What Student And School Factors Increase Disadvantages In Special Needs Students? An Investigation Of Student Learning Growth In Students With Ieps, Julia Burdulis

Senior Theses and Projects

This study used public-use data from the National Center for Education Statistics’s (NCES) Early Childhood Longitudinal Program, Kindergarten Class of 2011 (ECLS-K: 2011) to examine math and reading learning growth from 4th to 5th grade among student with and without Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). When comparing the non-IEP student sample to the IEP student sample, a disproportionate number of minority students and students of low socioeconomic status were observed in the IEP student group. Among non-IEP students, significantly decreased score growth was predicted in students who were Black, Hispanic, had less highly educated parents, were from a low income household, …

Career And Technical Education Teachers’ Attitudes Toward And Their Participation In Technology-Based Professional Development Training In Mississippi’S High School Districts, Natalie N. Hill

Dissertations

The use of technology has become an essential part of daily interaction in Career and Technical education learning environments. There is very little research regarding career and technical teachers’ attitudes and participation in professional development, although previous studies have been conducted referencing K-12 teachers’ attitudes. A qualitative research methodology was employed to investigated the insight of CTE teachers’ attitudes toward the professional developments that they had attended. This study also investigated whether training was appropriate to teachers’ learning needs in high school districts in MS. The population for this study included seven high school career and technical teachers in five …

Ambiguous Loss, Boundary Ambiguity, And English Learning: How Immigrants' Functionality Is Impacted By Language Proficiency, Shakir Ali

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Due to conflicts in different parts of the world or the prospect of a better life, there are tremendous numbers of immigrants around the world. This study investigates the effect of language learning by immigrants on the level of boundary ambiguity they experience as a result of being separated from extended family. Through the lens of acculturation theory (Schumann, 1976), the study examines if learning a new language helps the immigrant to function within the culture of the host country. In addition, the study relies on the Contextual Model of Family Stress to ascertain if individual, family, or community resources …

Parent Perception Of The Parent And Placement Team Process, Deborah Perry

All Theses And Dissertations

Special educators face a growing number of legal implications as they strive to meet students’ needs as identified on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Once identified as requiring special education services, students have an (IEP) to track their progress on goals and objectives. All IEP meetings require the family’s attendance and feedback as part of the process. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) noted that parent feedback is required in the IEP document. This study collected information about parents’ perceptions of the IEP process. Individual interviews were completed with 13 engaged parents to document their experiences working through the IEP process. …

The Student Placement Decision-Making Process: A Study Of Administrator Considerations, Jonathan Roland Normand

All Theses And Dissertations

A myriad of factors are considered in the out-of-district placement process of special needs students, but there is not a standardized process for weighing these. Little is known about how Maine School Administrators weigh each factor to determine the appropriate placement. This interpretive phenomenological study examined the question: What is the hierarchy of priority of the factors used to determine out-of-district placements by Maine special education administrators?

Six special education administrators representing different geographic areas of the state of Maine were interviewed individually. The researcher utilized a purposive sampling method to recruit from within the targeted population those who have …

School Psychologists And School Counselors’ Perceptions Of Preparation Received For The Provision Of School-Based Mental Health Services, Sherika Mckenzie

Education (PhD) Dissertations

School psychologists and school counselors are increasingly playing an essential role in the provision of school-based mental health services (SBMHS). This is especially true in California. Unfortunately, there are a few studies that have examined how California school psychologists and school counselors perceive their training to provide SBMHS, how they perceive their role in providing these services, and what they regard as their needs for professional development. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which California school psychologists and school counselors believe that their formal pre-service education and later in-service professional experiences have prepared them to …

Examining The Challenges And Benefits Of Inclusion In Urban Secondary Schools, Jeff James Spaletta

All Theses And Dissertations

American high schools with full-inclusion programs often struggle to offer effective academic instruction to students with disabilities. While academic researchers have conducted studies on inclusion programs, a literature review revealed a dearth of academic studies specific to inclusion programs in secondary schools. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the attitudes of general-education teachers in urban, Title 1 high schools regarding the ability of those teachers to provide effective academic instruction to students with disabilities in schools that offer full-inclusion education. This study was motivated by three research questions: 1) What are the attitudes of teachers working in …

Gaps In The Mental Health System,Justice System And The Transition To Adulthood: An Analysis Of Unmet Needs, Maria Gremli Sanders

Dissertations

ABSTRACT More than two million adolescents and young adults are interconnected with the justice system every year. An alarming number of transitional age young adults (ages 17-25 years) in the United States justice system suffer with serious emotional problems that have at least one diagnosable mental health illness. The multiple needs for rehabilitation among these young adults have often gone unmet, and thus, they have become an extremely vulnerable subgroup in the justice system. The purpose of this study was to explore issues of disparity within mental health services, the justice system, and the unmet needs of transitional age young …

Implementing Writers’ Workshop Into The Special Education Classroom, Taylor Denning

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Writers’ Workshop has developed prominence as a method towards providing authentic writing experiences. The purpose of this study was to determine what happens to student perceptions and quantity of writing when Writers’ Workshop is implemented into a special education setting. This study took place in a self-contained special education classroom of third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders. Data was collected through focus group interviews with the teachers, focus groups with two students from every grade, perception surveys, and writing samples.

