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Full-Text Articles in Education

Voices From The Inside: Enhancing Co-Teaching Experiences Through Student Perspectives At 'Small University', Hope Brightman May 2024

Voices From The Inside: Enhancing Co-Teaching Experiences Through Student Perspectives At 'Small University', Hope Brightman

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this capstone project, the researchers investigated how students in the credential program at ‘Small University’ on the coast of California viewed their co- teaching credential experience and what they think could be done to improve it. An evidence based argument is offered that co-teaching be improved to be more equitable for students. Considerations of the issue should include the perspectives of credential program students. Expected benefits included an opportunity for participants to reflect on the co-teaching credential program at “Small University” and provide concrete suggestions for improvement that may be translated into action. Three themes emerged from an analysis …


Self-Care Techniques To Decrease Special Education Teacher Burnout, Carrie Frost May 2024

Self-Care Techniques To Decrease Special Education Teacher Burnout, Carrie Frost

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focal topic of my capstone project is special education teacher burnout and how self-care techniques can reduce the likelihood of chronic stress and burnout. The challenges of being a special education teacher include but are not limited to, various disabilities and behaviors, lack of classroom and administration support, and overall management. Research conducted by Emery and Vandenberg (2010) stated that special education teachers often experience burnout, which commonly leads to employee attrition. Burnout and the personal stress that comes with it are the biggest contributors to the shortage of qualified special educators throughout the United States. Their challenges involve …


The Vital Role Of School Bus Drivers In Supporting Students With Special Needs, Georgina Solano Zepeda May 2024

The Vital Role Of School Bus Drivers In Supporting Students With Special Needs, Georgina Solano Zepeda

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project addressed the challenges faced by new and experienced bilingual school bus drivers who transport special education students. According to the California Department of Education, transportation must be provided at no cost to those special education students ages 3-21 who are eligible as part of related services. The training for school bus drivers typically covers safe driving, vehicle operation, and basic student management. However, they often receive minimal or no specialized training to work with students with special needs. California had an estimated 38,000 school bus drivers in 2020, making it one of the states with the highest …


Teaching Life Skills Communication To Students In Special Education, Sara Sang Dec 2022

Teaching Life Skills Communication To Students In Special Education, Sara Sang

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Effective communication for High School Students with disabilities are important for when they are in their teen years and post graduation. Communication helps these students gain better relationships and conversations for their future.


Teaching Students With Maladaptive Behaviors In Special Education, Giselle Valdez Tejeda Dec 2022

Teaching Students With Maladaptive Behaviors In Special Education, Giselle Valdez Tejeda

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Thousands of students engage in maladaptive behaviors in Special Education classrooms throughout the world every single day. It is very important for parents and others related to the field to know and get an understanding of how teachers teach students effectively according to their functional skills and understanding. This senior capstone examines how teachers teach students with maladaptive behaviors in Special Education. Through the use of literature review and interviews with three specialists in Special Education, the findings reveal that by finding ways to keep their maladaptive behaviors to interfere with their learning is by providing one-to-one support in classroom …


Improving Inclusion: The Ongoing And Transformative Process Of Improving Education Systems To Meet The Needs Of All Students, Robert Mistler Dec 2021

Improving Inclusion: The Ongoing And Transformative Process Of Improving Education Systems To Meet The Needs Of All Students, Robert Mistler

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this Capstone Project the researcher will investigate how instructors view the environment of the classroom when there is a mix of special needs students incorporated into the general population classroom setting and what they think could be done to improve the environment. The inclusion of special needs is necessary for fair and equal treatment; further, by separating the general population from special needs students, brings about a culture of segregation that can have lifelong impacts. Through an evaluation of scholarly literature and interviews conducted with teachers at an elementary school the findings uncovered three emergent themes: collaboration with teachers …


Teaching Healthy Communication Skills For College Students With Disabilities, Molly Mcshane Dec 2021

Teaching Healthy Communication Skills For College Students With Disabilities, Molly Mcshane

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For college students with disabilities, interpersonal communication can be difficult. There have not been sufficient supportive services for college students with disabilities when it comes to learning communication skills in a college environment. Without effective communication skills, college students with disabilities may face social barriers and fewer chances for personal connections, which may lead to social isolation. In order to address this issue, I planned to create a 2-hour lesson for members of the Student Awareness for Disability Empowerment club (S.A.D.E) at California State University, Monterey Bay.


