Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Service Learning With Individuals With Disabilities: Emerging Themes, Angela Brickhouse, Jennifer Harris, Kelly Mcgraw, Lauren Wernli

Theses & Honors Papers

In this study, 92 students, enrolled in introductory level courses at a small liberal arts university in rural central Virginia, were asked to fulfill 15 hours of service learning with individuals with disabilities. Students were required to keep journal reflections after each hour they completed. The researchers analyzed this data qualitatively by looking at themes and changes in attitude toward individuals with disabilities across the service learning activities. Data was organized into case studies representing each service learning activity. Then, common themes across the activities were discussed to assess the impact the activities had on attitudes of the college students …

Special Education Teachers' Collection And Use Of Data To Measure Student Progress, Crystal Thacker

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this research was to determine whether or not teachers use systematic and direct formative assessment techniques and if implementing these techniques has an effect on teacher efficacy. The participants (N = 89) were practicing special education teachers from urban and rural school divisions across Virginia and from one graduate-level course in special education. Data were collected using portions of the Data Collection and Analysis Survey (Cooke, Heward, Test, Spooner, & Courson, 1991) and selected items from the Teacher Efficacy Scale (Gibson, 1983). The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Of the 89 surveys distributed, …

The Effects Of Extended School Year On Students With Mild Disabilities And Its Relationship To Regression Rate, Whitney C. Sears

Theses & Honors Papers

This study is an historical study comparing the spring and fall test scores of students who attended summer academic program of one particular private school for students with learning differences, including autism, Asperger's Syndrome, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, and nonverbal learning disabilities. This study concluded that there was a statistical significance between the regression rates in both reading vocabulary and reading comprehension among those who attended the summer program and those who did not attend the summer program. Those students who did not attend the summer program regressed in skills significantly. Those students who attended the summer program maintained or …

Participation In Graduate Level Coursework And Self-Efficacy Development Of Provisionally Licensed Special Education Teachers, Amy Corvello Mcginley

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) whether participation in graduate level coursework increased the self-efficacy of provisionally licensed special education teachers, (b) whether participation in graduate level coursework increased the self-efficacy of general education teachers and, (c) if there was a difference between the self-efficacy beliefs of the two groups of teachers. A total of twenty-three provisionally licensed special education and general education teachers in rural Virginia responded to both a pre and post questionnaire consisting of 30 items designed to assist the teacher in assessing his/her self-efficacy beliefs. The working hypothesis was that the provisionally licensed …

A Survey Of Student Participation In The Iep Process, Elizabeth A. Edgemon

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this research was to investigate teachers' compliance with the portion of the IDEA '97 amendments that mandates participation in the IEP process by students 14 and older, or younger than transition is discussed. Researcher-developed surveys were sent to middle and high school special education throughout Virginia. The results of these surveys reflect teachers' compliance with this component of the IDEA Amendments of 1997. Nearly all of the teachers surveyed reported that at least some of their students were present at their most recent IEP meeting and though less than half of those students had any preparation for …

The Effects Of Inclusion And The Virginia Standards Of Learning On Students With Mild Mental Retardation, Heather G. Duffy

Theses & Honors Papers

This study examined the perceptions of general educators towards the educational placement of students with mild mental retardation within the general education classroom and the implications, if any, that the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) have on instructional modifications . The subjects were elementary, middle, and high school general education teachers . The data were collected through a Likert scale questionaire using both descriptive and inferential statistics tested at a .05 significance level. The results indicated no significant differences in the perceptions of SOL based on school level teaching and years of experience. However, the findings did suggest significant differences …

Teacher Knowledge And Attitudes Towards The Utilization Of Assistive Technology In Educational Settings, Theresa Ledger

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of special education teachers regarding the use of assistive technology in a school setting. This study also determined current information on teachers' knowledge levels of assistive technology. A survey questionnaire was sent to 120 elementary special education teachers in the Spring of 1999. The questionnaire was concerned wit h teacher knowledge and attitudes towards assistive technology. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated teachers perceive themselves to have a good knowledge base in regards to assistive technology. However, less than half of those teachers are utilizing devices and services …

Students' With Learning Disabilities Perception Of Mnemonic Strategies In Mathematics Instruction, Susan C. Moore

