Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Utilizing Hip Hop’S Intrinsic Quality Of Storytelling To Encourage Student Identity, Engagement And Empowerment In The Urban Classroom., Ruth B. Patterson

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to add to the existing literature of knowledge and understanding of how a culturally relevant pedagogy such as Hip Hop can serve as an intrinsic motivation to encourage identity, engagement and empowerment among African American and Latino students. Critical Race Theory is utilized as the theoretical lens in this study as it challenges traditional educational practices and beliefs. The overarching question guiding this research is centered on “What is the value of utilizing Hip Hop’s intrinsic quality of storytelling to encourage identity, engagement and empowerment among African American and Latino students in the urban …

Absent Voices: Intersectionality And First-Generation College Students With Disabilities, Tenisha L. Tevis, Jacalyn M. Griffen

Benerd College Faculty Articles

College students with disabilities stand at a crossroads when transitioning from high school to college, and yet, are often absent from discussions regarding underserved populations in higher education. This absence is particularly notable in scholarship employing the lens of intersectionality. To address this gap, this qualitative case study employs a strengths-based lens to examine how typically marginalized college students used the strengths of their socially constructed identities as a dynamic force to find keys to academic success.

Students’ Understanding Of Diagrams For Solving Word Problems: A Framework For Assessing Diagram Proficiency, Apryl L. Poch, Delinda Van Garderen, Amy Scheuermann

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

A visual representation, such as a diagram, can be a powerful strategy for solving mathematical word problems. However, using a representation to solve mathematical word problems is not as simple as it seems! Many students with learning disabilities struggle to use a diagram effectively and efficiently. This article provides a framework for supporting special educators’ use of diagnostic assessment as a means of understanding and identifying areas of need for students with learning disabilities in order to promote diagram proficiency for solving mathematical word problems.

Training Paraeducators To Use Behavior Management Strategies: Implementation And Evaluation Of A Brief Targeted Intervention, Aubrey Whiting

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

Training paraprofessionals to be highly qualified providers of services to students with disabilities is a requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), although many special education paraprofessionals still lack the skills and knowledge to work with students with special education needs – particularly those who engage in disruptive behaviors. This project evaluated the use of one module of a 10-week online paraeducator inservice training (Morgan et al., 2004) that focused on behavioral interventions. Five paraprofessionals who currently work at a public school for students with significant behavior problems in a rural school district in the Western United …

Paraeducators' Perceptions Of Their Responsibilities Based On The Utah Standards, Mary E. Buynak

Theses and Dissertations

Paraeducators are increasingly involved in the education of students with disabilities. In order for paraeducators to properly work with this population, they must have adequate and ongoing training. Research has shown that paraeducators do not receive appropriate training in order to work with students with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the self-perceived knowledge of paraeducators working in special education and their level of training need. The study examines paraeducators' work environment, responsibilities, knowledge based on the Utah Standards for Paraeducators and perceived training needs. Ninety-five special education paraeducators working in a large, suburban school district in …

College Student’S Perceptions Of Living And Learning With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Michael P. Gallo, Patricia Mahar, Lynne Chalmers

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

How does the K-12 special education system prepare children with ADHD for the rigors and independent learning of higher education? This article examines the K-12 experiences, including special education, of three college students diagnosed with ADHD during their early elementary years. In their own words, they provide insight into what benefited them and what educators can do to prepare children with ADHD to have a successful post secondary experience.

A Synthesis Of Literature Examining The Structured Teaching Components Of The Teacch Model Employing The Use Of A Visual Conceptual Model, Karin Kliemann

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

A synthesis of research on the TEACCH Model was conducted to determine which components of Structured Teaching under the TEACCH model meet criteria as evidenced based practices using the Reichow, Volkmar, and Cicchetti criteria (2007) along with reporting on the findings of the National Autism Center report (2009). The critical components of the Structured Teaching approach under the TEACCH model as defined by Schopler et al. (1995) are: physical structure; visual schedules; work systems; and task organization. Our analysis found visual schedules met the Reichow et al. (2008) criteria and a case can be made for task organization. A secondary …

Tier 2 Intervention: Mentoring, Jenna Strawhun, Shir Palmon, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Although the outcomes of mentoring studies tend to be mixed, mentoring relationships have the potential to be effective, particularly when outcomes are selected and efforts are made to create lasting relationships. Particular considerations for mentoring program developers and practitioners include the length of the mentoring relationship, recruitment and screening of mentors, mentor training, mentee mobility, mentoring activities, and consistent systematic evaluation and modifications of mentoring programs based on data.