Teaching Latino Parents About Early Intervention And Asd, Maricela Lopez Jul 2021

Teaching Latino Parents About Early Intervention And Asd, Maricela Lopez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, identified by persistent impairment in reciprocal communication and social interactions and restricted, repetitive behaviors, interests, or activities(Campisi et al., 2018). The lack of awareness of early intervention has a significant setback on their children’s developmental domains. Many Latino families are unaware of resources that can help young children with autism. Latinos endured many challenges, especially being underdiagnosed compared to white non-Hispanics They face challenges such as language barriers, cultural awareness, and denial Latinos families need to learn more about ASD to support their children's development. Research confirms that …


Virtually Left Behind: The Struggles Of Adapted Physical Education Through Online Learning For Students With Special Needs, Madison Neff May 2021

Virtually Left Behind: The Struggles Of Adapted Physical Education Through Online Learning For Students With Special Needs, Madison Neff

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus issue addressed in this Capstone Project is on improving the challenges faced by students with special needs through online modalities of adapted physical education (APE). This is an important issue for students with special needs because they are regressing because of online learning. Students with special needs need a routine and a hands-on learning environment to thrive. It is argued that if teachers, parents, and students meet certain criteria, these challenges can be improved with collaboration. The primary stakeholders' perspectives included one APE teacher and three parents, due to their relevant experience and observations of online APE and …


Growth And Success In Special Education, Kimberly Berrelleza Dec 2020

Growth And Success In Special Education, Kimberly Berrelleza

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The agency I interned at was a charter school in Monterey Bay. They provide education for all students including students with special educational needs. I address the problem of structure and resources within the Special Education department. They struggled with high staff turn arounds, a loose tracking system, misused resources and a lack of communication within the special education staff, teachers and administrators. In order to solve all those challenges they have now assigned jobs and duties to get work done more efficiently and have put systems and protocols in place. My capstone project was to report on the growth …


The History Of Learning Disabilities And The Hidden Stories Of Students, Parents, And Teachers: How Traditional Classrooms Can Improve, Gabriella G. Catania May 2020

The History Of Learning Disabilities And The Hidden Stories Of Students, Parents, And Teachers: How Traditional Classrooms Can Improve, Gabriella G. Catania

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This research will differentiate between the various learning disabilities and their history of when they were first discovered. This research reveals how classrooms have improved and what needs to be changed in order to guarantee every student can receive an equal education despite their learning disability. This paper is constructed through research and interviews with parents, teachers, and students about why the education system needs to move against conformity and standardization. This research demonstrates each learning disability and its effect on students learning. The main focus is on what issues need to be improved in the traditional education system to …


Nothing Down About It: Decreasing The Fear Of The Unknown For Mothers’ Expecting A Child With Down Syndrome, Alexandra E. Greenburg Dec 2019

Nothing Down About It: Decreasing The Fear Of The Unknown For Mothers’ Expecting A Child With Down Syndrome, Alexandra E. Greenburg

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Down Syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality that is associated with an intellectual and developmental delay. This is because there is an extra full or partial copy of the 21st chromosome called Trisomy 21, which is diagnosed prenatally or at birth. Parents of children with Down syndrome felt that health professionals displayed a lack of understanding and ignorance when delivering their child’s Down syndrome diagnosis (Mengoni & Redman, 2018). This may lead to concerns on the child’s quality of life and hinder timely appropriate intervention services for a child with Down syndrome. This is why I conducted a workshop in Claremont, …


Effects Of Under-Diagnosis Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Female Students, Nina Hobbs May 2019

Effects Of Under-Diagnosis Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Female Students, Nina Hobbs

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The number of students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is increasing in the United States; but there is a shortfall in the under-diagnosis of female students with ADHD. This senior capstone examines the effects of the under-diagnosis of ADHD in female students through the use of extensive literature review and questionnaires posed to local school elementary teachers. The findings indicate that female students with undiagnosed ADHD do not only suffer academically, but also socially and mentally throughout their life. Although assessed through the same process and criteria, female students with ADHD display symptoms far different from those of their …


West Side Story: Success Within Special Education Through Arts Integration, Kelly Richardson Dec 2018

West Side Story: Success Within Special Education Through Arts Integration, Kelly Richardson

