Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Best Instructional Practices In Developmental Education: Faculty Perspectives, Calisa A. Pierce

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This descriptive study employed a survey to examine the perspectives of developmental education faculty members at public community colleges regarding instructional practices that have been identified in the literature as effective for developmental education. The study focused on two major areas related to the instructional practices surveyed: the degree to which faculty members perceive the practices to be effective and the degree to which they report they employ the practices. The entire population of West Virginia full-time faculty members teaching developmental education regularly in public community and technical colleges was surveyed with an 89.6% response rate. In addition, demographic information …

Evaluating The Learning Objectives Of A Construction-Focused Study Abroad Course In Ireland, James Jenkins, Robert Cox, Sonya Meekel, James O'Connor, Jaime Goggins

Conference papers

Recent trends show that the number of U.S. college students participating in study-abroad courses offered by their university is increasing. Apart from the exposure to different cultures, many study-abroad courses do not provide a focused subject area related to a discipline of study chosen by the individual student. This paper describes an overall view of an international construction management study‑abroad course conducted in Ireland by both American and Irish faculty members. Results of student surveys, which were used to assess the course learning objectives and provide suggestions for improvement, are also presented. These suggestions can be used by faculty members …

Augmented Input: The Effect Of Visuographic Supports On The Auditory Comprehension Of People With Chronic Aphasia, Sarah E. Wallace, Aimee R. Dietz, Karen Hux, Kristy S.E. Weissling

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Background: Augmented input (AI), or the use of visuographic images and linguistic supports, is a strategy for facilitating the auditory comprehension of people with chronic aphasia. To date, researchers have not systematically evaluated the effects of various types of AI strategies on auditory comprehension.

Aims: The purpose of the study was to perform an initial evaluation of the changes in auditory comprehension accuracy experienced by people with aphasia when they received one type of AI. Specifically, the authors examined the effect four types of non-personalized visuographic image conditions on the comprehension of people with aphasia when listening to narratives.

Methods …

A Study Of West Virginia Elementary Special Education Teachers' Roles, Responsibilities, And Practices Within A Multitiered Instructional Support System: Implications For Policy And Practice, Linda M. Palenchar

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of the study was to provide a data-based description of West Virginia special education teachers’ roles, responsibilities, and practices relevant to their participation in selected components of the Response to Intervention (RTI) process. Special educators’ practices related to assessment, tiered instruction, decision making, and collaboration comprise the main components of study and were based on a conceptual framework developed by Hoover and Patton (2008). A researcher-developed survey, the Special Educator Response to Intervention Inventory (SERTII), was used to explore the extent and characteristics of special educators’ participation in RTI. The study population included all elementary special education teachers …

The Influence Of Adhd And Bipolar Disorder Symptoms And Labels On Private High School Teachers’ Accommodations And Attitudes, Sara Kerney

Psychology Honors Papers

The present study examined the effects of symptoms and diagnostic labeling on teachers’ accommodations for and opinions of a student presented in a vignette containing a behavioral description of ADHD or Bipolar Disorder in an adolescent girl. Participants were 85 teachers from five New England private high schools who read a vignette and then answered subsequent questions in an online survey to measure opinions of that student and hypothetical accommodations. Additionally, questions measured participants’ familiarity with mental illness, opinions on mental illness, and beliefs in the causes of the disorders so that the relationship of these variables to accommodations and …

Quality Of Life Of Families With Children Who Have Severe Developmental Disabilities: A Comparison Based On Child Residence, Joni Taylor Mcfelea, Sharon Raver

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

This study measured the quality of life of two groups of families with children who had severe developmental disabilities-families whose child lived at home and families whose child lived in a residential facility. Participants were 54 primary caregivers of children who had severe intellectual disabilities and who lacked the ability to both ambulate without assistance and communicate conversationally. Participants completed the "Family Quality of Life Scale" (Hoffman, Marquis, Poston, Summers, & Turnbull, 2006). Analyses revealed that both groups rated their family quality of life (FQOL) as exemplary. FQOL was higher in the family home group than in the residential facility …

Bully Versus Bullied: A Qualitative Study Of Students With Disabilities In Inclusive Settings, Ida M. Malian Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

