Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Vocabulary Gamification Vs Traditional Learning Instruction In An Inclusive High School Classroom, Diana Nahmod

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of vocabulary quiz scores when Kahoot! game-based response system was implemented as a competitive game for vocabulary review, alternating with a traditional review worksheet. The study was conducted in a public high school in Monmouth County, NJ across two 10th grade English classrooms with general education and special education students ranging in age from 15-16 years old who reside in Central New Jersey. Vocabulary quizzes were administered weekly over twelve weeks. Participants in this study consisted of 36 general education students and 14 special education students. Results of the study …

The Construction Of “Discomfort Psychological”: An Exploration Of Italians Teachers' Reports, Antonio Iudici, Matteo Fabbri

The Qualitative Report

Although there are several studies on youth problems in school, there are few studies on how teachers report psychological discomfort of the students and on what criteria does their procedure. Considering that schools increasingly make such reports to social or neuropsychiatry services, we wanted to find out whether it is flawless (bias, etc.) and how it can affect a student's career. This research presents an investigation on how the practice of signaling "psychological discomfort" at school is set up. Objects of the survey are the procedures used by the teachers to submit the psychological problems. The research subjects were Secondary …

Using Discrete Trial To Teach Functional Play Skills, Courtney Marie Furtaw

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects that discrete trial training could have on the functional play skills of four male preschool students diagnosed with autism. In order to determine the effectiveness of discrete trial training as an intervention, baseline data was first collected for two weeks on the four students through observations of a thirty minute group playtime in the morning of their MD preschool classroom. The baseline data demonstrated that all four students were only engaging in functional play for a limited amount of time. Next, a discrete trial training program was created for each individual student focusing on functional …

Attitudes Toward And Images Of Children With Special Needs, Halah Elhoweris, Mahmoud F. Gharaibeh, Olla Abdulrahman, Wasmeya Al Ahbabi, Marwa Alkaabi, Maryam Saif Alshamsi

International Journal for Research in Education

The media and literature play significant roles in shaping children’s attitudes toward children with special needs. Indeed, several research studies indicate that people with special needs were often portrayed negatively and inaccurately in children’s literature books. To date, no study has been found that investigated the available Arabic and/or English children’s literature books in the UAE to see how people with special needs are portrayed. The aim of this study, therefore, was twofold: a) to analyse children’s literature which feature books with special needs characters, and b) to examine the differences between Arabic and English children’s literature portrayal of people …

The Impact Of Mindfulness Exercises On The Verbal Reactive Behaviors Of Students Identified With Significant Behavioral And Emotional Difficulties, Nicole Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of mindfulness exercises such as counting and breathing on the reactive verbal behaviors of students who are identified as having significant behavioral and emotional difficulties. The six participants were fifth and seventh grade students who were instructed in the self-contained classroom for emotional support a minimum of three class periods daily. Mindfulness exercises were practiced twice daily for a period of three to five minutes for twenty days. Data was collected on each participant prior to, during and after the intervention implementation. The independent variable was the mindfulness exercises employed. …

An Exploration Of Alternative Scoring Methods Using Curriculum-Based Measurement In Early Writing, Abigail A. Allen, Apryl L. Poch, Erica S. Lembke

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

This manuscript describes two empirical studies of alternative scoring procedures used with curriculum-based measurement in writing (CBM-W). Study 1 explored the technical adequacy of a trait-based rubric in first grade. Study 2 explored the technical adequacy of a trait-based rubric, production-dependent, and production-independent scores in third grade. Results of Study 1 suggest that the rubric holds promise as a valid measure of sentence writing ability in first grade and has utility as a supplemental scoring procedure when using CBM-W as a screening tool. Results of Study 2 show that correct word sequences maintained the highest correlation coefficients across time with …