There have been no large widespread controlled studies of mentoring, probably due to the wide variation in the variables associated with mentoring programs as discussed earlier, including the goals, populations …

Tiers 1 & 2 Intervention: Peer Mediation, Jenna Strawhun, Ken Parnell, Reece L. Peterson, Shir Palmon

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

The benefits of a peer mediation program can be school-wide. These programs can promote a change in attitude toward conflict, as students improve their perspective taking skills, develop leadership skills, learn to tolerate alternative points of view, and realize that they can respond in a more constructive way to frustrating circumstances. The strategies and skills learned become a process that defines values and leads to school-wide growth (Rogers, 1994). Peer mediation programs can provide a school with a positive climate. It is also an alternative to traditional disciplinary practices, but most importantly, students will learn conflict resolution and problem-solving …

Universal Design For Learning In K-12 Educational Settings: A Review Of Group Comparison And Single-Subject Intervention Studies, Yvel C. Crevecoeur, Sarah E. Sorenson, Victor Mayorga, Adriana P. Gonzalez

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

This literature review on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) included articles from January 1984 through June 2014. We (a) investigated the UDL educational framework without the inclusion of other major K-12 educational frameworks in learning environments, (b) reported researchers’ scope and depth of use of the UDL principles, and (c) focused our investigation on two research methods: group comparison and single-subject. We used the quality indicators for evidence-based practices (EBPs) in special education to review, not rate, the final pool of five peer-reviewed articles. Results included analyses of the incorporation of UDL principles in all identified studies, highlighting the need …

The Status Of, Teacher Attitudes Towards, And The Lmpact Of Music Therapy Lnclusive Music Education In Michigan, Ann E. Armbruster

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine Michigan music teachers' attitudes and perceptions regarding their training for and experience with special learners in their classrooms, and their collaboration and consultation with music therapists. Eighty-six music educators completed a 51 item questionnaire. Results showed that music teachers' attitudes and perceptions are generally positive toward inclusion. Mean scores for attitude and perception were not influenced by whether participants had or had not taken a course in special education as a student, whether they had access to continuing education regarding inclusion through their school district, or participants' predominant teaching area or degree …

Principals Who Supervise Teachers Of The Deaf: A Mixed Methods Study, Tanya Hilligoss

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

School principals are responsible for supervising educational staff. Since the majority of students who are deaf or hard of hearing are served in public schools, it is important for principals to understand how to supervise teachers of the deaf. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of school principals who supervise teachers of the deaf in public schools in the United States.

In this mixed methods study, data was collected separately and sequentially, using an explanatory sequential design. Information was gathered from state-level personnel using a web-based survey for quantitative data. Data collected included: a) number of …

Read180 Computer Software By Gender And Ethnicity On Reading Achievement For Identified Special Education Students, Sherrie Bayles

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to conduct an independent study to determine the effectiveness of the READ 180 reading intervention program when implemented with middle and junior high school students with disabilities. To address the first and third hypotheses, gender (male versus female) and change over time (fall, mid-year, and at the end of the school year) served as the independent variables for sixth/seventh and eighth/ninth grade students with disabilities, respectively. For the second and fourth hypotheses, ethnicity (White versus all non-White students) and change over time served as the independent variables for sixth/seventh and eighth/ninth grade students with …

Multi-Tiered System Of Supports In Florida: Exploring The Knowledge Of Parents Within The Mtss Process, Stephanie Troisi