This qualitative study observed bullying patterns and trends of students with and without disabilities in inclusive settings. The participants were fourth grade students eligible for receiving special education services in inclusive , resource and self-contained settings. Qualitative data were collected while students were in class and during specials and non-academic times. The data suggests that students with disabilities are bullied and are themselves bullies at times. There appeared to be a relationship between personal characteristics and the incidence of bullying. Further, adult intervention was reported to be lax during incidences f bullying. Educational implications for schools, teachers and teacher educators …

Do Declining Neighborhood Economic Conditions Trump Hoped For School Renovation Renewal Benefit?, John W. Hill

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) individual student achievement, (b) teacher mobility rates, (c) perceptions of safety at school, and (d) student enrollment patterns, over time, in two recently renovated, same city, urban, No Child Left Behind compliant, Title I elementary school buildings located in close proximity neighborhoods one with improving the other with declining economic conditions. Achievement results indicated that fifth-grade students (n = 18) who attended a renovated school second-grade through fifth-grade in a neighborhood with improving economic conditions compared to fifth-grade students (n = 15) who attended a renovated school second-grade through fifth-grade in …

Video Self-Modeling And Improving Oral Reading Fluency, Wanda G. Chandler

Special Education Faculty Publications

Self-modeling can take different forms but is described as a process where one observes one’s own successful behavior and learns from it without dependence on any particular medium. In this study, two separate experiments were conducted to evaluate a video self-modeling (VSM) feedforward intervention. VSM feedforward (independent variable, IV), was applied as an intervention to improve oral-reading fluency (dependent variable, DV). An adapted multiple-probe baseline, single-subject research design with a pre-test and post-test standardized reading assessment was employed for both experiments.

Participants included eight students with disabilities and a history of emotional and behavior problems in middle-school, special education, self-contained …

The Link Between Learning Disabilities And Moral Reasoning In The Context Of Criminal Behaviors, Tsafi Timor Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Previous studies demonstrate clear links between learning disabilities (LD) and criminal/delinquent behaviors, and between moral reasoning (MR) and criminal behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to examine the link between LD and MR. The study was conducted among 2 groups: learning-disabled delinquents (LDD), and non-delinquent learning disabled (NDLD). The research design included four phases and the research tools included observations, psycho-educational diagnoses, individual oral interviews based on Kohlberg’s Moral Judgment Interview (Colby et al. 1987) which aimed at determining the level of MR of the participants, and content analysis. Findings of the first research question demonstrated that the …

A Comparison Of Traditional Versus Electronic Word Wall Instruction On Word Identification In Kindergarteners With Developmental Disabilities, Jenny Wells Ph.D., Drue E. Narkon Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The purpose of this preliminary investigation was to examine the effectiveness of using a word wall strategy on the word identification skills of kindergarteners with developmental disabilities (DD). An alternating treatment design was used to examine the use of the word wall strategy and whether there were differences in children’s word identification and on the teacher’s sense of efficacy when using small-group traditional word wall instruction (Cunningham, 2000) versus an individualized electronic word wall (Narkon, Wells, & Segal, 2011) instructional format. Results indicated that both strategies were effective. However, children with motivational and attentional issues may differentially benefit from the …

A Review Of Inclusive Education In New Zealand, Denise Powell Ed.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Inclusive education is a worldwide response to the belief that all children have the right to be educated at their local early childhood centre or school. New Zealand’s education system has undergone a series of transformations over the past 20 years, which has included modifications to how schools and their students are funded and managed, and the responsibilities various government departments have for ensuring all children receive the best possible education in a variety of environments. This article outlines those changes, suggests a way forward that will help ensure inclusive education practices in New Zealand match the current policies and …

Beginning Teachers' Knowledge Of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder And Classroom Interventions, Summer Beth Lamontagne

Theses and Graduate Projects

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is so prevalent among children that it is likely that most teachers will have at least one student with ADHD in every class they teach. Because of this, it is important for teachers to have knowledge of the disorder and the interventions they can use in their classrooms to help students succeed. The basic knowledge of ADHD and classroom interventions of three beginning teachers was assessed through a rating scale, checklist, and one-on-one interviews. The results show that improvement is needed in the following areas: teachers' knowledge of ADHD, teachers' knowledge and use of interventions, …