Co-Teaching And Its Effect On Student Growth, Troy Weiss

All Capstone Projects

With the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990 and again in 2004 Congress stated that students with special needs were to be educated in the least restrictive environment to the greatest extent possible. In order to meet the federal mandate many districts used co-teaching as a service delivery option for special needs students who are in a general education classroom. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of co-teaching on academic growth, particularly for students with an Individualized Education Plan. When reviewing the literature it was found that co-teaching has been studied and …

"I Met My Goal!": The Use Of Self-Regulated Learning With Students Receiving Tier 3 Instruction In Reading, Ashley Pennypacker Hill

Journal of Practitioner Research

In this article, I share two lessons learned through engagement in practitioner inquiry. The purpose of my inquiry was to understand self-regulated learning as it developed in students receiving intensive instructional supports within a newly designed 21^st century learning space. I illustrate each lesson with salient excerpts from three types of data: field notes, student artifacts, and my own daily journal entries. Prior to my discussion of these lessons learned, I define self-regulated learning and describe how I applied it to my Tier-3 instructional practice. This study affirms the importance of structure when first introducing self-regulation to students, and …

Effects Of Parent Training On Increased Knowledge And Changes In Perceptions Regarding Transition To Adulthood For Middle School Youth With Disabilities, Lauren E. Wright

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parents of children with severe/moderate disabilities experience uncertainty and a lack of knowledge as their children go through the transition to adulthood. Research has shown parents play a key role in their child's postschool outcome success and that parent training and beginning transition preparation early are key predictors. This study examined the effects of parent training on parents' knowledge, expectations, and action towards their child's transition to adulthood. Participants consisted of parents of middle school youth with severe/moderate disabilities. The study measured parent knowledge, expectations, and actions. Procedures involved (a) a pretest administered to parents on their transition knowledge, (b) …

Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Evidence Based Practices, Michaela Creighton

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Each child that has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is different. However, they have similar characteristics in that they lack communication, social, and adaptive skills. As well as reduced cognitive functioning and gross motor skills. This literature review will look at some of the evidence-based practices for teaching children who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. It provides information on how to implement them in the early childhood classroom, and focuses on how each practice allows the teacher to adapt it to the student with ASD in one's classroom. It is important that trainings are offered for …

Flexible Seating In The Early Childhood Classroom, Chasity L. Hardin

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Flexible seating has become a recent trend in education. As teachers try to reach the different needs of learners, flexible seating is another way to allow students to comfortably be engaged in learning. Flexible seating gives children the power to choose. Giving them the power of choice, gives students ownership over their participation and engagement in the classroom. Flexible seating can include a variety of options including scoop rockers, pillows, disc o’ sits, standing desks, therapy balls, and many more options. Some professionals are beginning to note that students are often more engaged in their learning when flexible seating options …

Combining Intake And Iep Meetings: Evaluation Of The Effects Of Interagency Collaboration Between Vocational Rehabilitation And Special Educators, Katrina Cummings

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Collaboration between agencies has been shown to be an indicator of post-school success for individuals with disabilities. While it is shown to be important, collaboration between Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and Special Educators (SPED) does not always occur. This project examined the effects of combining Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and intake interviews on the rate and satisfaction of collaboration and the understanding of the other agencies roles and responsibilities. Participants included four SPED teachers and two VR counselors. All participants worked with individuals with disabilities between the ages 15-22 years who attend public education in a school district in the western …

Effects Of Functional Communication Training And Self-Monitoring With Programmed Generalization For Three Students With Or At-Risk For Emotional Behavioral Disorders., Jonathan L. Burt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of functional assessment based interventions to address the problem behavior of students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) is supported by an emerging evidence base. Few studies, however, have assessed the generality (i.e., the transfer of behavior change across settings, behavior, or students) of function-based interventions for this population. This study employed a multiple baseline across students design to evaluate setting generalization of functional communication training (FCT) with self-monitoring for three students with or at-risk for EBD. FCT yielded significant reductions in problem behavior and increased rates of appropriate attention recruitment (i.e., hand-raising) for all three participants in isolation. However, …

Using A Language And Literacy Intervention To Increase Autistic Students' Social Interactions With Peers, Ellyn Goerdt

