Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Survey Of Georgia's Public School Systems With Self-Contained Language Classrooms, Brenda J. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Twenty-two teachers of self-contained language programs throughout the State of Georgia served as respondents for a survey of the operations of their programs in terms of students, teacher training, referral process, assessment process, entrance criteria, curriculum, and exit criteria. Results indicated that although the self-contained language programs are operating without standardized regulations, there is a great deal of similarity in their procedures, particularly in the areas of students, teacher training, referral process, entrance criteria, and exit criteria. The results of this study may be of benefit to state department personnel in developing regulations/procedures for self-contained language programs within the state.

A Model Literature Curriculum Guide For The Secondary Learning Disabled Student, Peggy G. White

Theses and Dissertations

This Literature Curriculum Guide has been prepared for Learning Disabled Students enrolled in special English classes at Hardaway High School in Columbus, Georgia. It was motivated by the observation that curricular materials for secondary Learning Disabled pupils were limited to content in grammar and other aspects of written language. Literature as content for these pupils had been completely overlooked.

Secondary English instruction, when using grammar only as content, is restricted to productive aspects of English. This restriction would necessarily deprive the Learning Disabled pupil of experiences with the heritage of literature shared and enjoyed by their peers. And, Learning Disabled …

An Alternative View Of Education For Deaf Children: Part Ii, Lil Brannon, Sue Livingston

Publications and Research

How might deaf children acquire one of the primary goals of education literacy in English? This article suggests that literacy in English as well as knowledge of the English language can be acquired concomitantly through developmental reading and writing activities that reflect principles of first language acquisition if students bring to these activities relatable experiences which they have already linguistically represented. Such activities engage students in reading and writing where content and context support them in their attempts to actively understand and convey meaning in English. The end product of, rather than the prerequisite for, this meaningful reading and writing …

An Alternative View Of Education For Deaf Children: Part I, Sue Livingston

Publications and Research

Quigley and Kretschmer (1982) asserted that the primary goal of education for deaf children should be literacy in English. This article presents an alternative view that there be two primary goals: (a) thinking and learning through the development of meaning-making and meaning-sharing capacities and (b) the acquisition of literacy in English. In this article, the first of these goals is viewed as the more fundamental since it facilitates the acquisition of knowledge while it simultaneously serves as the prerequisite for the acquisition of literacy in English. Because neither direct language instruction nor the exclusive use of English in sign will …

Silent Reading Before Oral Reading On The Iri: Implication For Diagnosis And Instruction, Catherine P. Benedetti

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to test the effect of silent pre-reading on the number of oral reading errors a student makes on an IRI. Twenty children read passages silently and then orally read passages without pre-reading. The results supported the null hypothesis that there would be no statistically significant difference on oral reading performances for disabled second and fourth graders. Implications for diagnosis and instruction are discussed.

Notification Of A Commercial Reading Program Presented As Learning Activity Packets For Learning Disabled Students, Edna M. Meyers

All Graduate Projects

This project represents a modification of a commercial reading program, with individual learning activity packets as the management tool for the program. The project plan provides for:

1. Program goals and objectives

2. An initial placement test

3. Unit criterion tests

4. Mastery level tests

5. Individual learning activity packets

Each learning activity packet includes:

1. Individual student record and assignment page

2. Individual story report forms

3. Vocabulary words

4. Detailed comprehension questions

5. Individual student/teacher reading contract

This project provides a reading program that meets the unique instructional needs of the learning disabled student in a financially feasible …

The Effects Of Language Processing Strategies Upon Reading Comprehension, Kathy Ann Kirby

Masters Theses

In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed providing educational services for children with exceptionalities. Learning disabilities was one of those exceptionalities whose definition used a language disorder as its major criteria for the identification and classification of a specific learning disabilities. The inclusion of language disorders within its definition brought about greater interest in language and the understanding of language development, acquisition and processing and how these aspects related with academic learning, particularly with reading.

The purpose of this study was to address the issue of language processing strategies in the remediating of language deficits and …

The Effects Of Training In Visual Cognitive Skills On Reading Comprehension, Valerie Joan Croll

Masters Theses

In an effort to design learning materials which de-emphasize the decoding process, and concentrate instead upon cognitive and critical thinking processes, picture study has been chosen as a potentially effective vehicle for providing delivery of programs for remediation of reading problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of training in visual cognitive skills as an alternative remedial technique for increasing the reading comprehension of children whose reading skills are considered to be lower than expected due to a learning disability. The population was a group of children in grades four, five, and six (n=34) in a …

The Effect Of Syntactic Structure And Semantics Of The Comprehension Of Content Area Prose By Mainstreamed Learning Disabled Adolescents, Kathleen Charlotte Shelton

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of syntactic structure and/or semantics on the comprehensibility of content area prose. The population consisted of learning disabled junior high school students who were mainstreamed into a minimum of four out of six regular classes. Drawn from subjects obtaining parental permission, 92 students were selected utilizing a table of random numbers to constitute the sample. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups or a control group and were administered a history textbook passage that contained syntactic and/or semantic changes or one that contained no changes. The …

A Participation Approach To Be Used With Disabled Readers At The Secondary Level, Shirley Kinsel

All Graduate Projects

The project resulted in the development of participation based reading selections and their accompanying teaching suggestions to be used with disabled secondary readers. The complete materials stressed hands-on applications and product-producing activities. The reading selections were written for several levels of reading difficulty. They incorporated the teaching of literary skills, study skills, and functional-living skills and provided practice in following directions. The approach produced materials meant to be a specific fit for disabled secondary readers who prefer to learn by doing.

