A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Elementary Teachers In Inclusion Classrooms, Julie Elise Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of elementary teachers in inclusion classrooms. The theory which guided this study was Bandura’s (2006) social cognitive theory as it related to the lived experiences of teacher preparedness for teaching in inclusion classrooms. Successful inclusion-setting outcomes were attributed to a teacher’s perception and attitude toward disabilities and their ability to teach them. This study was designed to answer the following central research question: What are the lived experiences of teachers regarding their preparation for teaching in elementary-level inclusion classrooms? Three sub-questions were used to understand the lived …

An Evaluation Of Rural Access To Education, Caroline Ackerman, Kera B. Ackerman

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

In Kentucky, educators serve over 100,000 students who qualify for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Given Kentucky's topography, and the designation of 86 of the Commonwealth's 120 counties as rural, it's essential to understand how the socioeconomic and geographic qualities of the state impact the students being served. Previous research has indicated that nearly a quarter of children in Kentucky live in poverty, with the highest rates existing in rural Eastern Kentucky counties. This statistic, compacted with the knowledge that high-need children in poverty are more likely than their peers to have a disability …

Lessons Learned: Considerations For Enhancing Principal Preparation Programs With Inclusive Special Education Practices, Ellen G. Casale, Stacy Leggett

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Western Kentucky University has a long-standing history in preparing principals. Recognizing the ever-growing importance of explicit training in supporting students with disabilities, we applied for and received a minigrant from the Kentucky Excellence in Educator Preparation to enhance our curriculum to address this need. In this article, we provide an overview of the context for this need and provide considerations for principal preparation programs considering enhancing their own curricula. Implications are provided.

Implementation Of Rti As A Part Of Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support: What Teachers, Administrators, And Teacher Educators Need To Know, Susan Polirstok, Joseph A. Hogan

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is an outgrowth of Response to Intervention (RtI). The various systems of support for students and school communities provided through these programs are integral to modern education and embedded in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004. While there are many benefits to the implementation of MTSS and RtI, there are various obstacles that can hinder successful intervention programs. The absence of consensus across districts and states with respect to program development and implementation creates confusion. This article addresses considerations and concerns related to MTSS and RtI. Discussed are underlying principles, challenges …

The Inclusion Of Classroom-Related Dispositions In Teacher Evaluations, David K. Griffin

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

This paper examines various approaches to evaluating the classroom teacher and discusses the inclusion of dispositions in the evaluation process. A random sample of 150 teachers were asked to complete an online survey focusing on the inclusion of dispositions in their formal evaluations. They were asked to report what specific dispositions were evaluated, and if the specific dispositions were operationally defined. A summary of their responses to the survey items is discussed.

Cultivating Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Approaches To Social And Emotional Learning For Students With Or At-Risk For Emotional And Behavioral Dis/Abilities, Sharde Theodore, Lindsay Romano, Fanica Young, Danica Moise, Tahnee Wilder

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

School policies are largely driven by perceptions and expectations for how students should behave academically and socially, yet these practices often lack the cultural relevance and sustainability required to support racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse (RELD) students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral dis/orders (EBD). Similarly, many evidence-based practices for behavior do not consider internalizing behaviors (e.g., anxiety, toxic stress), exemplifying a critical need for equitable practices aimed at supporting the prosocial and emotional needs of RELD students with or at risk for EBD. Given the multifaceted social, emotional, and behavioral needs of RELD students with or at …

Basic Needs Fulfillment And Course Completion Rates For Online University Students With Disabilities: A Quantitative, Non-Experimental, Causal-Comparative Study, Ashleigh M. King