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This paper explores the research looking at an intervention done with four preschool students with autism-like tendencies. Two of the students are on the autism spectrum and two students show autism-like tendencies and deficiencies. All four students struggled in social situations and play with their peers. The intervention provided for all four students was a checklist of skills needed to be successful in a social situation; group games, cooperative play and cleaning up. The article review discusses many supports provided and areas of need for young and adolescent students on the autism spectrum. The results of the intervention showed that …

Yoga And Mindfulness In The Inclusion Classroom, Maria Petruzzelli

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the effectiveness of implementing mindfulness and yoga techniques in two sections of fourth grade inclusion language arts classes. More specifically, this paper examines the effectiveness of yoga and mindfulness techniques on the frequency of off-task behaviors and academic achievement. It was hypothesized that off-task behaviors would occur less frequently and that academic performance in writing would improve after a yoga and mindfulness intervention was implemented.

Using a pre-post no-control design, thirty-six students, eighteen per class, from a public elementary school in Southern New Jersey participated in this investigation. Baseline and post implementation data were collected using On-Demand …

Administrator And Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusion, Heather N. Lemay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the attitudes of teachers and administrators toward inclusion in the classroom. Specifically this study analyzed grade level, years of teaching experience, and levels of education to examine the manner in which these factors relate to attitudes of teachers and administrators toward inclusion.

Participants in this study were located in 3 school districts in East Tennessee. All data were collected through an online survey distributed to prek-12 teachers by way of email from school principals. The analysis of data was based on the responses of 183 teachers and administrators from these 3 school districts. Findings …

Teacher Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of The Response To Intervention Framework With English Learners, Donna Stapleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine teacher perceptions of the effectiveness of the Response to Intervention (RtI) framework with students who are acquiring English as a second language.

Students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds have been disproportionately represented in special education programs for decades (Artiles & Trent, 1994; Donovan & Cross, 2002; Heller, Holtzman, & Messick, 1982). Legislators responsible for the authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act in 2004 (IDEIA 2004) allowed state education leaders the option to use RtI as an alternative identification method. RtI was believed to be a framework through …

The Good Behavior Game: Effects On And Maintenance Of Behavior In Middle-School Classrooms Using Class Dojo, Komila Dadakhodjaeva

Dissertations

Classroom management is one of the key components for successful instruction and affects both instructors and learners. Although most frequent discipline strategies in schools involve punitive actions, research suggests that using positive statements to teach and reinforce desirable behaviors is more appropriate and effective. A form of a group-oriented contingency that focuses on desirable behaviors is a positive variation of the Good Behavior Game (GBG). The GBG has been used widely in its original form, focusing on undesirable behaviors, and more research is needed on its positive version. Another strategy that can be used within classrooms is Class Dojo, a …

Siblings Of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: Their Perspectives On Guardianship And Its Alternatives, Anna M. Brady

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adult siblings of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are often on the front lines of supporting their brothers and sisters with IDD through caregiving and guardianship roles after their parents pass away. However, these siblings are often uninformed or under informed about ways that they can support their brothers and sisters. This study had the following three purposes: to determine what adult siblings of adults with IDD know about guardianship and its alternatives; to explore how adult siblings view guardianship and its alternatives; and to explore what adult siblings think about their role of being a guardian or …

Self-Monitoring: A Behavioral Intervention For Children Attending Head Start, Samantha Riggleman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Addressing the needs of preschoolers with behavioral problems is important, as these issues often have long-term impacts on the outcomes of students (Fox et al., 2002). Self- monitoring strategies and techniques have the potential to improve the outcomes of this population of children. Self-monitoring requires students to pay attention to a specific aspect of their behavior and record whether the behavior being monitored has occurred or not occurred (Amato-Zech et at., 2006). Although preschoolers are capable of self-monitoring (Otero & Haut, YEAR), it is not widely used in early childhood education settings for increasing compliance or appropriate behaviors. A component …