Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Types And Frequency Of Bullying, Victimization, And Defending Behaviors Among Special And Regular Education Students, Ashley Ann Potocki

Masters Theses

Bullying and victimization can have a negative impact on all students. This study compared frequency and types of bully, victim, and defending behaviors that occur in general education and special education. The three types of bullying and victimization include verbal, physical, and relational bullying, while the three types of defending include reporting, confronting, and helping. Due to the fact that the majority of research in the past has focused on the general education population of students, little is known about bullying, victimization, and defending behaviors among children in special education. An additional goal of this study was to compare the …

A Study Of Assistive Technology Competencies Of Specialists In Public Schools, Betsy B. Burgos

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Despite the rapid proliferation of assistive technology implementation, studies have revealed that a number of professionals that provide assistive technology services do not have adequate competencies to recommend and deliver assistive technologies in school settings. The purpose of the study was to examine the competencies of assistive technology specialists in Florida K-12 public schools, and identify training opportunities that may have helped them achieve professional competence in the evaluation and provision of assistive technology devices and services across AT service providers from different preparations.

The study applied quantitative and qualitative methods to determine answers to the following six research questions: …

Investigation Of School Professionals' Self-Efficacy For Working With Students With Asd : Impact Of Prior Experience, Knowledge, And Training, Laura Corona

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

School professionals who work with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) play a significant role in the academic experiences of these students (Ruble & McGrew, 2013). Unfortunately, some evidence suggests that teachers of students with ASD experience a high risk of burnout (Coman et al., 2013), due in part to the multiple challenges associated with teaching students with ASD (Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, & Kincaid, 2003). Research has begun to examine factors that ameliorate or prevent teacher burnout, including teacher self-efficacy, or teachers’ beliefs regarding their abilities to bring about positive outcomes for their students (Ruble, Usher, & McGrew, 2011). The …

The Relationship Of Disability Status On Attendance, Behavior, And Achievement Indicators For Students Receiving Intensive School-Based Mental Health Counseling, Meghan Morris Deyoe

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This causal comparative study investigated the relationship of an identified disability (IDEA declared vs. non-declared) on success outcomes for sixth through twelfth grade at-risk students enrolled in a school-based mental health program. Outcome variables included: selected attendance, behavior, and achievement indicators for students who were enrolled in and received intensive school-based counseling.

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Individual Behavior Plans & Functional Assessment, Scott Fluke, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Individual behavior plans are intensive interventions designed to decrease the problem behavior of an individual student. Accordingly, individual behavior plans should be reserved for students who exhibit challenging behavior that is resistant to less intensive intervention efforts. When implemented correctly (i.e., when informed by functional behavior assessments, data-based decision making, and supervised by a problem-solving team with members trained in behavioral support), individual behavior plans have been shown to reduce problem behaviors and increase pro-social behaviors in a variety of populations, including students in special education. Functional behavior assessments and individual behavior plans should therefore be considered as evidence-based …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Punishment, Ana Cathcart, Reece L. Peterson, Shir Palmon

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Punishment in school settings has several possible meanings. It can be viewed as retribution for misbehavior, as a behavioral intervention strategy, or as a part of a restorative plan. Punishment can be used effectively, particularly for behaviors that are dangerous or need speedy remediation. However, punishment can have several negative side effects associated with its use including ethical issues, emotional responses by the student, escape and avoidance, misuse and over use by the adult, and undesirable modeling by the adult. There are better options for changing behaviors that are more effective and less harmful to the child. Using punishment …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Service Learning & Community Service, Shir Palmon, Ana Cathcart, Paige T. Lembeck, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

It is clear that service learning and community service programs in schools may promote student engagement and bolster attempts to reduce school dropout, particularly for at risk or struggling students. Additional benefits include improved leadership skills and increased appreciation for community needs and civic responsibility and engagement. However, offering service learning or community service opportunities is not a common practice in schools today, and many question the relevance it has to students’ academic achievement needed for postsecondary education. Moreover, the push towards schools spending more time on academic instruction seems to diminish opportunities for service learning in schools. More …

Graduate Bulletin, 2015-2016, Minnesota State University Moorhead

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

School Psychologists Experiences With Assessment Of Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students, Mali Y. Land