Surveys and focus group interviews were completed before and after the implementation. Writing samples were collected at the beginning, middle, and end …

The Effectiveness Of Token Economy Interventions On High School Students With Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, Jordan R. Welle

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

With the advances in knowledge that we have had available to us as educators, we have shown that we are capable of making powerful differences in the lives of students. A major topic that has risen in education is the emotional and behavioral needs that some students bring to the school buildings across America. Our ability to recognize, be proactive, and address emotional and behavioral needs has shown great progress. The purpose of this research study was intended to investigate an intervention in particular. The intervention of a Token Economy System is the focus of this study. A token economy …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Alternate Academic Standards And Alternate Testing In Northeast Tennessee, Jodie Bakely

Ed.D. Dissertations

In accordance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015), Tennessee developed alternate academic standards and an alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities. This study examined teacher perceptions of the alternate academic standards and alternate assessment in Northeast Tennessee. The researcher interviewed nine teachers of students with significant cognitive disabilities who had used the alternate academic standards and alternate assessment with their students in Northeast Tennessee. The study found that the teachers interviewed did not see the value in using the alternate state standards or alternate assessment with their students. The implications of this study included a need for …

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 …

An Analysis Of Pre-Service Agricultural Educators’ Self-Efficacy With Exceptional Learners, Sara Edwards, Sara Edwards

Honors College Theses

The total program of agricultural education has established that the inclusion of all students is a priority, including students who fall under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other similar legislation. However, upon reviewing the literature, a significant deficit has been identified in terms of training and preparation to work with students with disabilities within agricultural education. Literature and philosophy regarding the concepts of self-efficacy and experiential learning theories are explored. Additionally, works regarding special education in the agriculture classroom and primary challenges faced by agriculture educators are reviewed. A need to establish better preparatory training within preservice …

Comparison Of Motor-Enhanced And Visual-Enhanced Interventions For Grammar In Young Children With Developmental Language Disorder, Alisha P. Springle

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Up to 7.6% of children demonstrate a developmental language disorder (DLD), which can persist through adulthood, causing difficulty with academic achievement, social relationships, and financial stability. Grammar development, as a hallmark of DLD, is an important area of need for these children. Existing grammar interventions do not clearly distinguish the sensory input techniques that meet these children’s neurobiological instructional needs. This adapted alternating treatment design study implemented intervention using systematic paired visual and verbal and systematic paired motor, i.e. standardized gestures, and verbal sensory input techniques. A moderate-strong functional relation between intervention techniques using motor supports on grammatical outcomes in …

Alternative Thesis Project For Spring 2020 Semester, Elaine Murner

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

During the Spring 2020 semester, students within the special education program were conducting applied thesis projects within typical contexts as part of their fulfillment of the requirements of a master’s degree program. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), public schools and related facilities closed with no plans to reopen within the time frame to allow for graduation for students in the last semester of their graduate program. Students were allowed to complete an alternative thesis assignment in the form of responding to writing prompts followed by an oral defense of the written products, along with questions related to their …

Defining Accountability And Best Practices In Private Schools Which Receive State Funds For Students With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Debra L. Rains

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Accusations pertaining to insufficient accountability for private schools that provide alternative educational options for special education students have led to opposition to those same schools. The opposition results in part from the schools’ acceptance of state funded vouchers and scholarships. In Florida, state vouchers provide funds which support alternative educational placement for students from lower socio-economic status and/or who have identified disabilities. Because they are not subject to state or federal government jurisdiction, private schools have the right to set their own policies and procedures to determine appropriateness of curriculum, assessment, accountability, personnel training and development, funding, and governance …

The Impact Of The Mtss Framework On Special Education Referral Rates And Eligibility For Specific Learning Disabilities, Tonya Scism Walker

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to examine the effect of the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework on special education referral rates and the eligibility of special education services in the category of specific learning disability at two elementary schools. This study also investigates educator perceptions of the impact the MTSS framework has had on special education referral rates and eligibility. Archival quantitative data on the special education referral rates and eligibility rates in the area of specific learning disability from 2009-2010 to the 2017- 2018 school year were collected from the statewide special education …