Factors That Affect Math Learning In The Classroom, Lauren Katherine Hoyt

Theses and Graduate Projects

This action research case study examines how five academically at risk students manage math anxiety and other problems in the classroom. These five participants are from a suburban high school in Minnesota. These students were recruited from remedial math classes. Three students had the educational label of Specific Learning Disability (SLD), and two students were academically at risk and were English Language Learners (ELL). This action study is based on qualitative data collection (field notes, participant observer comments, student journals, student interviews and, participant observations) and data analysis to understand these issues from a student perspective. Four themes emerged from …

Aberrant Neuromagnetic Activation In The Motor Cortex In Children With Acute Migraine: A Magnetoencephalography Study, Xinyao Guo, Jing Xiang, Yingying Wang, Hope O'Brien, Marielle Kabbouche, Paul Horn, Scott W. Powers, Andrew D. Hershey

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Migraine attacks have been shown to interfere with normal function in the brain such as motor or sensory function. However, to date, there has been no clinical neurophysiology study focusing on the motor function in children with migraine during headache attacks. To investigate the motor function in children with migraine, twenty-six children with acute migraine, meeting International Classification of Headache Disorders criteria and age- and gender-matched healthy children were studied using a 275-channel magnetoencephalography system. A finger-tapping paradigm was designed to elicit neuromagnetic activation in the motor cortex. Children with migraine showed significantly prolonged latency of movement-evoked magnetic fields (MEF) …

Have Institutional Review Board Regulations Affected Research Approval Patterns?, John W. Hill

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Welcome, Patricia R. Renick Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Welcome to the Spring /Summer 2012 edition of The Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education. As you can see we have a new format and a new location in the electronic course reserves in the Dunbar Library here at Wright State University.

This edition of the journal continues the international discussion with articles from:

Dr. S. R. S. Litheko from South Africa describing the difference in performance of teachers between schools in urban and rural areas of South Africa.

Dr. Jenny Wells and Dr. Drue Narkon from Hawaii compare word identification using a traditional or electronic word wall instruction for kindergarteners …

The Difference In Performance Between Schools Situated In The Urban Areas And Those In The Rural Areas Of Lesotho, S. R. S. Litheko Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Since 1998, the rural schools in Lesotho have been performing relatively poorly in the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate (COSC) Examinations in comparison with the high schools studied in the urban areas (Senekal, 2005: 1). It is the researcher’s opinion that many schools in the rural areas experience difficulties when attempting to attract learners because parents have generally lost confidence in those schools. Even in countries like Uganda, data from the Ministry of Education suggest that, in terms of academic performance, urban learners continually outperform rural schools at primary and secondary levels (Ministry of Education, 2002). This paper specifically sought to …

Adapted Stories: Creating Accessible Stories For Children With Complex Language Problems, Janet L. Dodd

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Many children with autism spectrum and other language impairing disorders present with complicated language problems (CLP; Franke & Durbin, 2011). These children exhibit delays across multiple domains of language and often benefit from narrative- and story-based interventions. However, many children’s stories—the vehicle often employed for these types of interventions—are often too complex for them. The purpose of this article is to introduce a strategy for making stories accessible, linguistically and cognitively, for children with CLP.

International Volunteers’ Serving As Teachers In Rural Indigenous Schools In Ecuador: Challenges And Opportunities For Culturally Relevant Teaching, Julia A. Rao, Sarfaroz Niyozov

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This ethnographic study is situated in the complexities and dilemmas of international aid education (IAE), the volunteer sector and cross-cultural learning and teaching. It examines the challenges and opportunities faced by three international volunteers (IVs) teaching in Indigenous communities in rural Ecuador. Through onsite observations and interviews, along with discussions with principal participants (IVs), and secondary participants (three local teachers and the volunteer program director), we present a narrative of the IVs experiences, pedagogical approaches and the factors which affect culturally relevant teaching (CRT) practices. This illustration serves as a platform for a cross-comparative analysis of key themes and issues …