Education Commons^™

A Case Study Of Two Taiwanese Students With Hearing Loss Navigating The English As A Foreign Language Requirement At Their University, Yu Chen

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Many institutions of higher education (IHE) students in Taiwan now need to meet the English proficiency requirement to earn their higher education degrees. In this case study, I intended to a) provide the opportunity for IHE students with hearing loss in Taiwan to share their opinions, thoughts, and experiences of learning English as a foreign language in higher education institutes; and b) understand how English as a foreign language policies and educational practices contribute to create opportunities and barriers for IHE students with hearing loss. The research question I intended to examine was “what are the perceptions of the lived …

Investigating The Possible Effects Of State Takeover On Teacher Self-Efficacy In Low-Performing, Low-Ses School Districts In Arkansas, Pasty Ann Hughey

Theses and Dissertations from 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in teachers’ level of self-efficacy based on the state takeover status of a school district. The design of this study was “group comparison research” (Gall, Gall, & Borg, 2015). The dependent variable was teachers’ level of self-efficacy and the independent variable was state takeover status. Data gathered for this study were teacher demographics and the level of teacher self-efficacy measured by the TSES instrument (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001). Three school districts in Arkansas were selected and matched on demographic variables and school academic measures. One district had recently been …

What Makes That Autistic Student Tick? Strategies For Classroom Behaviors, Amanda Puleo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Inclusion of autistic students in mainstream classrooms may make it difficult for teachers to identify and proactively address disruptive behaviors. That is, mainstream teachers may not know how to respond to these specific behaviors and their standard classroom management techniques may not work with autistic students. It will take commitment and hard work to identify strategies to regulate the disruptive behaviors of students with autism. To address this issue, the perspectives of directors and teachers who specialize in autism, as well as mainstream public or private school teachers were obtained through interviews. Three options for action emerged from an analysis …

Parent Perceptions Of The Transition Programs Completed By Their Adult Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Judithanne Arcaro

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The lifelong effects of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) impact the living, employment, and social aspects for individuals with the diagnosis and their families. In this study, I sought to determine parent perspectives of school transition programs completed by their adult children with ASD. Guided by the theoretical framework from Bronfenbrenner, Freire, and Mezirow, my purpose was to identify transition practices with which parents were satisfied and dissatisfied, as well as to seek their input about improving transition programming. With the unemployment rate for individuals with ASD reported by the Department of Labor as 80%, improvement of outcomes would reduce the …

Seno Banjonki Lower Basic School Vision Care Pilot Project: A Monitoring And Evaluation Course Linked Capstone Thesis, Stephen M. Weiland

Capstone Collection

The focus of this capstone thesis is to provide insight into the development and implementation of the M&IE plan for the Seno Bajonki Lower Basic School (SB-LBS) Vision Care Pilot Project. The M&IE plan for the SB-LBS Vision Care Pilot Project can be identified as a mixed methods approach, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data, and a practical participatory evaluation.

Key foci for the M&IE plan for the pilot project taken from the literature review included the importance of involving primary stakeholders at the community level within the project development and implementation, interconnectivity between an objectives hierarchy and assumptions necessary …

Redshirting: A Critical, Historical Analysis Of The Changing Theories, Policies, And Practices Of Children's Transition Into Kindergarten, Lisa Babel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper examines the contemporary debate over redshirting within the context of a historical analysis of how schools in the United States have addressed children’s transition into kindergarten. It also considers how preparation for the transition to school is cause for concern that has varied greatly depending on the socio-economic conditions of children’s families. Redshirting is the term currently being used to define a child’s delayed entry into kindergarten, usually with the intention of creating an additional year for that child to develop socially and to strive academically. Central to understanding this phenomenon and how to address it is the …

Identity-Oriented Program, Isaac Jorgensen

Capstone Collection

This paper demonstrates why identity-oriented community college study abroad programs are more accessible for the diverse student populations that attend these institutions. It does this with a case study, a demographic analysis, and the theoretical support of The Experiential Learning Cycle (ELC) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). First it proves the lack of diversity within United States study abroad participants. Following this, the paper shows that community colleges house more underserved populations than four-year universities. Additionally, it illustrates the benefits of studying abroad and demographics specific to The Washington State Community College Consortium for Study Abroad (WCCCSA), …

Culture, Inner-City Education And Improving Economic Growth In Birmingham, Alabama, Leroy Abrahams

Capstone Collection

Perhaps the greatest reminder of the economic inequities in American society is the drastic deficiencies in educational outcomes, based on class and race. Birmingham, Alabama, vividly portrays this reality. Families with means send their children to private schools and/or concentrate in the suburbs, leaving largely poor, and oftentimes, predominantly minority in densely populated crime-ridden areas with suboptimal schooling. The schooling patterns are clearly reflected in the economic outcomes, though Black are a majority in the city they are vastly underrepresented in the middle to upper middle class, while grossly overrepresented among those in poverty. These inequities are often mirrored in …