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental causal-comparative study is to determine if there is a difference in the percentage of courses completed between online university students with disabilities who are experiencing food and/or housing insecurity and those who are not. Students with disabilities at universities are less likely to complete courses than peers without disabilities, and while this discrepancy is often blamed on disability, other factors that impact student performance must be examined to determine if intersecting factors that disproportionately impact people with disabilities, specifically food and housing insecurity, may be contributing to decreased percentages of course completion. The theory …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Educators And Service Providers In The Identification Process Of Minority Students For Special Education In East Tennessee Elementary Schools, Paula R. Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of educators and service providers in identifying minority students in special education in Tennessee elementary schools. The theory guiding this study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. This theory emphasizes cultural tools and their functions in understanding a different culture. It also provides a framework for researchers to investigate how education links individuals to their culture. The study’s sample consisted of ten participants, including general education teachers of core content areas, school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and ELL teachers from three elementary schools in Tennessee. I used the triangulated research strategy …

Work-Based Learning Experiences And Students With Intellectual Disabilities: A Qualitative Case Study, Jessy Logan Richard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this embedded single-case study was to understand how participation in work-based learning experiences (WBLE) prepares students with intellectual disabilities (ID) for successful post-school competitive employment. The theory guiding this study was Kolb’s experiential learning theory, as it systematically explains the four stages of learning that learners go through during WBLE. This embedded single-case study investigated the experience of 12 work site supervisors supervising students with an ID while participating in WBLE at a restaurant and a hotel and one student who participated in the WBLE. Data were collected using individual interviews, document analysis, and focus groups. The …

Language Learning Disabilities: Adolescents Receiving Psychological Therapy In Addition To Speech Language Therapy, Katelyn Grace Mcnair, Catherine L. Cotton Phd.

Undergraduate Research Conference

Specific learning disabilities are among the most common disability categories, in which students receive special education and/or related services in schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (2023). Research has shown an increase of understanding in the areas of reading, writing, and spelling in individuals with learning disabilities. More recently, Ghiasi, Sedrpoushan, Abedi, Soltani (2022), noted students with learning disabilities have a lower level of achievement, motivation, self-esteem, and a high level of depression. Advances in language literacy remediation, may not be enough to overcome factors such as decreased self-esteem and fear of failure (Wolter, DiLollo, Apel, 2006). …

Adaptive Sports And Fitness Night, Kendra Clary, Drew Gannon

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

In Health and Human Performance, an overarching objective is to address the obstacles that restrict physical activity in daily lifestyles. At Fort Hays, we are dedicated to expanding community inclusion and reaching diverse populations, promoting our commitment to diversity and inclusion excellence.

Mission Statement:

Empowering Community Through Inclusive Movement

Vision Statement:

Our adaptive sports and fitness night cultivates community engagement, builds relationships, fosters motor and skill development, and promotes health and well-being for individuals of all abilities.

A recent systematic review found that only 9% of adults with ID meet the minimum requirement of 150 min of moderate to vigorous …

Occupational Therapy's Role In Supporting Individuals With Down Syndrome Through An Employment Program, Jenny Rossopoulos, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This poster presents the implementation of an existing employment program, EmployAble to a new group of individuals with Down syndrome. The presentation outlines the methods, program design, and curriculum. Additionally, this capstone project aims to explore the support mechanisms for individuals with disabilities in the workplace and the education of employers regarding inclusive employment practices.

Comparison Of Constant Prompt Delay And Least-To-Most Prompting To Teach Receptive, Sarah Gindelberger

Theses

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is used in schools to teach students with autism spectrum disorder. Policies guide the selection and implementation of research-based practices to ensure positive student outcomes. Discrete trial teaching is often used as an instructional teaching method. To maximize learning, different prompting interventions can be used during discrete trial teaching. Constant prompt delay and least-to-most prompting are effective research-based interventions that can be implemented as instructional teaching procedures for students with autism spectrum disorder. Constant prompt delay was compared to least-to-most prompting to determine whether constant prompt delay would lead to more effective and efficient mastery acquisition …

Narrative Language Assessment And Intervention: Applications With Children With And Without Disabilities, Norah M. Almubark