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This qualitative research study responds to school psychologists’ experiences in assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse students. African Americans and other minority groups have been excessively represented in special education programs such as Mentally Retarded and Emotionally Disturbed Programs. English Language Learners have also been targeted and placed in special education programs unfairly due to culture and language. This research study used grounded theory approach in which several themes and sub-themes emerged regarding the serious problem of over-representation of minority students in special education. The themes and sub-themes included: Referrals (Behavior, Academic, Pre-referral); Materials (Tools); Culturally Competent (Reflection and Essence); …

Finding Childcare For The Disabled Child: The Process And Decisions Through The Primary Caregiver’S Lens, Misty Dawn Torres

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In this qualitative, Grounded Theory study, the researcher examined the process that primary caregivers go through when selecting a childcare placement for children who have special needs. Data were collected through participant interviews with primary caregivers (n=10) who responded to recruitment notices posted on (1) listservs by organizations directly affiliated with early intervention and child care services; (2) local Internet classified sites; and (3) through word of mouth. The research demonstrated that caregivers who learned of their child’s disability in a prenatal diagnosis or prior to an adoption identified with having a greater sense of choice and control over their …

Designing A Data-Tracking System For A Private Therapeutic Day School, Olin J. Bittner

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The Children's Institute on Mercer Island (CHILD) is a private therapeutic day school in the Seattle area serving students in elementary and secondary education. Their stated mission is to "provide innovative school programs and therapies that promote social, emotional and academic development for children with special needs." In the fall of 2012 they engaged in a program evaluation that in many respects resembles a needs assessment in order to explore and improve aspects of their functioning. Through preliminary evaluation processes, including dialogue with CHILD's Leadership Team and a survey of internal stakeholders, an area of interest in student mental health …

Using Commercially Available Picture Activity Schedules And System Of Least Prompts To Teach Lego Assembly, Lauren A. Sherrow

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

This study investigated effects of commercially available picture activity schedules (PAS) and system of least prompts (SLP) to teach recreation skills to four high school students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and intellectual disabilities using Lego sets. Results were evaluated through a multiple probe across participants design and indicate that a combination of PAS and SLP was effective for teaching the students to build Lego sets. All students improved their ability to build and were able to generalize the skill to novel sets after the completion of intervention. Limitations and implications for future practioners are discussed.

Teachers' Perceptions Of Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Analysis Of The Relationship Among Teachers' Knowledge, Exposure, And Attitudes, Nicole Jones

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study explored teachers’ knowledge of the causes, characteristics, assessment, and treatments of autism spectrum disorder. This study also examined teachers’ experiences and perceptions of the causality of the disorder. Research questions included whether special-education teachers possessed more accurate knowledge of the disorder and if experience (professional and/or personal) with autism led to more internal causes of autism spectrum disorder. One hundred seventy-two educators who self-identified as a general educator, special educator, paraprofessional, or academic specialist completed a 24-question survey pertaining to the topic. Results showed that, although special educators scored significantly higher on their knowledge questions as compared to …

Absent Voices: Intersectionality And First-Generation College Students With Disabilities, Tenisha L. Tevis, Jacalyn M. Griffen

Benerd College Faculty Articles

College students with disabilities stand at a crossroads when transitioning from high school to college, and yet, are often absent from discussions regarding underserved populations in higher education. This absence is particularly notable in scholarship employing the lens of intersectionality. To address this gap, this qualitative case study employs a strengths-based lens to examine how typically marginalized college students used the strengths of their socially constructed identities as a dynamic force to find keys to academic success.

Paraeducators' Perceptions Of Their Responsibilities Based On The Utah Standards, Mary E. Buynak

Theses and Dissertations

Paraeducators are increasingly involved in the education of students with disabilities. In order for paraeducators to properly work with this population, they must have adequate and ongoing training. Research has shown that paraeducators do not receive appropriate training in order to work with students with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the self-perceived knowledge of paraeducators working in special education and their level of training need. The study examines paraeducators' work environment, responsibilities, knowledge based on the Utah Standards for Paraeducators and perceived training needs. Ninety-five special education paraeducators working in a large, suburban school district in …

Tier 2 Intervention: Mentoring, Jenna Strawhun, Shir Palmon, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Although the outcomes of mentoring studies tend to be mixed, mentoring relationships have the potential to be effective, particularly when outcomes are selected and efforts are made to create lasting relationships. Particular considerations for mentoring program developers and practitioners include the length of the mentoring relationship, recruitment and screening of mentors, mentor training, mentee mobility, mentoring activities, and consistent systematic evaluation and modifications of mentoring programs based on data.