Theses & Honors Papers

This was a qualitative as well as quantitative study conducted at a middle school in a rural county in Virginia. The researcher examined learning disabled students for their perceptions of mnemonic strategies in mathematics instruction. After direct instruction and instruction involving mnemonics, the seven subjects were tested. The test scores were examined to determine if there was a significant difference between pre and post scores. After interviewing the subjects, the results indicated five themes: unfamiliarity of procedure leads to anxiety, mnemonics improves performance, students desire more mnemonic strategies, division and other multi-step problems are the most difficult, and an increase …

General And Special Educators' Perceptions Of The Desirability And Feasibility Of Modifications For Students With Mild-Moderate Mental Retardation In The General Education Classroom, Alice E. Mccormick

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this research was to study the perceptions of general and special educators toward the desirability and feasibility of modifications for students with mild-moderate mental retardation in the general education classroom. The subjects were (N = 192) teachers from the elementary, middle, and high school levels of rural public school divisions in south central Virginia. Data were collected through a Likert-type questionnaire developed by Schumm and Vaughn. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Of the 192 surveys mailed, 103 (N = 103) subjects responded. The results indicated there were no statistically significant differences in …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Students With Mild Disabilities, Catrina Danette White

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if teachers viewed one group of mildly disabled students as more difficult to teach than the others. In addition, the study attempted to determine if there were any differences in the views of special education and general education teachers toward students with mild disabilities. Fifty teachers from the South Central area of the state of Virginia were surveyed with a 10-item survey to determine the tendency of the teachers to associate certain characteristics or needs with a particular category (i.e., LD, ED, MR).

Results showed that teachers tended to choose the category …

Teacher Recognition Of Student Learning Styles, Michelle Wright

Theses & Honors Papers

The ability of teachers in a special education classroom utilizing individualized instruction to recognize students' learning preferences was investigated. Each student's learning style preference was determined by the administration and evaluation of a learning styles inventory. Teachers were asked to respond to a similiar inventory as they felt their students would respond. A Pearson r performed on the results indicated that a relatively strong relationship existed between the responses at the . 10 level of significance .

The Prevalence Of Adoption Among Children Diagnosed With Learning Disabilities And Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Karma Jo Roach

Theses & Honors Papers

This study investigated the prevalence of adoption among children diagnosed with Learning Disabilities (LD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Parents who were members of the Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) of a mid­ Atlantic state completed a two-part questionnaire with information about their school aged live-at-home children. A Chi-Square one sample test was used to compute a chi­ square statistic based on the observed frequency in the study and the expected frequency of adoption in the general population. The Chi-Square value was 75.773 (df=l) with a significance level of .0001. This shows a significantly greater than expected prevalence of adoption …

Effects Of Auditory Perceptual Training On Reading Decoding, Jennifer L. Marshall

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this experimental study was to determine the effect of auditory perceptual training on reading decoding skills of adolescent students with learning disabilities. The subjects (N=4) were all being served in a self-contained high school setting. Three of the subjects were male and one was female. The subjects were pre­-tested and post-tested using the Test of Auditory Analysis Skills (TAAS) and word identification and word attack subtests of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test­ Revised(WRMT-R). The data were analyzed using dependent sample t-tests. Significant differences were found on auditory skills (t= -3.66, p<.05), word attack (t=8.3, p<.05) and the basic skills cluster (t=5.14, p<.05). Two limitations of this study were the small number of subjects and duration of the training exercises. Future studies with a larger sample and longer training period are recommended. Another recommendation is to use a single subject method when the sample size is this small.

Effects Of Computer Assisted Instruction And Pclogo Programs On Math Performance Of Seventh And Eighth Grade Students With Learning Disabilities, Katherine R. Sweeny

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of computer assisted instruction and Logo programming on the math performance of seventh and eighth grade students with learning disabilities. The sample included thirty (N=30) subjects with learning disabilities. The computer programs used were Deluxe Math Munchers and LOGO for Windows. A three group pretest-posttest experimental design was used to determine if a relationship existed between the three different methods of instruction and achievement, and whether or not a significant difference existed in performance based on grade levels. The 30 subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups, two …

A Comparative Study Of Perceptions Regarding Assistive Technology Among Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Parents And Teachers Of Elementary Students With Autism, Carolyn Lee Komich

Theses & Honors Papers

Forty subjects were surveyed to determine their perceptions of selection, funding, use and maintenance of assistive technology. The subjects included physical therapists, occupational therapists, parents, and teachers of elementary students with autism . A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect data for this study. 43% of the questionnaires were returned.