Reimagining Ability, Reimagining America: Teaching Disability In United States History Classes, Maya L. Steinborn

Master's Projects and Capstones

In service to the FAIR Education Act (2012) and the awareness-raising mission of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2008), this project reviews historical and educational literature about disability in the United States and provides a curriculum guide for teaching Human Rights Education (HRE) and disability studies (DS) at the high school level in California. This project traces the historical development of deficit attitudes toward disability back to the colonial era, uncovering the dichotomy between the vast resources in DS and the ableist omission of disability from K-12 curricula. Survey data and interviews further show how teachers …

Increasing Access To Aba Intervention For Children With Developmental Disabilities In Taiwan, Noel Hsu

Master's Projects and Capstones

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) uses a behavioral approach to help clients and their behavioral challenges. This treatment has been proven to be a highly effective intervention for children with developmental disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorders. It is widely practiced in the United States and many other developed countries; however, this intervention is not widely available in Taiwan. This phenomenon requires our investigation because it raises questions about the available supports and interventions for children with special needs in Taiwan. This project is to explore factors that influence the development of ABA intervention in Taiwan. The goal of this project …

An Exploratory Study To Understand Elementary School Students’ Conceptions Of Food Chains, Shelby Snowden

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Research has shown that elementary school is a critical time to pique children’s interest in science. However, many enrichment activities known to pique this interest in young children are not available to students of low socioeconomic status, English Language Learners, racial minorities, and students with disabilities. This has encouraged many higher education institutions to develop STEM outreach programs. Because of the cognitive gap between STEM professionals and young children and the logistics of implementing student-centered activities in heterogeneous classrooms, programs usually consist of activities that impress students with “sophisticated” science but are beyond the cognitive levels of most students and …

School Transition From Elementary To Middle School: Perceptions From Economically Disadvantaged Students, Keith M. Mcgee Sr.

Theses and Dissertations from 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate school transition from elementary to middle school from the perceptions of economically disadvantaged students. Through the investigation, a determination was made on whether there is a difference in the level of connectedness among economically disadvantaged students between the low performing and higher performing schools. The study was a quantitative research design. The target population of the study was economically disadvantaged students in four middle schools in an urban school district located in the central region of the state. All of the four middle schools contained sixth through eighth-grade configurations and were designated …

Parent Perspectives On Transition Services And Expectations For Transition-Age Students With Disabilities In A Virtual School Setting, Heather Raithel

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

Students with disabilities often experience difficulties as they transition from school to adult life. This project examined the perspectives of parents of transition-age students with disabilities enrolled in a full-time virtual school setting. The first dependent variable was parent satisfaction with transition services for students in the virtual school including relevancy and quality of student and parent trainings and information on transition, inter-agency collaboration, community-based learning experiences, staff knowledge and communication, transition specific courses, and appropriateness of the IEP transition plan. The second dependent variable was parent expectations for students as they exit school in regards to independent living, post-secondary …

Reconstruction Of The Destroyed Sinjali Secondary School, Isabella Kaganowski

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

This practitioner paper chronicles my involvement of the grant writing proposal that was designed on behalf of a non-for-profit organization, the Association of Dalit Women’s Advancement of Nepal (ADWAN), in order to secure funding and donations for the reconstruction of the destroyed Sinjali Secondary School in Gorkha district, Taklung village, after a 2015 earthquake struck Nepal. The proposal was guided by and collaborated with Professor Jude Fernando of Clark University, as Professor Fernando was able to visit Taklung village and gather information about the needs in the educational sector damaged by the earthquake. Literature review and research was gathered to …

Expert Consensus On Barriers To College And University Online Education For Students With Blindness And Low Vision, Sachin D. Pavithran

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The availability of online college and university courses have continued to grow, offering opportunities for education to students that may find attending in a regular classroom difficult, if not impossible. The number of students with disabilities enrolling in online courses is also growing. However, because of the mode of delivery (via computer/internet), blind and low vision college and university students can find it difficult to participate fully in an online course if it is not designed with accessibility in mind. Education is directly related to blind and low vision individuals becoming fully employed and independent. Blind and low vision college …

Adopting Children With Down Syndrome: A Qualitative Study Of Family Experiences, Emily L. Richter

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to qualitatively investigate and compare the family beliefs, values, and perceptions of parenting of families who have adopted children with Down syndrome (DS) to parents who have biological children with DS. Participants in the study included 27 parents of biological children with DS and six parents of adopted children with DS. Participants were interviewed through a digital survey that was distributed through Qualtrics Online Survey Software. Quantitative analysis placed the participants into groups and qualitative analysis was used to identify beliefs, values, and perceptions. Results showed that while both adoptive and biological parents indicated …

A Path To Academic Success: Learning Disabilities, Finding A Way, John S. Cooper

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will highlight the difficulties students with learning disabilities have in the post-secondary environment. Special interest is given to how colleges and universities help these students become successful and graduate from college. Two universities are examined, the University of the Ozarks and the University of Arkansas. Each school has its own programs that provide accommodations to students with learning disabilities. The thesis will follow a student from each university, as they attend classes and Social activities.