There have been no large widespread controlled studies of mentoring, probably due to the wide variation in the variables associated with mentoring programs as discussed earlier, including the goals, populations …

Tiers 1 & 2 Intervention: Peer Mediation, Jenna Strawhun, Ken Parnell, Reece L. Peterson, Shir Palmon

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

The benefits of a peer mediation program can be school-wide. These programs can promote a change in attitude toward conflict, as students improve their perspective taking skills, develop leadership skills, learn to tolerate alternative points of view, and realize that they can respond in a more constructive way to frustrating circumstances. The strategies and skills learned become a process that defines values and leads to school-wide growth (Rogers, 1994). Peer mediation programs can provide a school with a positive climate. It is also an alternative to traditional disciplinary practices, but most importantly, students will learn conflict resolution and problem-solving …

Impact Of Peer Praise Notes Issued During Recess: Effects On Office Disciplinary Referrals, Elise Ann Teerlink

Theses and Dissertations

School recess can be a problematic setting due to inadequate safety, supervision, and structure. Peer praise notes (PPNs) is a school-wide positive behavior support strategy that was implemented during recess to address these concerns at a Title I elementary school. An ABAB reversal design across all students was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of PPNs. Overall changes in office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) in each phase of the design, an effect size that reflects a highly effective treatment, and a moderately strong and statistically significant negative correlation suggest that PPNs decreased ODRs. Results from social validity surveys completed by eight recess …

Incarcerating Exceptional Pupils: Is There A School-To-Prison Pipeline In Eastern Oklahoma?, Brett Alan Fitzgerald

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The school-to-prison pipeline metaphor represents an educational environment that allows public schools to push many at-risk children out of school and into the juvenile justice system or even worse, the adult criminal justice system (Wald and Losen, 2003; Lynn, 2010; Tuzzolo and Hewitt, 2006). The purpose of this study is to examine whether a school-to-prison pipeline exists in eastern Oklahoma, and if so, to better understand the characteristics of the public schools that may be contributing to it. The school-to-prison pipeline metaphor guided three research questions regarding whether certain public schools in eastern Oklahoma referred greater percentages of their students, …

Transmedial Documentation For Non-Visual Image Access, Melody J. Mccotter

Proceedings from the Document Academy

In my doctoral studies on information accessibility for the individual who is blind or visually impaired, I’ve been exploring the ways we can make image documents more accessible. This requires using an alternative sensory modality, and translating the document into a different format. The questions that arise when we consider this process are many, but among them are:

• Is it the same document once we’ve converted it to an audio narrative about the work, or a 3D topographic map of an artwork, or a musical interpretation?
• If it is not the same document, how truthful can the “trans-medial” translation be …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Reinforcement, Scott Fluke, Jenna Strawhun, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

There is overwhelming evidence that the use of reinforcement can change behavior. Reinforcement is a beneficial tool for teachers and administrators and can be used to improve both academic and behavioral performance of students. It can be readily adapted to fit individual, classroom, and school-wide behavioral goals. Key implementation considerations can maximize the effectiveness of reinforcement. Reinforcement allows schools to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to be functional members of society, and can maintain a positive school climate. It is one of the most powerful tools available, and should be one of the first strategies …

Engagement Differences For 2-Year-Olds Identified As Late Talkers, Brianna Hendrickson, Shari L. Deveney

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This poster discusses: Background, Research Question, Methods, Results, Conclusions, Clinical Implications, and Limitations & Future Directions.