Descriptive statistics and Chi-square (X²) were used to analyze data for this study. Results obtained from the descriptive statistics showed that professionals from various disciplines felt comfortable using and maintaining assistive technology but had not been formally trained to do so. The data also indicated that the respondents …

Regular And Special Education Teachers' Perceptions Regarding Interventions For Improving The Behavior Of Students With Emotional Disturbances, Sandra M. Samek

Theses & Honors Papers

One of the purposes of this study was to investigate the perceptions of regular and special education teachers toward behavioral interventions and psychopharmacology for students with emotional disturbances . Another purpose was to investigate which interventions were considered the most effective and least effective in the teachers' classroom . The subjects of this study included regular and special education teachers from four school divisions in central Virginia. One hundred thirty seven (N=137) of the 250 surveys sent out were returned. A self-developed questionnaire, using a five point Likert scale for Part II and open-ended questions for Part III, was used …

Perceptions Of Residents Toward A Community Residential Facility In Eastern Virginia, Amy Marsden

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of a community toward a residential facility in Eastern Virginia. The subjects were (N= l50) community members from a suburban community in Virginia. A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect data for this study. out of the one hundred and fifty, fifty (30%) participants responded . Five of the surveys were not scorable since 30% or more of the questions were not answered. The data were analyzed by using both qualitative and quantitative methods. For the quantitative methods independent sample t-tests, Chi square ("X²), and Pearson-r were used. …

Staff And Student Perceptions Of The Time Out/Seclusion Booth In An Alternative Day School For Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disturbance, Kelley S. Regan

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of the time out procedure at an alternative day school for students with emotional and behavioral disturbance. This study interviewed student and staff members at the facility using parallel questions. Information from the time out log was observed in order to. verify student and staff responses. Results concluded that both students and staff members had similar perceptions of time out .

The Effects Of Self-Monitoring Of Task Completion Time On Assignment Completion And Accuracy, Kathryn B. Wright

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if productivity and accuracy would increase if subjects recorded the amount of time it took to complete assignments. Two students with learning disabilities were taught to record the times assignments were started and finished and to calculate the difference. Data were collected on the time spent on assignments, the percentage of the assignment completed, and the percentage of the assignment completed correctly. The results showed that productivity and the amount of time spent on assignments improved slightly. The accuracy of the work, however, decreased. Implications for future research are discussed.

The Perspectives Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Elizabeth A. Pasto

Theses & Honors Papers

One hundred and fifteen middle and high school students with learning disabilities selected from the Learning Disabilities Association of Virginia were surveyed on their perceptions on homework. An adapted questionnaire was used to collect data for this study with an 18.22% return rate.

Descriptive statistics and Chi square were used to analyze data for this study. Results obtained from the Chi square analysis show that middle school students daydreamed or played with objects and needed reminders to start homework more often than high school students. Several inconsistencies regarding completion rates of homework and amount of complaining about homework were revealed …

The Effect Of Organizational Structure On Perceived Teaching Efficacy In Classrooms For Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Trisha Barker

Theses & Honors Papers

A survey research design was used to examine the relationship between organizational structure and personal and teaching efficacy. Subjects were drawn from a randomly selected 15% of the teachers of students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (E/BD) in the state of Virginia . A researcher constructed questionnaire was used to gather data on the attitudes of organizational structure, and an instrument developed by DiBella-McCarthy, McDaniel and Miller (1995) was used to determine high and low teaching and personal efficacy. Fifty-three percent of the questionnaires were returned and analyzed with independent sample t-tests and a one-way Analysis of Variance. An independent sample t-test …

Self-Perceptions Of Special Education Students Within The Regular Classroom, Sean Rayner

Theses & Honors Papers

This study was conducted to determine the self-perceptions of special education students within the regular education classroom . The subjects in this study consisted of 25 students from a mid Atlantic school system in Virginia . The subjects were high school students. The data were collected by using a questionnaire. The questionnaire included 18 closed ended or likert questions. The data were then analyzed qualitatively by descriptive statistics. The results showed that students with disabilities perceive their behavior to be the same in both the special education and the regular education classroom.

