Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Sparking Reading Engagement Through Tablets: An Early Intervention Reading Program And Parent Workshop For Tablets At Home, Rochelle Tkach, Tiffany L. Gallagher

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Research on this intervention program aimed to address whether digital technology (i.e., apps on tablets) contributes to struggling early readers’ (4–6 years old) on-task behavior and level of engagement while learning prerequisite emergent literacy skills (e.g., phonemic awareness, phonics, word recognition and decoding). The research also investigated whether parents/guardians of these students garner new knowledge about the potential of using multimodal applications to support their children’s literacy learning. Students struggling with early literacy worked one on one with a tutor alternating between activities on and off the tablet. Data were collected from two iterations of this program in the winter …

Understanding Gender Differences In Autism Spectrum Disorder To Better Identify Females With Asd, Betsy M. Galles

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Males are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to females at a ratio of 4:1. When isolating for higher intellectual ability, the ratio increases to 10:1. Gender differences exist in restricted, repetitive behaviors and social interaction. Gender differences vary based on age, race, ethnicity, cognitive level, and socio-economic circumstances, assessment procedures, diagnostic tools, evaluator experience, and bias. Diagnostic test elements have been found to be biased toward males. With new knowledge based on the female presentation of ASD symptoms and behaviors, efforts must be made to update evaluation tools, properly train clinicians, and assess using instruments that accurately diagnose …

Testing For All: An Exploration Of Disproportionality In The Georgia Alternate Assessments, Kelly D. Childers, Meagan Arrastia-Chisholm, Katharine S. Adams, Heather M. Kelley Ph.D.

Georgia Educational Researcher

Public schools use standardized testing to measure students’ academic achievement at the conclusion of each school year. Students with severe cognitive disabilities are evaluated through the Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA). The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe the demographic characteristics of students who took the Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA) and students who took the Georgia Milestones End of Grade Assessment (EOG) in English/Language Arts using publicly available data from the 2014-2015 academic year. Additionally, the study investigated disproportionality of certain student groups who took the GAA and EOG in English/Language Arts. A series of chi-square analyses resulted in …

Implementing Evidence-Based Practices Within Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support To Promote Inclusive Secondary Classroom Settings, Michael Mahoney Ph.D.

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Research suggests that evidence-based practices (EBPs) implemented in secondary school settings will support the academic achievement of students with specific learning needs (Scruggs, Mastropieri, Berkeley, & Graetz, 2010). In order to effectively promote the use of EBPs in general education classroom settings, secondary schools are currently adopting multi- tiered systems of supports (MTSS) such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and Response to Intervention models (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006; Sugai & Horner, 2006). However, secondary teachers’ may have limited knowledge of EBPs and adequate training in the implementation of EBPs in general education classroom settings (Kutash, Duchnowski, & Lynn, 2009; …

The Impact Of An Inclusive Post-Secondary Course On Pre-Service Teachers, Andrew R. Scheef Ph.D., Bishal Thapa, Ellie Lerum, Marcus I. Poppen

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Opportunities for inclusive postsecondary education for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities are becoming increasingly common at institutions of higher education in the United States. Although inclusive postsecondary opportunities benefit the entire campus, this may be especially true for students enrolled in teacher education programs. This research used qualitative methods to better understand how participation in an inclusive postsecondary course impacts pre-service teachers. Four primary themes emerged from the data, including (a) Self-Efficacy in Teaching, (b) Comfort with People with Disabilities, (c) Inclusion, and (d) Acceptance. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Pre-Service Teacher Implementation Of Strategy Instruction: Effects On The Comprehension Of Middle School Students, Brennan Chandler, Jessica Hagaman

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Recent legislation related to dyslexia has increased the focus on how reading is being taught in schools and how teachers are prepared to teach reading at the pre-service level. One promising teaching approach to supporting students with reading difficulties is the self- regulated strategy development (SRSD) model. However, there is limited research regarding whether the model can be implemented by pre-service teachers while still remaining effective. This study investigated the effects and fidelity of implementation of pre-service teacher implemented SRSD on the reading comprehension of middle school students identified as struggling in reading. A multiple baseline design across participants was …

The Inclusion Of Special Education Services In Seventh-Day Adventist Schools In New York City, Marlene Morris-Lambert

