Education Commons^™

Stability Of Learning Disabilities, Cognitive Growth, And L1 In English Learners: A Latent Class And Transition Analysis, H. Lee Swanson, Jennifer E. Kong, Stefania D. Petcu

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This study investigated the stability of latent classes of students with learning disabilities among a heterogeneous sample of elementary-aged children whose first language is Spanish. To this end, children (N = 284) in Grades 1, 2, and 3 at Wave 1 (Year 1) were administered a battery of vocabulary, reading, math, and cognitive measures (short-term memory, working memory, rapid naming, inhibition) in both Spanish (L1) and English (L2). These same measures were administered 1 and 2 years later (Wave 2 and 3). Two stable latent classes of children at risk for learning disabilities (children with comorbid difficulties and children …

Participation Of Children With Disabilities In School: A Realist Systematic Review Of Psychosocial And Environmental Factors, Donald Maciver, Marion Rutherford, Stella Arakelyan, Jessica M. Kramer, Janet Richmond, Liliya Todorova, Dulce Romero-Ayuso, Hiromi Nakamura-Thomas, Marjon Ten Velden, Ian Finlayson, Anne O’Hare, Kirsty Forsyth

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background In order to make informed decisions about how best to support children and young people with disabilities, effective strategies that facilitate active and meaningful participation in school are required. Clinical factors, diagnosis or impairments somewhat helpful in determining what should be provided in interventions. However, clinical factors alone will not offer a clear view of how to support participation. It is helpful then to look at wider psychosocial and environmental factors. The aim of this review was to synthesise evidence of psychosocial and environmental factors associated with school participation of 4–12 year old children with disabilities to inform the …

To Cheat Or Not To Cheat: Impact Of Learning Disability Status On Reasons For Cheating, Mckenzie Elizabeth Perdew

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Academic cheating frequency, motivating factors for cheating, and student reasons for cheating have been studied extensively for decades, but nearly all of the research has been conducted with typically-developing students. To date, only one published study has examined cheating among students with learning disabilites, despite over 2 million students in American schools having been diagnosed with a learning disability.

Students who engage in academic cheating, as well as students who have learning disabilities, are more likely to have low levels of self-efficacy, hold more performance goal orientations, and have higher levels of impulsivity. Therefore, in the present study, individuals with …

Increasing Engagement Of Students With Learning Disabilities In Mathematical Problem-Solving And Discussion, Rachel Lambert, Trisha Sugita

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Engagement in problem-solving and mathematical discussion is critical for learning mathematics. This research review describes a gap in the literature surrounding engagement of students with Learning Disabilities in standards-based mathematical classrooms. Taking a sociocultural view of engagement as participation in mathematical practices, this review found that students with LD were supported towards equal engagement in standards-based mathematics through multi-modal curriculum, consistent routines for problem-solving, and teachers trained in Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching. Using this small set of studies (7), we identify the need to deepen the engagement of students with LD in mathematical problem-solving and discussion. This review concludes with …

Technology And Disability Identity: "Now You See Me, Now You Don't", Janice Fennell

Publications and Scholarship

This qualitative study examines how students’ identities are constructed when technology and disability intersect. Understanding how technology constructs the identities of students with invisible special needs such as learning disabilities is critical to determining why students are resistant to, or accepting of, assistive technology pedagogy.

The primary source of data for the study was in-depth, phenomenologically based interviewing using structured, open-ended dialogue. Three Ontario secondary schools provided the setting for the study. Participants included five students with learning disabilities who are users of assistive technology, two parents, two teachers, and two assistive technology coaches. A grounded theory methodology was used …

The Role Of Executive Functions In Classroom Instruction Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Silvana M. R. Watson, Robert A. Gable, Lisa L. Morin

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

In this article, we describe executive functions and their role in determining student academic success. We focus on the executive function difficulties of students with learning disabilities and explain how executive dysfunctions can negatively affect different academic areas (e.g., reading comprehension, mathematics). Finally, we offer ways teachers can modify their instruction to better address the diverse needs of students with learning disabilities who are struggling to perform various academic tasks.