Teacher Perspectives Of Student Transitioning In Special Education From Correctional Facilities To Public Schools, Elanor B. Mccormack

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore correctional special education teachers' and public high school special education teachers ' perspectives of student transitioning from correctional facilities back to public schools. The point of interest was regarding what information these two groups of teachers believe to be important for transitioning to occur more smoothly from correctional education to the public schools.

Surveys were distributed to the two groups of teachers. Respondents indicated the need for collaboration between correctional facilities and public schools. They also indicated the need for transference of information about the student prior to the student's arrival in …

Perceptions Of Regular Education And Special Education Professionals Regarding Involvement In The Iep Process, Donna B. Howland

Theses & Honors Papers

Special education and regular education professionals in public high schools in Virginia were surveyed regarding their perceptions of student, parent, special and regular educator involvement in the IEP conference. The survey aimed to compare the teachers' perceptions on the ideal level of involvement with what actually occurs in the schools. Students and regular education teachers had lower levels of actual involvement in the IEP conference than the teachers believed it should be. Furthermore, both groups of teachers indicated that the primary responsibility for developing the IEP should fall to the special education professional.

Are The Personnel Of Support Centers Trained To Meet The Needs Of Students With Learning Disabilities In College?, Sheri Barger

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not the directors of support centers are prepared to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities in college. The subjects in this study were selected from all two and four year public schools from three states. They responded to a questionnaire about their training and the pertinence of their training to their work . The data were analyzed using a Pearson-r to examine the relationship between the variables . All questions were found to be statistically significant. Seventy-five percent of the variables were found to be significant at the …

Students' Perception Of Involvement In Transition, Linda D. Sadler

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the exceptional student's perception of his or her involvement in the transition process as well as expectations and desired outcomes for adult life. A sample of twenty-one students classified as learning disabled who were taking a study skills class chose to participate in this study. The results show that over half of this sample were not aware that they were currently in a program designed to assist them with planning their future. Even so, over ninety percent stated that they had a future plan in mind, with over ninety percent planning to …

The Effects Of Direct Instruction On The Decoding Skills Of Learning Disabled Student With An Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Stephanie Sample

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of direct instruction on the decoding skills of a student identified as learning disabled and with an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A procedure called the Corrective Reading Decoding Program was used to test this hypothesis. A single subject sign was used for this study. The subject received a direct instruction decoding program that consisted of sixty-five lessons, that took approximately six weeks to complete. An analysis by descriptive statistics showed that the subject improved his percentages at each grade level on the word lists, and improved at each reading level …

Factors Related To School Involvement By Parents Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Kristen White

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors related to a parent's involvement in their child's education. More specifically it addressed the factors related to the involvement by parents of children with learning disabilities. The subjects (n=52) were all parents of children with learning disabilities. All parents attending a convention sponsored by the Learning Disabilities Association of North Carolina were surveyed. A self-developed questionnaire was used for this research. 37% of the questionnaires were returned. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a Pearson r. A significant correlation was found between teacher involvement and parental involvement (r= …

Factors Affecting Parent Perceptions Of Children's Performance In Inclusive Classroom Settings, Amy M. Johnson

Theses & Honors Papers

The subjects of this study included parents of forty - five students with learning disabilities who were integrated in the regular education classroom from rural Virginia. A self developed questionnaire was used to collect the data . Thirteen (28%) of the questionnaires were returned. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that divorced parents, married couples working between 20 to 29 hours per week, married parents who both had finished college, single I divorced parents who had finished High School only, and parents who had one child or all children in the family receiving Special Educational services …

The Effects Of Dialogue Journal Writing On The Writing Apprehension Level Of Middle School Students With Learning Disabilities, Jennifer H. Dooley

Theses & Honors Papers

This study examined what effects writing in dialogue journals has on the writing apprehension level of middle school students identified as having a learning disability related to writing. Twenty eight students participated in the study , eleven of which served as a control group and eleven as an experimental group (other subjects were eliminated randomly ). Each subject completed the Writing Apprehension Measure before and after the treatment. During the six - week study , the control group wrote in journals three times each week. The experimental group wrote in journals three times each week and received a response from …