HIM 1990-2015

In the American public school system, as of 2011, over 8% of students are placed in special education programs. To provide early intervention for struggling students before placement into special education services, three-tier model called Response to Intervention (RtI) was put into effect (FDOE, 2009). RtI (currently known as, Multi-Tiered System of Support-MTSS) is a multi-tiered system for struggling learners that provides increasingly intense levels of academic interventions and assessment (Bryd, 2011). Early intervention is a set of services for students who are at risk of, or who currently have, developmental delays or social emotional problems (Guralnick 2005). MTSS focuses …

Collaborative Teaching: A Delivery Model To Increase Responsiveness To The Needs Of All Learners Through Academic And Social Inclusion, Dayna Reilly

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Students with special needs often miss out on classroom curricula for specialized instruction. While these services are valued for educational benefits, this instruction method often has negative impacts on social-emotional development and targets students for their differing needs.

Integrated collaborative teaching models include collaborative teaching among general and special educators in an inclusive environment. In this descriptive study, the author examined integrated collaborative teaching as a delivery model to increase responsiveness to the needs of all learners through academic and social inclusion.

This study involved students with a wide range of disabilities from two different grade leveled collaborative classrooms, who …

Communication: The Key To Collaboration Between Special And General Education Teachers, Alexandra Slatoff

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Teachers often do not communicate with one another when working to meet the needs of their students. The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the need, nature and manner by which general and special education teachers communicate and collaborate to address the educational needs of their students.

A review of the educational literature reveals that a burden is placed on the educational community given the often conflicting statutory obligations to: fully include special needs students in the general classroom, comply with State mandated general education curriculum requirements and implement instructional guidelines required by Individual Educational Plans (IEP) …

A Suryey Of Music Therapists' Use Of Music To Facilitate Reading Development In Children, Cynthia Cross

Masters Theses

This study utilized Naturalistic Inquiry methods to investigate how music therapists use music elements to impact reading development in school-aged children. Eleven Board-Certified Music Therapists were interviewed providing information regarding music therapy interventions, reading skills targeted, theoretical influences, and professional influences. Transcripts of interviews were analyzedto determine themes, coÍtmon use of language related to the subject, common perceptions, and techniques and uses for music to impact reading development. In general subjects did not report specifically using music elements to target reading behavior. Rather, most subjects identified reading objectives determined by classroom teachers and developed music interventions to accommodate those objectives. …

Incarcerating Exceptional Pupils: Is There A School-To-Prison Pipeline In Eastern Oklahoma?, Brett Alan Fitzgerald

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The school-to-prison pipeline metaphor represents an educational environment that allows public schools to push many at-risk children out of school and into the juvenile justice system or even worse, the adult criminal justice system (Wald and Losen, 2003; Lynn, 2010; Tuzzolo and Hewitt, 2006). The purpose of this study is to examine whether a school-to-prison pipeline exists in eastern Oklahoma, and if so, to better understand the characteristics of the public schools that may be contributing to it. The school-to-prison pipeline metaphor guided three research questions regarding whether certain public schools in eastern Oklahoma referred greater percentages of their students, …

Impact Of Peer Praise Notes Issued During Recess: Effects On Office Disciplinary Referrals, Elise Ann Teerlink

Theses and Dissertations

School recess can be a problematic setting due to inadequate safety, supervision, and structure. Peer praise notes (PPNs) is a school-wide positive behavior support strategy that was implemented during recess to address these concerns at a Title I elementary school. An ABAB reversal design across all students was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of PPNs. Overall changes in office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) in each phase of the design, an effect size that reflects a highly effective treatment, and a moderately strong and statistically significant negative correlation suggest that PPNs decreased ODRs. Results from social validity surveys completed by eight recess …

The Facilitated Individualized Education Program Process: State Perspectives, Jennifer Wagner

All Dissertations

Conflict between parents and school personnel continues to be an area of concern for students with disabilities, despite efforts by lawmakers to provide more parental input into the process of identification and continuation of special education services. Recent data suggest that unresolved conflict at the local level can cost a school district thousands of dollars to resolve the conflict in court, without consideration to the emotional costs that can be involved with this type of conflict resolution. Through mandates from IDEA 2004, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) strategies, such as facilitated individualized education program (FIEP) meetings, have been utilized to reduce …