Knowledge Of Assistive Technology And Services Available To Students With Disabilities, Mary J. Addison

Master's Level Papers/Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge of students and faculty regarding the assistive technology and services available to students with disabilities at a university in the southeastern United States. This study consists of 300 participants who were asked to respond to 8 questions which were designed to collect data aligned with the three research objectives. The findings may be used to determine if further education or communication is needed in order to better inform students, staff, and faculty of assistive technology and services available on campus.

Reich Scholar Program: A Scholarship And Leadership Training Program For International Students With Disabilities At Dartmouth College, Megan Murray

Capstone Collection

National level and international policy changes have emerged to promote educational opportunity for children with disabilities. A gap remains in US higher education in providing access and support for international students with disabilities. Areas of need for this student demographic include financial access, availability of assistive technology, specific socio-cultural advising to living in the US with a disability, comprehensive immigration advising and career support for entering the workforce with a disability. Staff support is generally siloed in colleges. International student services and disability or accessibility services often work in isolation. This capstone imagines the pilot year of a scholarship and …

Educating Students With Visual Impairments In The General Education Setting, Kerri Janae Johnson-Jones

Dissertations

This research study was aimed at describing the experiences of visually impaired students and their teachers about their experiences within the general education setting. The purpose of this study was to collect and report interview data, corroborated with observational data in order to provide rich, descriptive data based on the participants’ experiences. A case study approach was used to gather the data in a naturalistic setting. In this case study, all student participants were individuals with visual impairments along the spectrum of being legally blind.

Findings of this study revealed four emerging themes that produced evidence of the unique participant’s …

Aided Communication For Adults With Developmental Disabilities, Lindsay Bolding

Honors Projects

This honors project is a series of templates that will serve as a guide for residential facilities for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. What is the most effective way to facilitate communication in residential facilities for adults with developmental disabilities? While working at this type of facility during my time at Bowling Green State University, I have witnessed a need for implementation of new communication routes in the homes. While skill building such as communication is stressed in the homes, plans for staff to fulfill these skills can be lacking. The templates I have created can be used …

Students With Intellectual Disabilities Accessing Postsecondary Education Settings: Promoting Education Equity: Seeing Students For Their Ability First And Supporting Their Development As Contributing Members Into A Diverse Society, Kathleen N. Mercier

Dissertations

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine and describe the lived experiences of seven students with intellectual disabilities (ID) participating in two postsecondary education (PSE) settings in Southern California that were aligned to the Think College Standards-Based Conceptual Framework for Inclusive Higher Education.

Through a qualitative approach of ethnography, the researcher examined various stakeholders’ awareness and ability to support students with ID in higher education settings in an effort to support future development of PSE programs for students with ID. Methodology tools included classroom observations, individual interviews, and examination of artifacts from the sample of PSE settings in …

Educating Incarcerated Youth In Illinois: A Blended Learning Model, John Sonnenberg

Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to better understand the reasons behind the apparent continued success of a blended learning educational model in place since 2012 in the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ). Using a mixed methods approach, data were gathered and analyzed from a variety of records, reports, and other documentation that included: diplomas awarded, courses taken, course completion, enrollment trends, student mobility rates, GED testing information, and special education student enrollment and performance. Data were also gathered through classroom observations and individual and group interviews with the IDJJ district superintendent, principals, and teachers at six different …

Developing Conceptual Understanding And Procedural Fluency In Algebra For High School Students With Intellectual Disability, Andrew J. Wojcik

Theses and Dissertations

Teaching students with Intellectual Disability (ID) is a relatively new endeavor. Beginning in 2001 with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, the general education curriculum integrated algebra across the K-12 curriculum (Kendall, 2011; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010), and expansion of the curriculum included five intertwined skills (productive disposition, procedural fluency, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning, and conceptual understanding) (Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell, 2001). Researchers are just beginning to explore the potential of students with ID with algebra (Browder, Spooner, Ahlgrim-Delzell, Harris & Wakeman, 2008; Creech-Galloway, Collins, Knight, …