Education Commons^™

A Comparison Of A Topography-Based Language System And A Selection-Based Language System, Carl Sundberg

Masters Theses

This study examined whether it was easier for developmentally disabled individuals to acquire a topography-based or a selection-based language system. Four moderately and mildly mentally retarded adults served as subjects. Each of the subjects was taught to tact an object by either pointing to its corresponding symbol (with the selection-based paradigm) or making the corresponding sign (with the topography-based system). They were then taught an intraverbal relation by either selecting the symbol, or making the sign which corresponded to an auditory stimulus. Finally, the subjects were tested for the emergence of stimulus equivalence classes. Each subject was trained and tested …

Extension Of The Audio-Visual Combination Discrimination Test, Valerie R. Davine

Masters Theses

The Audio-Visual Combination (AVC) scale (Kerr, Meyerson, & Flora, 1977) was developed to assess basic discrimination skills in the developmentally disabled population. Acquisition of such skills has been demonstrated to follow a progressive pattern. The existing AVC test assesses discrimination skills in the following hierarchy: Imitation, Position, Visual, Match-To-Sample, Auditory, and Auditory- Visual Combination. This investigation attempted to discover transitional skills between the Match-To-Sample and the Auditory levels. Twenty-four developmentally disabled adults were tested using the original AVC tool with the addition of four new discrimination tasks that were added to the existing scale to ascertain a finer gradation of …

A Comparison Of Outcome Reinforcement Contingencies And Process Reinforcement Contingencies Using Concurrent Training With The Severely Mentally Impaired, Nancy Lonsberry

Masters Theses

This study compared the effectiveness of Outcome and Process reinforcement contingencies using concurrent training to teach severely mentally impaired students to perform component tasks. Each student was trained to assemble a four-piece apparatus using either the Outcome contingency or the Process contingency. The Outcome method was defined as a contingency where the final outcome of a component task has been achieved and a reinforcer is delivered contingent upon that outcome. The Process method was defined as a contingency where reinforcement occurs after the performance of each step in the sequence and when the final outcome of the task has been …

Evaluation Of Utah's Prereferral Intervention Mandate, J. Ron Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of Utah's prereferral intervention policy on the numbers of mildly handicapped students receiving special education services. Associated with this purpose, the study was also designed to identify the (a) types of prereferral intervention procedures available in school districts, (b) extent to which the procedures were implemented by schools, (c) effectiveness of the prereferral intervention procedures for maintaining students with handicaps in regular education, and (d) degree of prereferral intervention inservice training. In addition, LEA officials' perceptions regarding the prereferral intervention process were also examined.

It was expected, in …

Early Childhood Special Education Philosophy And Procedures Manual For Walla Walla School District, Sandra Kay Lee

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a philosophy and procedures manual for the Walla Walla School District's center-based special education preschool program. Twenty-five school districts were asked if they possessed a philosophy and procedures manual. Six of those school districts possessed a parent manual. None of the districts possessed a procedures manual.

A manual was developed through interview of staff members and adaptation of Head-Start procedures. The manual contains procedures for abuse and neglect reporting, emergency/health, referral, child-find, extended school year, transition, teacher planning, and a parent orientation manual.

Achievement Gains And Losses Of Integrated 5th Grade Resource Room Students: Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, Yakima School District, 1989-1990, Patricia F. Kincheloe

All Graduate Projects

The achievement gains and losses of integrated 5th grade resource room students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in the Yakima School District were studied. Nine resource room students were pre and post tested for achievement in reading, spelling, and mathematics. Teaching methods included cooperative learning, small and large group instruction, and peer tutoring. The results showed support for the integration of learning disabled students into a whole language, cooperative learning, regular education environment.

The Use Of Audio Interaction In A Telecourse Offered By Satellite: Foundation Of Adult Basic Education, John A. Henschke Edd

IACE Hall of Fame Repository

The information explosion in our technologically oriented society has brought with it a shortened time span of cultural and factual knowledge change in each succeeding decade. Thus, professionals being educated in graduate Adult Education/Human Resources Development programs as teachers and for other roles need a lifelong learning perspective to prevent their becoming obsolete. These graduate programs have increased in North America from approximately thirty in 1960 to more than three hundred in 1990. However, a question remains for those who seek to serve these needs. How will the long-term impact of these graduate programs be measured, determined and evaluated? One …

A Study Of The Effects Of Attribution Retraining And Cognitive Self-Instruction Upon The Academic And Attentional Skills, And Cognitive-Behavioral Trends Of Elementary-Age Children Served In Self-Contained Learning Disabilities Programs, Arthur Vance Morgan Iv

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the integration of an attribution retraining program and a cognitive self-instruction procedure as a means of improving the academic performance and component attentional skills and modifying the cognitive-behavioral beliefs and behaviors of elementary-age children served in self-contained learning disabilities (SCLD) programs.;Subjects were 77 children, 10-13 years of age, served in public school SCLD programs. A primary group (n = 27) received attributional retraining and cognitive self-instruction, a secondary group (n = 25) cognitive self-instruction alone, and a control group (n = 25) traditional instruction. Intervention in the treatment conditions was presented over …

Teaching Behaviorally Disordered Adolescents To Use Self-Management Skills For Improving The Completeness, Accuracy, And Neatness Of Creative Writing Assignments, Nancy K. Glomb, R. P. West

