrees. Regardless of the escalating prevalence rates of individuals with Asperger’s Disorder who have the intellectual capacity to obtain a college degree, there has been little attention on how to identify and provide the types of specialized supports these college graduates require as they prepare for finding and maintaining meaningful employment. The ways in which colleges are preparing students for employment must be examined to include …

Campus Climates Experienced By United States Military Veterans, Michael Jessee Adkins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to learn how military veterans experienced higher education campus climates. A recent West Virginia law requires state-operated colleges to become veteran friendly and this study examined the perceptions of veterans who attended college before and after the passage of the law. Six veterans participated in a series of in-depth interviews regarding their personal experiences with attention given to factors that enabled and/or constrained their academic progress. The interviews were electronically recorded using audio media and standard conventions of informed consent were followed. Interview transcripts were produced, coded, analyzed to identify common themes, and interpreted …

Parent Perceptions Of Parent-School Partnership Efforts For Students With Disabilities, Jessica Chadwick

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The study examined parent-school partnership efforts, as reported and perceived by parents of students with disabilities in a Mid-Atlantic State. Due to the high correlation between parent involvement and academic success, these qualitative comments were deemed vital to ongoing special education improvement in the state. The study utilized the State Education Agency parent survey data which was collected in accordance with the State Performance Plan / Annual Performance Report requirements under Section 616 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004. Survey responses from parents of students with disabilities were aggregated and analyzed for local education agencies. These comments …

Teacher Attitudes: An Analysis Of Middle School Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Inclusion, Jennifer K. Holley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The demands for general education teachers to meet the diverse needs of their students has increased greatly over recent years. The attitudes of these teachers towards the practice of inclusion greatly influences the successful of inclusion itself. In this study the attitudes of teachers towards inclusion was investigated. Findings indicated that teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion are split. Teachers’ attitudes towards specific disabilities are clear. Findings indicate more teachers believe students with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, visual and hearing impairments, communication disorders and health impairments should be educated in a regular classroom where students with mental impairments (cognitive disabilities/developmental delay), behavioral …

Labeling: Student Self-Esteem And The Stigma Of A Label, Amanda Kay Sowards

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Labels help to provide educational support to students who struggle academically, physically, emotionally and socially. The decision to use a label should be carefully considered due to the possibility of negative connotations regarding social relationships, personal preferences and the effects on self-esteem. The author discusses a study that examines the effects of labeling in regard to the impact on the self-esteem of students with disabilities and will scrutinizes if students with disabilities are negatively perceived by their peers. Current research of labeling, self-esteem and social disadvantage is discussed. Due to the overwhelming number of students being labeled and a lack …

Science For Visually Impaired Students And Accessible Technology, Lydia M. Moreland

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Blind and visually impaired students need appropriate methods and accessible technology in order to compete and advance in learning the science concepts. The study investigated the attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge of assistive technology used by science teachers of the visually impaired from a Mid-Atlantic state and how they are incorporated in the classroom. The participant response gives notice to what forms of assistive technology are used in frequency, and the training and comfort level to use the assistive technology. The open responses stated themes of teachers needing more training in visual impairment college programs to use assistive technology to increase …