Culturally Responsive Contexts: Establishing Relationships For Inclusion, Mere Berryman, Therese Ford, Ann Nevin, Suzanne Soohoo

Education Faculty Articles and Research

As our education systems become more culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse, rather than benefiting and learning from each other, we still expect all students to be represented within the same curriculum, pedagogy and testing regimen or we form separate enclaves resulting in marginalizaton. When diverse students have physical and/or learning disabilities, marginalization is further exacerbated and problematized. In this paper, the authors theorise within an alternative framework that we have termed relational and culturally responsive inclusion. Based on key understandings from our own research, much of it derived from Kaupapa Māori and Freirean philosophies, we encourage a framework where establishing …

Fearless Friday: Emma Murphy, Christina L. Bassler

SURGE

Emma Murphy is truly fearless for her persistence and strength in working to change attitudes and stereotypes towards people with learning disabilities both on campus and in the wider community. This semester, Emma started a new club on campus called Great ADDitudes, which aims to raise awareness about ADD/ADHD and provide support for students who feel alone due to their own learning challenges. At 11, she was diagnosed and has wanted to start a club for students with learning disabilities ever since. [excerpt]

Social Class And Learning Disabilities: Intersectional Effects On College Students In New York City, Ashleigh B. Thompson

Publications and Research

Purpose - Previous quantitative research documents that college students with disabilities do not attain higher education at rates equal to their nondisabled peers. This qualitative study posits that socioeconomic status (SES) is a determinant of this discrepancy, and explores how SES and disability shape the college experience of New York City (NYC) students with learning disabilities (LDs), specifically.

Methodology - Research findings from semi-structured interviews with students with LDs (n = 10) at a low-SES and a high-SES colleges are presented against the backdrop of administrative data from NYC baccalaureate-granting colleges (n = 44), disability staff surveys (n = 21), …

Identifying And Treating Learning Disabilities In The Regular Classroom, Timothy L. Heaton

Education Faculty Presentations

This seminar will be helpful for any parent or teacher in diagnosing learning problems with their children and will also discuss ways of helping these children learn more effectively.

Championing Project Search: The Role Of The Library, Pamela Bluh

Faculty Scholarship

This brief article describes how the Thurgood Marshall Law Library at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law became an internship site for PROJECT Search.

An Imperative For Change: Bridging Special And Language Learning Education To Ensure A Free And Appropriate Education In The Least Restrictive Environment For Ells With Disabilities In Massachusetts, Maria De Lourdes B. Serpa

Gastón Institute Publications

English Language Learners (ELLs) are the fastest-growing group of school-age students in public schools across the nation, and in Massachusetts. In this state, even as the total student enrollment declines slightly, the number of ELLs grows steeply. They number 68,820 in the 2010-2011 school year, an increase of 9,662 from the year before.

The number of ELLs identified as also having a disability doubled in Massachusetts (a striking increase of 115.4%) from 2001-2002 to 2010-2011. The proportion of ELLs placed in Special Education has increased by 5 percentage points, from 9.8% to 14.8%. This time period coincides almost exactly with …

Investigating Staff Perceptions Of E-Learning Development And Support For Students With Disabilities In Higher Education, Roisin Donnelly

Articles

This paper reports on a study concerned with exploring staff perceptions on improving the design and delivery of e-learning provision for students and staff with disabilities in a higher education institution in the Republic of Ireland. The study aims to clarify understanding on how aspects of e-learning affect some of the key stakeholders in an institution of higher education – a disability liaison team, a learning technology team and an academic development centre. Essentially this paper is an example of research for learners with disabilities by people without disabilities. The language used in this paper is consistent with the social …

Best In Class: Self-Determined College Students With Learning Disabilities, Tina M. Anctil Peterman, Michele E. Ishikawa, Amy L. Tao, Susan Schaeffer

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentations asks the following questions:

• What are the factors that supported the development of self-determination during secondary education?
• What are the factors that supported the transition from high school to college?