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a self-management procedure known as WATCH that was designed to teach adolescents with learning and behavior problems to improve the completeness, accuracy, and neatness of their creative writing homework assignments. The procedure was based on four strategies: teaching students the fundamentals of behavior change, teaching students to use self-instruction, teaching students to set goals and implement plans to achieve those goals, and teaching students to accurately evaluate their work. Two high school students who were classified as behaviorally disordered were taught to develop plans for completing their creative writing …

The Effects Of Incidental Teaching On The Generalized Use Of Social Amenities At School By A Mildly Handicapped Adolescent, L. K. Oswald, Benjamin Lignugaris / Kraft, R. West

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

Recently, researchers have begun exploring the effects of incidental teaching on the acquisition of socially appropriate behavior by handicapped children and adults. The results of these investigations suggest that incidental teaching may facilitate the generalization of newly trained social skills. This study used incidental teaching procedures to teach a 16-year-old mildly handicapped student to use social amenities in a resource classroom. In addition, generalization was assessed to another resource classroom and to an art classroom. The results of the study indicated that the student increased his use of social amenities in the training setting. Moreover, directions to use thank you …

Enabling Special Needs Students To Succeed Through Whole Language Strategies, Patricia E. Moran

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Study To Identify Stress Factors Of Early Childhood Special Education Teachers, Brenda Marie Hanken-Crawford

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Stress, an everyday fact of life, can be either positive or negative (Bradfield & Fones, 1985a; Truch, 1980). When faced with too little stress, a lack of productivity may occur, however, when faced with too much stress, anxiety and unhappiness may result (Johnson & Harkins, 1984).

A growing interest has developed concerning factors contributing to the stress of special education teachers (Fimian & Santoro, 1983). While the literature on stress has grown, research is very limited in the area of stress and early childhood special education teachers.

The purpose of this study was to identify (a) the stress producing variables …

A National Study Of Professional Standards In Special Education Teacher Preparation Programs Using The Standards Adopted By The National Council For Accreditation Of Teacher Education And The Council For Exceptional Children, Dawn Colleen Johnson Waegerle

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Teacher preparation programs in special education are responding to demands for quality. Sources inside and outside the field of education have called for change. In 1986, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accreditation redesign was implemented. The Council For Exceptional Children (CEC) adopted Standards for the Preparation of Special Education Personnel in 1983 and these standards for special education programs have become a part of the NCATE redesign. This study proposes to answer the question of whether these professional standards and the NCATE redesign have had a direct impact on masters level special education teacher preparation program …

Parent And Teacher Reactions To The Referral Question Consultative Decision Making (Rqc) Model For Triennial Re-Evaluations In A School Serving Students With Mental Retardation, Marilyn Lindholm Kinne

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The present study was designed to investigate parent and teacher reactions to the use of the Referral Question Consultative Decision Making (RQC) Model in conducting triennial re-evaluations in an educational facility serving students with mental retardation. The survey population included 30 parents and 15 teachers who were involved in triennial re-evaluations during the 1989-90 school year.

A questionnaire was mailed to the survey population which addressed the areas of referral questions and the written report, participation, and interventions. The survey included questions rated on a five point Likert Scale and open ended questions. Data were analyzed by reporting percentages of …

Survey Of Microcomputer Access By Students With Mild Handicaps In East Central Illinois, William O. Searby

Masters Theses

This descriptive research was conducted to collect data concerning the accessibility of school microcomputers to students who have been labeled as having a mild (high prevalence) handicapping condition. One hundred thirty nine randomly selected school administrators in East Central Illinois were surveyed to determine the number of microcomputers in their schools and the types of programs that were offered to students with special needs. The schools were divided into seven categories depending on the type and size. Total school enrollment figures were divided by the total number of microcomputers available at the school to determine a student to microcomputer ratio …

Principals' Perceptions About Regular Education Teachers' Attitudes Toward Integration Of Students With Handicaps, Susan Kay Posekany Sherwood

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

As the movement to integrate students with handicaps into regular education classrooms continues, regular education teachers are a critical component of the successful implementation of the integration process. Because building principals must assume responsibility for selecting the teachers who will be assigned integrated classrooms, this investigation determined the degree to which principals were able to predict the attitudes of regular education teachers toward the integration of students with handicaps.

From public school districts in a Midwestern state, 85 pairs of teachers and principals were randomly selected from three educational levels: (a) elementary, (b) middle, and (c) secondary. The data were …

Post-Hoc Longitudinal Study Of The Stability And Validity Of Standardized Test Scores Of Handicapped Children, Randal Dennis Brown

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the delivery of special education services to handicapped children, a requirement to certify the nature and severity of each child's handicap was built into PL 94-142, The Education of All Handicapped Children Act (Reynolds, Gutkin, Elliott, & Witt, 1984). In the aftermath of that legislation has arisen a serious question as to whether or not the process of providing such services on a categorical (by nature of the handicapped) basis has led to an unanticipated social harm (stigma) of such a magnitude that the assessment process needs to be re-evaluated (Guskin, Bartel, & MacMillan, 1975). Part of the social …

Effective Practices Currently Used By Classroom Teachers To Facilitate Mainstreaming, Nicole M. Elsie

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.