Dissertations

Problem

Over the past fifty years, there has been an increase in the number of students with special needs in the U.S., from 1.8% of students in 1977 to 5.7% of students in 2006 and 13.0% of students in 2015. Federal legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the No Child Left Behind Act support equal education for this growing population of students, and special-needs educators have responded by implementing full-inclusion strategies. Public schools continue to make advances in implementing inclusion practices since they are legally bound to do so. The Seventh-day Adventist community is one of …

Progressive Time Delay To Teach High School Students With Intellectual Disability To Initiate Manding Siri® For Unknown Information, Madelyn N. Calzi

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

A multiple probe design across participants with intermittent generalization probes was used to evaluate (a) the effectiveness of progressive time delay to teach four high school students with intellectual disability to initiate using Siri® when asked an unknown question and (b) the generalized use of Siri® when asked questions from untrained communicative partners. Technology training occurred prior to baseline to teach all participants to use Siri®. Secondary data were collected on Siri’s® response and student engagement with the answer. Due to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic and school closures, only one participant entered intervention and the study was unable to be …

Effects Of An Anchored Career-Focused Curriculum On The Knowledge And Attitudes Of At-Risk High School Students, Megan E. Jones

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Students with disabilities (SWD) face an unfavorable employment future because many drop out of school at a disproportionate rate. The employment outlook for SWD who graduate from high school is also a concern because current studies show that only about half of them find jobs. In addition, most jobs they do find are entry level and low paying. One predictor of post-secondary success is career awareness. The purpose of this study was first to develop a curriculum especially designed for teaching career awareness of SWD and then to test its effects with a pretest-posttest randomized trial. Results indicated that the …

Incorporating Environmental Arrangement Strategies Into Classroom Activities, Brandy M. Denton

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Individuals with extensive support needs, including those who have autism spectrum disorder and are classified as level 3 in the area of social communication, are more likely than same-age peers to display delays in age-appropriate social communication and engagement in activities. To address these issues, special education teachers, in collaboration with related-service providers, should create social communication and engagement objectives. Once objectives are identified, teachers can plan for and implement environmental arrangement (EA) strategies to promote these behaviors in a natural context. EA strategies are a long-standing approach to creating a communication-rich environment and can be used alone or paired …

Alternative Thesis Project For Spring 2020 Semester, Elaine Murner

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

During the Spring 2020 semester, students within the special education program were conducting applied thesis projects within typical contexts as part of their fulfillment of the requirements of a master’s degree program. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), public schools and related facilities closed with no plans to reopen within the time frame to allow for graduation for students in the last semester of their graduate program. Students were allowed to complete an alternative thesis assignment in the form of responding to writing prompts followed by an oral defense of the written products, along with questions related to their …

An Examination Of The Current Status Of Paraprofessionals Through Their Lens: Role, Training, And Supervision, Erin Zobell M.A., Jiwon Hwang Ph.D.

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Revisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 allowed for districts to hire teachers’ aides to assist in the educational process. These teachers’ aides, known as paraprofessionals or paraeducators, have increased in number since 1997 and now play an important role in helping students with disabilities. The purpose of the current study is to diagnose the current situation of paraprofessionals in special education within the four key aspects of appropriate role, inappropriate role, training, and supervision. A total of 47 paraprofessionals participated in the survey. Using the paraprofessionals’ perspectives on what the challenges and demanding areas were, …

Adhd Parent And Teacher Symptom Ratings: Differential Item Functioning Across Gender, Age, Race, And Ethnicity, George J. Dupaul, Qiong Fu, Arthur D. Anastopoulos, Robert C. Reid, Thomas J. Power

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Parent and teacher ratings of the two attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom dimensions (i.e., inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity) have been found to differ across child gender, age, race, and ethnicity. Group differences could be due to actual variation in symptomatic behaviors but also could be due to measurement items functioning differently based on child characteristics. This study extended prior investigations establishing measurement invariance at the symptom dimension and item levels, by examining possible measurement variance across child demographic characteristics at the item level (i.e., differential item functioning [DIF]) in two large national samples. Using the Rasch rating scale model (Andrich Psychometrika, 43, …