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Narrative is the art of conveying a sequence of causally and temporally linked events through monologic telling. Various functions can be served through narratives including sharing experiences, expressing ideas, providing entertainment, and imparting cultural or social values. Narrative language represents an authentic type of language that is useful for assessment and intervention because it can be analyzed according to content and form. The ability to use complex narrative language and produce quality narratives is associated with long-term academic and social benefits (Uccelli et al., 2019; Suggate et al, 2018). Given this crucial link, narrative language is suitable for child language …

Building A Culture Of Creativity And Thinking In The Special Education Classroom, Megan Pitrat, Kimberley D'Adamo

Kimberley D'Adamo: Art, Curriculum, Publications, and Other Scholarly Works

Building a Culture of Creativity and Thinking in the Special Education Classroom

National Art Education Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2024

Art TEAMs Contributors

About Megan Pitrat

About Kimberley D'Adamo

Grounded in theory and evidence

Evolution of Kimberley's practice

Searching for better

Art TEAMs: Teaching with arts and emerging media, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Re-imagining my teaching practice

Metacognitive visual metaphor project

Exhibition of learning

Generalizing across the curricula

Generalizing creativity for life

A Collaborative Framework For The Inclusion Of Students With Extensive Support Needs: A Case Study, Deborah Amend

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Research indicates that the academic growth and social development of students with extensive support needs are generally best facilitated in general education classrooms. Students with extensive support needs are those whose needs impact learning to the degree that they require specially designed instruction based on or using extended learning standards and often alternate state assessments. The most recent data indicate that students served within many of the categories of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have seen significant growth in their rates of inclusion. However, this increase in inclusion has not happened for students with extensive support needs. Emerging theories about …

Dialogue Journals In Assessment Of Student Writing, Brigid Elise Ovitt

Special Education ETDs

Because writing is complex and draws upon so many psychological and cognitive processes, learning to write is even more challenging for students with disabilities than it is for typically developing students. Nonetheless, writing research in the field of education and special education lags behind that of many other academic subjects. The body of research that does exist, indicates that affective factors (attitude toward writing, evaluation of self as writer, enjoyment of writing) impacts students’ writing achievement. This paper proposes a multiple baseline across settings study to determine whether including a response journal element as part of classroom writing assessment writing …

Classroom Reintegration For Children And Adolescents With Traumatic Brain Injuries, Alli Perkins, Mary Greer, Keith Mcwilliams

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of the poster presentation is to increase the present knowledge regarding the process of school-based reintegration for children and adolescents who have experienced a traumatic brain injury. As children and young adults spend an average of 32 hours per week in the school environment, parents, educators, and rehabilitation professionals are ideally positioned to collaborate with one another to facilitate the reintegration process and enable students to return to their primary occupations of educational participation, social participation, play, and leisure. The presentation includes information from the development and implementation of a program for parents, families, and educators of those …

Unlocking Potential: Analyzing The Impact Of Special Education Services On The Assessment Outcomes Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Kaitlyn Billops

Dissertations

Since the enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004, there has been a notable increase in the enrollment of students receiving special education services (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2022). However, despite advancements in special education programming and service delivery, academic performance for students with disabilities still falls behind their general education peers, particularly on state summative assessments (Aron & Loprest, 2012). Disparities in academic achievement on these assessments can be attributed to various factors, including assessment practices, students' comfort levels during testing, and the severity of their disabilities. Assessing the efficacy of special education …

Go Beyond Compliance: Use Individualized Education Programs To Answer Strategic Questions And Improve Programs, Adrienne D. Woods, Marie C. Ireland, Kimberly Murphy, Hope Spark Lancaster

Speech-Language Pathology Faculty Publications

Purpose: The most significant document to ensure effective and compliant design, implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of a program of special education services in the United States is the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Although IEPs have been used to document procedural compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for individual students, IEPs also provide extensive data that can and should be used by a variety of stakeholders including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), school administrators, and state education agencies to design targeted professional development and collectively improve programs, processes, and outcomes in special education.

Method: We summarize existing literature on the …