The Effectiveness Of A Gestural Cue Language Program For Children With Severely And Profoundly Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Meredith Jean Nicholls

All Master's Theses

This study proposed to teach a group of institutionalized children with profound intellectual and developmental disabilities, functionally non-verbal children a gestural-cue language system.

Techniques of shaping and imitation were employed in the training of the subjects. Daily assessments were taken and recorded on 6 cycle logarithmic graph paper.

Of the 17 subjects involved in the study, 3 showed measurable progress and retention and were retained in the gesture program.

Recommendations included studies to further investigate the "sign" language medium as a means of communication for the severely and profoundly intellectually and developmentally disabled population.

Analysis Of Content Of Four Reading Programs For Students With Moderate Intellectual Disabilities, Susan D. Peters

All Master's Theses

This paper presents a content analysis of four reading programs being used by the moderately intellectually disabled in three Intermediate School Districts in the state of Washington. The four programs analyzed were Distar Reading I, Edmark Reading Program, Language Master Card Programs, and Programmed Reading--Webster. The learning characteristics defined for this educational group were perception, discrimi­nation, mediation, retention, concept learning, generaliza­tion, transfer, problem solving, and motivation. Each program was analyzed as to its incorporation of each of the specified learning characteristics.

The Effect Of Systematic Phonics Instructions On The Reading Ability Of An Intellectually Disabled Fifteen Year Old, Sherlive E. Edens

All Master's Theses

This paper presents a case study of the effect of systematic phonics instruction and systematic reinforcement on the reading ability of one intellectually disabled fifteen year old boy. This study way designed to see whether the subject could attain reasonable literacy in a two year period from non-reading status. Evaluation was made along the lines of grade level improvement; the results indicated that systematic phonics instruction with systematic reinforcement resulted in substantial reading improvement.

Recommendations included suggestions for additional research.

An Evaluation Of The Value Of Physical Education In Helping The Slow Learner To Achieve, Donald B. Eldred

All Master's Theses

This study investigated the effects of daily and bi-weekly physical education on physical fitness and development of motor skills in mentally retarded boys. It also investigated the relationship of physical education and improvement in reading ability.

Twenty boys were selected from children attending special classes whose chronological ages ranged from nine to twelve and whose grade level was classified as fourth grade.

Analysis of the data indicated that the experimental group made significant gains over the control group in the Washington State Physical Fitness Test and Johnson's Fundamental Motor Skill Test for Elementary Children. The gains on the Informal Reading …

Effects Of A Contingency Management Program On Reading Rate And Spread Of Effect With Primary Mildly Intellectually Disabled Children, Leo Carl Beck

All Master's Theses

This paper presents a study dealing with increasing reading rate, with primary, language delayed youngsters. The program was designed to see if rate could be increased with contingent (CRF) as opposed to differential (DRO) reinforcement with no drop in selected variables (comprehension, vocabulary, articulation and auditory discrimination). Reinforcement consisted of tokens paired with social praise. Rate did increase for the duration of the study and the selected variables remained essentially constant.

Recommendations include replication of the study with precise administration of schedules.

The Short-Term Effects Of The Yakima Valley School Language Development Program On Non-Institutionalized Persons With Developmental Disabilities Of Different Chronological And Mental Ages, Noreen F. Simonson

All Master's Theses

This paper provided a field test of the expressive and receptive language development program written by the staff of Yakima Valley State School for the persons with developmental disabilities, Selah Washington. The program is a progressive one which was based on the developmental theories of Gesell and Bayley. This study sought to define the parameters of applicability from the program. The subjects, both male, non-institutionalized, persons with developmental disabilities, represented a lower and higher level of functioning than had previously been instructed with this program. The results of the study indicated gains in language development for both subjects.

Prevalence Of Reading Disabilities In Delinquents Compared To Prevalence Of Reading Disabilities In Non-Delinquents, Kenneth C. Vanderhyde

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of reading disabilities in delinquents compared to the prevalence of reading disabilities in non-delinquents of the same age, sex, grade, and socio-economic background. The subjects where ninth and tenth graders enrolled at Mount Vernon High School, Mount Vernon Washington, during 1971-72 school year. They were divided into two major groups, delinquent and non-delinquent. The results indicated no significant difference between the reading scores of the two groups.

The Effects Of Systematic Phonics And Contingency Management On Reading Achievement With Intermediate Special Education Students, Allena Marie Hayes Combelic

All Master's Theses

This paper presents a study of the effects of systematic phonics and contingency management on reading achievement with intermediate special education students. The thirtysix week program was divided into four phases. The four equivalent forms of the Gray Oral Reading Tests were used as measuring devices. No statistically significant results were found by using the Gray Oral Reading Tests as measuring devices. Statistically significant results were found on graph data.

Recommendations included: (1) the use of different reading tests other than the Gray Oral Reading Tests as measuring devices and (2) that the study be conducted longer than thirty-six weeks.

A Comparative Study Of Open Court And Slingerland Reading Programs When Used With Special Education Students, Steven L. Richards

All Master's Theses

It is the purpose of this investigation to determine the effectiveness of Open Court and Slingerland reading programs when used with intermediate students who perform at the educable mentally retarded level.

Slow Learners In High School English, Gwendolyn Jordan

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study In Methods For Helping The Disabled Reader, Margaret Meyer

Graduate Student Research Papers

The ability to read well constitutes one of the most important skills a person can acquire. Satisfactory adjustment to living in this complex modern world requires effective reading. It is difficult to discover any activity, whether in school, business or daily living that does not require reading. The importance of reading becomes even more obvious when we consider what happens to those who fail to learn to read. They are handicapped in practically all walks of life.