Instructional Media Design Commons^™

Special Educators’ Experiences With Professional Development And Implementation Support In Using Digital Social Stories For Students With Autism, Simbi Mignon Animashaun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with autism need social skills to succeed academically, which can be fostered with the use of digital social stories (DSSs). While many special educators are expected to use DSSs to teach social skills because of increased elementary autism diagnoses, a significant number of DSS users are unprepared. The problem addressed in this qualitative project study was that special educators were not receiving adequate professional development and implementation support to use DSSs to teach autism-related social skills. The purpose of this research was to explore the special educators’ experiences with professional development and implementation support. The concerns-based adoption model and …

Special Educators’ Experiences With Professional Development And Implementation Support In Using Digital Social Stories For Students With Autism, Simbi Mignon Animashaun

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with autism need social skills to succeed academically, which can be fostered with the use of digital social stories (DSSs). While many special educators are expected to use DSSs to teach social skills because of increased elementary autism diagnoses, a significant number of DSS users are unprepared. The problem addressed in this qualitative project study was that special educators were not receiving adequate professional development and implementation support to use DSSs to teach autism-related social skills. The purpose of this research was to explore the special educators’ experiences with professional development and implementation support. The concerns-based adoption model and …

Exploring How Special Education Teachers Use Interactive Whiteboard Technology In Self-Contained Classrooms, Suzanne Walshe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have indicated special education students tend to be motivated by working with interactive whiteboard (IWB) technology; however, few researchers have examined how this technology is used in adaptive classrooms. Many high school teachers have not been able to use IWB technology to create student-centered learning experiences for special education students. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to examine how high school special education teachers use IWB technology to instruct students with moderate to profound disabilities. The constructivist theories of learning provided a conceptual framework for this study. The research questions addressed high school teachers’ observed and reported …

Special Education Teachers' Experiences Integrating Mobile Devices In Their Classroom, Regina Malz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem for this study is the increasing number of students identified as special need learners in U.S. schools and the critical need to prepare them for success in the 21st century workplace. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of special education teachers while they integrate mobile tablets into the classroom. The conceptual framework was based on constructivism, andragogy, experiential learning models and Roger’s diffusion of innovation. The research questions focused on understanding the experiences of special education teachers during their implementation of mobile tablets. This study was a qualitative multiple case study involving the interview …

Parental Perceptions Of Mobile Device Learning For Students In Special Education, Persjha T. Conry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore parents’ perceptions of the use of mobile devices as tools for learning for their children in special education settings. Research literature on mobile-device use in special education indicates that little is known regarding parents’ perception of mlearning. While studies provided information on teachers’ perspectives of mlearning in their special education classrooms, parents’ perspectives on mlearning to support their children’s needs remained unexplored. The conceptual frameworks used included Rogers’s diffusion of innovation theory and Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler’s theory of parental involvement. Individual semistructured interviews of eight parents of elementary students in …

Eighth-Grade Teachers' And Students' Experiences With Ipads In Math Inclusion Classes, Sitembiso Maduma Ncube

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although educators have embraced technology in mathematics inclusion classrooms, students with math learning disabilities (MLD) still have anxiety and negative attitudes about mathematics and score lower than their counterparts. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to investigate and describe the experiences of middle school 8th grade inclusion iPad math app users. The technological pedagogical content knowledge model, the universal design for learning model, and the experiential learning theory provided the conceptual framework of technology integration. The research questions addressed the experiences of middle school inclusion teachers and students with MLD regarding iPad use in a Common Core …

Literary Devices: Effects Of Classroom Management On Student Engagement With 1:1 Devices, Elizabeth Parker

All Master's Theses

The study compares two different classroom management strategies in a 5th and 6th grade classroom using an iPad based intervention. The students participated in 10 sessions of a language and grammar intervention on the Moby Max program. During five of the sessions, the teacher actively monitored the classroom, walking around the room, and redirecting students as necessary. For the other five sessions, the teacher used data from the intervention and monitored and redirected students from her computer screen. The data collected included the number of corrections given to each student by the teacher, the number of minutes the program considered …

Augmented Reality On Mobile Devices To Improve The Academic Achievement And Independence Of Students With Disabilities, Donald Douglas Mcmahon

Doctoral Dissertations

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that overlays digital information on a live view of the physical world to create a blended experience. AR can provide unique experiences and opportunities to learn and interact with information in the physical world (Craig, 2013). The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate uses of AR on mobile devices to improve the academic and functional skills of students with disabilities.

The first chapter is a literature review providing a clear understanding of AR and its connections with existing learning theories and evidence-based practices that are relevant for meeting the needs of individuals with …

Investigating The Role Of Eportfolios And Online Courses In A Community Of Practice: Assisting Bulgarian Special Educators With Lifelong Competency Development, R. Peterson, J. Herrington, D. Konza, M. Tzvetkova-Arsova, K. Stefanov

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Research and development for an Internet-facilitated distributed community of practice (DCoP) for special education in Bulgaria is in its final phase. The DCoP is called Special Education Bulgaria. Results from the needs assessment indicated that special education researchers, practitioners, and parents in Bulgaria would benefit from such a community and that there is sufficient Internet access. Formative evaluation results directed website usability and sociability improvements and the incorporation of Moodle, a popular course management system. An effectiveness evaluation is currently underway to investigate the DCoP’s effect on the job performance and satisfaction of special educators. Preliminary results indicate that though …

Establishing An Internet-Based Special Education Community In Bulgaria: A Summary Of Preliminary Findings And Future Steps, R. Peterson

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Research behind the establishment of an Internet-based community of practice, called Special Ed Bulgaria, www.specialedbulgaria.org, is discussed. Preliminary results show that special education researchers and practitioners in Bulgaria are familiar enough with using the Internet to benefit from an online community. Results also indicate that there is sufficient access to the Internet. Usability results directed modifications to the prototype online community and led to the incorporation of a popular course management system called Moodle.

Developing An Internet-Based Community For Special Education In Bulgaria, R. Peterson

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Research on special education practices in Bulgaria to develop an Internet-based community of practice is now underway. The study will answer a call to action to test the potential of online communities of practice (OCoPs) to close the gap between education research and practice. A secondary goal is to update findings about the feasibility of Internet-based instruction in Bulgaria. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to develop and evaluate a website and propose design principles for future OCoP development. Research has been guided by situated learning and legitimate peripheral participation theory as well as the design-based research approach. This …