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Arts education programs can provide the necessary skills students need for future success, including communication skills and confidence. The Turnaround Arts program at Rosa Parks Elementary School has advanced overall student success, particularly benefiting students in Special Education. Both Special Education teachers and the Arts Specialist at Rosa Parks Elementary were interviewed and the Turnaround Arts Program was observed. Each teacher described their experiences within this program to be noteworthy and recognized the importance it has had on their students’ success in the classroom. Based on an analysis of the data and the relevant research literature, we used what we …


Preparing Multiple-Subject Pre-Service Teachers To Work Effectively With Students Who Have Autism, Makalah Vosmera May 2018

Preparing Multiple-Subject Pre-Service Teachers To Work Effectively With Students Who Have Autism, Makalah Vosmera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing of the State of California mandates that teacher preparation programs prepare effective and knowledgeable pre-service teachers to teach all students. Through the use of literature review, interviews and surveys with graduating Liberal Studies students, this senior capstone examines whether Liberal Studies graduating students are being prepared to work effectively with autistic students or not. The findings indicate that they take introductory education courses on autism spectrum disorder along with other forms of disabilities, but they do not receive sufficient breadth and depth coverage on how to work effectively with autistic students in regular classrooms.


Benefits Of Educational Services For Students With Disabilities, Miguel Zazueta-Ruiz May 2018

Benefits Of Educational Services For Students With Disabilities, Miguel Zazueta-Ruiz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone research project examines the benefits of educational services that schools offer to students with disabilities for a smooth transition from elementary school level to middle school and high school level. Federal and state laws, e.g. the Re-authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) of 2004, ensure that students with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) specifically designed to provide services to meet the needs of individual student with disabilities through the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Through the use of relevant literature review and surveys …


What Makes That Autistic Student Tick? Strategies For Classroom Behaviors, Amanda Puleo Dec 2017

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 …


Strengthening The Teacher Toolkit: Effective Autism Inclusion Methods, Roxanne Guel Dec 2017

Strengthening The Teacher Toolkit: Effective Autism Inclusion Methods, Roxanne Guel

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone Project is on Autism inclusion methods. This is an important issue for teachers because they are often not given the tools and resources to effectively include their students with Autism Spectrum Disorders into a general education classroom. It is argued that some of the most effective methods include peer-mediated instruction, antecedent procedures, and school-wide organizational change. Considerations of the issue, should include the perspectives of both Special Education and General Education teachers. Three themes/action options emerged from an analysis of the data and were explored as ways to address the issue presented. Antecedent procedures are …


Interns Matter: Maximizing Integration Of Interns Into Community Agencies, Valerie Garcia Dec 2017

Interns Matter: Maximizing Integration Of Interns Into Community Agencies, Valerie Garcia

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Hope Services is a non-profit agency serving individuals with developmental disabilities in six counties. Over the years, there have been many agencies that have formed connections with Hope Services. One of these collaborative partnerships has been with CSU Monterey Bay’s (CSUMB) integration of interns through their field placement program. However, recently former Hope Services South District Manager, Greg Dinsmore, witnessed a lack of utilization and integration of interns across all Hope Services agencies. Through firsthand experience as a mentor, he witnessed the benefits of utilizing interns and saw the need for further advocacy and support for the integration of interns …


Benefits Of Therapeutic Recreation For Young Adults With Special Needs, Summer L. Esseff Dec 2016

Benefits Of Therapeutic Recreation For Young Adults With Special Needs, Summer L. Esseff

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

There are many benefits of therapeutic recreations; however, due to the lack of knowledge about the organizations and services available, many young adults with special needs are not able to fully participate within the community. The purpose of this project is to discover those benefits specifically for people who have special needs. Through a vast literature review and several interviews among local therapeutic recreation organizations, the findings indicate that therapeutic recreation provide many benefits that contribute to a person's physical, social, and all around quality of life and well-being.


Importance Of Accommodating Elementary School Students With Learning Disabilities, Angelica R. Rivera Dec 2016

Importance Of Accommodating Elementary School Students With Learning Disabilities, Angelica R. Rivera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This senior capstone examines the rationale why it is important to accommodate the students with learning disabilities at the elementary schools. Mainstreaming students with disabilities with those in regular general education classrooms remains a very important issue for principals and teachers. Through the use of literature review and interviews with a principal and a teacher from their respective schools in the Monterey County area, the results show that there is a gap between the services provided to students with learning disabilities.