Validity Of A Special Education Teacher Observation System, Evelyn S. Johnson, Angela Crawford, Laura A. Moylan, Yuzhu Zheng

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This manuscript describes the comprehensive validation work undertaken to develop the Recognizing Effective Special Education Teachers (RESET) observation system, which was designed to provide evaluations of special education teachers’ ability to effectively implement evidence-based practices and to provide specific, actionable feedback to teachers on how to improve instruction. Following the guidance for developing effective educator evaluation systems, we employed the Evidence-Centered Design framework, articulated the claims and inferences to be made with RESET, and conducted a series of studies to collect evidence to evaluate its validity. Our efforts and results to date are described, and implications for practice and further …

Individualizing Instruction Using Work Systems And Other Assistive Technology For Students With Significant Developmental Disabilities, Maria Leeann Goff

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students with significant developmental disabilities demonstrate different strengths and needs than typically developing students. These students’ skills in the areas of academics, communication, fine and gross motor, daily living skills, adaptive/functional skills, etc. are significantly discrepant from their same-age non-disabled peers. Because of this, students with such high needs should not be expected to learn the same way as their peers. Instruction for students with significant disabilities must be individualized. Communication strategies, teaching techniques, and technology are critical for individualizing instruction for students with significant disabilities. The structured teaching approach provides students with the visual and concrete instruction they need …

The Relationship Between Co-Teaching Partnerships And Student Achievement, Tikki N. Middleton

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Due to legislative mandates schools are required to educate SWDs in the least restrictive environment alongside SWODs, which lead to the rise of co-teaching. However, enhancing the quality of co-teaching partnerships to impact student achievement poses a challenge for many school leaders due to the absence of quantitative data involving the impact of co-teaching on student achievement. The purpose of this study was to identify correlations among the qualities of co-teaching partnerships in grades six through eight as measured by The Colorado Assessment of Co-teaching (CO-ACT), and student growth percentiles from Spring 2019 Georgia Milestones Assessment (GMAS) data in middle …

Using Peer-Mediation To Provide Inclusion For Students With Moderate To Severe Autism Spectrum Disorders, Shauna Marie Geffre

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students identified with low-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), in center-based programs, have minimal opportunities for inclusion in the general education setting and are often emotionally and socially excluded from their peers. Peer-mediated instruction (PMI) is a social skills intervention that trains neurotypical peers to be peer buddies for students with ASD. Research highlights PMI as an evidenced-based practice that increases social communication skills in students with ASD and develops empathy, patience, tolerance, and other character traits for neurotypical peers. The application of this project applies PMI practices in an elementary school to increase the social communication needs and promote inclusion …

An Efficiency Tactic For Behavioral Skills Training, Brian Liu-Constant

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to enhance the use of behavioral skills training to teach staff members a discrete trial training (DTT) procedure in a setting with a low trainer-to-staff ratio. Although effective, the rehearsal and feedback components of behavioral skills training can be time consuming and require more time with an expert trainer than the trainer has available.

For the behavioral skills training protocol, the researcher recorded and presented instructions and modeling on video and developed scripts that participants followed during rehearsal and feedback. Each participant was assigned to a group of three. Participants took turns in one of …

Teachers' Attitudes Toward The Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities In The General Education Classroom In A Rural School District, Robin M. Pelt

Theses and Dissertations

According to the research, inclusion in the general education setting is valuable to the academic and social development of students with disabilities. Teachers play a significant role in the success of students with disabilities in this setting (Coombs-Richardson & Mead, 2001; Fuchs, 2010; Test et al., 2009). Research shows that teachers display positive and negative attitudes toward inclusion based on the severity of the disability category (Cook, 2001; Ernest & Rogers, 2009). The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom in a rural school district. An …

Disproportionality In Special Education: The Factors Of Overrepresentation, Lack Of Inclusion And It's Impact On Student Success, Paige E. Webb

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is the guiding force behind placement for special education students. It provides students with disabilities access to the general education classroom and the ability to learn. The Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 (IDEA) sets forth regulations that require academic institutions to prioritize inclusive learning for all students regardless of the severity of needs. However, through various studies and findings, institutions have not followed mandates wholeheartedly. Due to this, students with disabilities, as well as minority students, are both consciously and subconsciously pushed away from the general education classroom, unfairly singled out through the referral …