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What Makes A Family: Steepparent's Experiences Supporting Children With Autism In School Systems, Veronica Barrera

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative multiple case study explored the lived experiences of stepparents of children with autism spectrum disorder, examining how they navigate their roles within school and family systems during early elementary years (kindergarten through second grade). Despite the increasing prevalence of blended families, stepparent perspectives remain largely absent from research. Stepparents often occupy ambiguous legal and social positions that limit their access to educational information and participation in IEP meetings and school decision-making. Two stepparents of children with Level 1 autism participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using inductive coding and thematic analysis, with narrative restorying to preserve participants’ …

The Caseload Chronicles: Investigating The Case Manager Role Through The Perspectives Of Current Special Education Teachers, Khalil Milad Abouhamad

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition and resulting shortages have become severely problematic across the United States. This is especially true within special education. This study employs role theory (Kahn et al., 1964) to isolate the case manager role carried by special education teachers, investigate it through the stories of current practitioners, and establish it within academia. Burnout theory (Maslach, 1993) provides a lens through which to evaluate the strain of working conditions surrounding the case manager role. Elements of narrative inquiry (Clandinin, 2006; Creswell & Guetterman, 2019) in the form of 1-1 interviews with current IEP case managers from across California provided the …

How The Least Restrictive Environment Mandate Is Interpreted By California Special Education Local Plan Agency Directors, Robin Suttle

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study examines how Special Education Local Plan Agency (SELPA) directors in California interpret and communicate the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) mandate under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The study explores how SELPA directors understand LRE and how this understanding is conveyed to district-level administrators. Data were collected through interviews and document review across selected SELPAs and analyzed thematically using the Boundary Spanning framework. Findings show that SELPA directors view LRE as both a legal obligation and a collaborative, context-dependent process. They act as intermediaries, translating federal and state mandates into locally usable guidance while balancing …

From Elementary School To Doctoral Education: An Autoethnographic Journey, Gwendolyn D. Dailey

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Every child has a right to education, and their skin color should not determine their education quality. However, since the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), it has been proven that race continues to matter in the success and failure of education (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001). The persistent achievement gaps between students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as the disparities in access to high-quality educational opportunities, demonstrate how race and ethnicity shape the educational experiences of students of color (Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis, 2012). Unfortunately, stories such as Ruby Bridges of New …

Representation Counts: Intern Teachers Of Color And Their Perspectives Of Teaching In A California County, Girlie M. Hale

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Intern teachers are more likely to be placed in hard-to-fill content areas, such as math, science, and special education, which exacerbates their initial teaching experiences as teachers of record. For new teachers in their intern credential program, these factors compound the stress of attending coursework while managing their experience as a novice in the classroom. Without proper mentoring and support in these placements, teachers of color may perceive themselves as feeling less successful in the classroom. In this mixed methods study, the researcher investigated the types of support intern teachers of color need in successfully completing their teacher preparation program. …

All In Pix Ypar: A Youth Participatory Action Research Study Of Students With Significant Disabilities In High School, Jessica L. Jennings

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Education facilitates community involvement, participation, and acceptance, but not for students with significant disabilities who are taught in separate settings. The policy of separate education derives from arcane beliefs, limited research, and misconceptions that result in people with disabilities having choices made for them not with them. The All IN Pix YPAR asked six high school students with significant disabilities to photo document a week in their high school yearbook class. Each day after school, the students discussed a single photo using a modified photovoice method in structured interviews using the SHOWeD questioning protocol. After data capture, during a Zoom …

Self-Advocacy For Postsecondary Students Who Use Mobility Aids, Erin Moore

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Students who use mobility aids add to the diversity of postsecondary institutions. They provide a unique and important lens on postsecondary campuses. When students who use mobility aids arrive on campus, they need to ensure they have access to classes, services, and resources on campus. Because of their varied needs and varied access from campus-to-campus, students who use mobility aids must advocate for themselves so their needs are met. This phenomenological study examined the role of self-advocacy for postsecondary students who use mobility aids.

Five postsecondary students who use wheelchairs were interviewed using a semi-structured interview process that asked questions …

Supporting Instructors To Promote At-Promise Students’ Success: How Faculty Coordinators Facilitate Tslc’S Ecological Validation, Jonathan Toccoli

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Despite decades of research and billions of dollars spent per annum to promote at-promise student—that is, low-income, first-generation, and/or racially/ethnically minoritized students—college success, at-promise students continue to be retained and graduate at lower rates than their traditionally college-going peers. The purpose of this study is to investigate how faculty coordinators in the Thompson Scholars Learning Community (TSLC) facilitate and integrate instructors into the program’s ecological validation which has been found to promote at-promise student success. This study is framed by the ecological validation model of student success in conjunction with a systems theory perspective of faculty roles to investigate how …

Educationally Handicapped Children: A Comparative Study Of Academic Achievement, Creativity And Locus Of Control With Students In Learning Disability Groups And Special Day Classes, Grades Three And Four, Rodney Tognetti

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to survey ·learning disability students and students in special day classes and to compare them on select characteristics to each other and to children attending regular day classes.

VARIABLES: The selected variables. for this study were creativity, locus of control, and academic achievement. Each of these variables was divided into sub-parts permitting a more inclusive consideration. Creativity was measured for the factors of fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. Locus of control was separated into three parts, each measuring one of the following: student responsibility for academic failure, (I-); responsibility for academic success, (I+); …