Tiers 1 & 2 Intervention: Before & After School Programs, Jenna Strawhun, Natalie Hoff, Elisabeth J. Kane, Kenneth Parnell, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Millions of children and adolescents are unsupervised after school, often because their parents need to work during those hours. When these students are unsupervised, they are at risk for involvement in inappropraite inappropriate behaviors. After-school programs are a potential solution to this problem because they provide students with supervised, safe activities that may also increase academic or social skills. They also provide opportunities for academic tutoring, and social mentoring. Despite the fact that research has thus far been unable to categorically support the positive effects of afterschool programs, the general consensus is that the programs are helpful and have …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Parent & Family Involvement, Jenna Strawhun, Amber Olson, Elisabeth J. Kane, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Parental involvement includes several factors related to parenting style/practices, communication, learning at home, volunteering, community collaboration, and parent decision-making using relevant data. Parental involvement has been shown to be an effective tool for increasing student engagement in the form of increased academic performance and adherence to behavior expectations. Research should extend to examining the effects of parent involvement for minority students and highlighting the specific factors that compose “parent involvement” and their influence on outcomes. Specific strategies to promote parent involvement should incorporate professional development for teachers, parent input regarding family-based needs, and multicultural considerations.

See related Strategy Briefs …

Identifying Elementary School Student Understanding Of Learning Disabilities, Michael Quinn Bair

Theses and Dissertations

This school-based study examined the knowledge level of third through fifth grade students who are not being served in special education regarding learning disabilities, personal learning styles, and their perceptions of their peers with learning disabilities. This study circumvents teachers', administrators', and parents' awareness which has been thoroughly researched and instead, directly assesses through interviews what elementary students (n=45) know about learning disabilities. The goal of this study was to gain a greater understanding of what the students' perceptions are of their learning experience in general and what their understanding of learning disabilities are more specifically through interviews to give …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Social Skills Instruction, Jenna Strawhun, Ann O'Connor, Laura Norris, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Social skills instruction has been found to have a positive impact on students. While there has been some controversy over the long term impact of social skills instruction and its generalization to other settings, it has resulted in improved behavior at school and should be a part of efforts to improve school climate and behavior at school, particularly for those students who have not learned these skills informally. Additionally specific social skills instruction can be used as an alternative disciplinary consequence for inappropriate behavior at school although there is not currently enough research studies to say this is an …

Tier 3 Intervention: Wraparound, Jenna Strawhun, Reece L. Peterson, Amber Reeble, Scott Fluke

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

According to VanDenBerg et al. (2003), the basic tenant of wraparound is simple: “If the needs of the youth and family are met, it is likely that the youth and family will have a good (or at least an improved) life” (page 4). Therefore, wraparound appears to be a promising process for coordinating and organizing the delivery of services to children and youth with serious emotional and behavioral disorders. Preliminary findings suggest mixed results for the costeffectiveness and long term effectiveness of wraparound in addressing mental health symptoms, although its widespread use and many positive evaluations albeit without consistent …

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Grade Retention & Demotion: A Traditional Discipline Consequence, Natalie Hoff, Reece L. Peterson, Jenna Strawhun

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Based on the host of research regarding the use of retention and its detrimental effects, schools should look to more effective methods of improving student academic or behavioral performance. There are a variety of things that the schools can do, including summer school, peer tutoring, reading programs, and establishing individual interventions for students who need more intensive supports. The bottom line is that neither retention nor demotion are effective disciplinary policies, as neither addresses the underlying issues. There is no evidence supporting the use of retention or demotion as effective disciplinary consequences, as each has potentially strong negative impacts …

Screening And Diagnostic Validity Of Affinity 2.5, Heather Lynn Stephenson

Theses and Dissertations

Affinity 2.5 is a computer-based instrument designed to assess sexual interest using viewing-time measures. Viewing-time measures of sexual interest have been developed to identify individuals with deviant sexual interest. The purpose of this study is to examine the validity of Affinity 2.5 in screening and diagnosing individuals with sexually deviant interests. This study used viewing time profiles of known sexual offenders compared to norm-referenced profiles of an exclusively heterosexual, non-pedophilic college population. Participants were 155 males and 3 females who had sexually offended against children and 63 male and 84 female non-offender college students. Results show that 43.7% of offenders …

Alternate Forms Reliability For Written Expression Probes, Ashley Carey

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The use of Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) in schools continues to increase, as it is a useful brief assessment of students’ basic academic skills. CBM measures are used for multiple tasks such as identifying students at-risk, creating local norms, monitoring students’ progress during interventions, and assisting with special education eligibility determinations. Much of the research has focused on CBM in the areas of math and reading. Relatively few studies have examined the area of CBMWritten Expression. Even fewer studies exist exploring the reliability among alternate writing forms. This study determined alternate form reliability coefficients for written expression probes at the second, …