Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Using Guided Notes To Improve Academic Performance In A Chemistry Inclusion Classroom, Monica M. Trujillo

South Florida Education Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Communication: The Key To Collaboration Between Special And General Education Teachers, Alexandra Slatoff

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Teachers often do not communicate with one another when working to meet the needs of their students. The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the need, nature and manner by which general and special education teachers communicate and collaborate to address the educational needs of their students.

A review of the educational literature reveals that a burden is placed on the educational community given the often conflicting statutory obligations to: fully include special needs students in the general classroom, comply with State mandated general education curriculum requirements and implement instructional guidelines required by Individual Educational Plans (IEP) …

The Status Of, Teacher Attitudes Towards, And The Lmpact Of Music Therapy Lnclusive Music Education In Michigan, Ann E. Armbruster

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine Michigan music teachers' attitudes and perceptions regarding their training for and experience with special learners in their classrooms, and their collaboration and consultation with music therapists. Eighty-six music educators completed a 51 item questionnaire. Results showed that music teachers' attitudes and perceptions are generally positive toward inclusion. Mean scores for attitude and perception were not influenced by whether participants had or had not taken a course in special education as a student, whether they had access to continuing education regarding inclusion through their school district, or participants' predominant teaching area or degree …

Learning-Disabled Students: A Comparison Of Achievement Scores Of Students Receiving Services In Pull-Out Classrooms And Inclusion Classrooms, Gerilyn T. Scalf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the achievement scores in reading/language arts and math of fourth and fifth grade special education learning-disabled students who received academic instruction in an inclusion classroom or a pull-out classroom. Student achievement scores from the 2012-2013 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) and the Discovery Education Assessment (DEA) improvement scores were compared with regard to service location and analyzed for significant differences between the locations: inclusion and pull-out classrooms. A quantitative study was used to find the differences in reading/language arts and math achievement scores for fourth and fifth grade special education learning-disabled students …

Bibliotherapy: An Approach To Treating Mental Illness In The Classroom, Erin M. Curry

Senior Honors Theses

The prevalence of adolescent mental illness has increased at an alarming rate over the past two decades. Due to a lack of accessible mental health care and the stigmatization of mental illness, parents of children with these disorders are often reluctant to seek help. These children often resort to negative self-coping methods among which include substance abuse, violence, and suicide. These negative self-coping methods have a harmful, lasting impact on the individual as well as the surrounding community.

Bibliotherapy, which harnesses the meditative power of books, can teach helpful coping skills to students with mental illness. When effectively utilized in …

Aquinas On Inclusion: Using The Good Doctor And Catholic Social Teaching To Build A Moral Case For Inclusion In Catholic Schools For Children With Special Needs, Mary Carlson

Journal of Catholic Education

This article discusses the present status of students with disabilities in Catholic schools. It then builds the case, based upon the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and Catholic Social Teaching, that Catholic Schools, to remain true to Church teachings, must offer special educational services. The article concludes with recommendations for research and practice related to inclusion in Catholic schools.

Résumé
St Thomas d’Aquin sur l’inclusion scolaire : Montrer le bien-fondé moral de l’inclusion des enfants handicapés dans les écoles catholiques en utilisant l’enseignement du docteur de la foi et de la doctrine sociale catholique

Cet article évoque le statut actuel …

Effective Strategies For Co-Teaching, Felicia O. Batts

Specialist in Education Degree (Ed.S.) Theses

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to determine how co-teaching training using the five models of co-teaching and the eight components of the co-teaching relationship impacts the relationship of co-teachers. Most teachers enter into a co-taught class setting with little to no experience as a co-teacher and this impacts the dynamics of the relationship. The participants in this study were faculty from one public elementary school in the Southeastern United States. The participants included 5 special education teachers and 5 general education teachers. The co-teaching pairs taught grades K-5. The effects of co-teaching were examined using a pre/posttest design …

A School System And University Approach To Reducing The Research To Practice Gap In Teacher Education: A Collaborative Special Education Immersion Project, Christine R. Grima-Farrell, Jan Long, Robyn Bentley-Williams, Cath Laws

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This research is a response to the call for more effective practice based knowledge on ways to build inclusive cultures that assist the translation of research-to-practice. It reports on the factors identified in literature as being significant to the successful translation of research-to-practice and seeks to identify important sources of influence from an undergraduate teacher perspective.

By investigating a collaborative school system and university generated Special Education Immersion Project, specifically designed for undergraduate teachers, a number of factors are presented as contributors to the gap between research and practice. They include the importance of linkages between teacher preparation programs and …

Postsecondary Inclusion For Individuals With An Intellectual Disability: A Comparative Case Study, Eric Jordan Moore

Masters Theses

Postsecondary education programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities have emerged exponentially in the United States over the last decade. Research regarding these programs has largely been descriptive, and thus there exists a need for qualitative, outcome-based research. In this comparative case study, graduates from two types of postsecondary education programs for individuals with intellectual disability are surveyed regarding employment outcomes and other personal developments. The results from each program are compared with one another and also with a comparison group of individuals with intellectual disabilities who did not attend a postsecondary program (utilizing the 2009 National Longitudinal Transition Study-2). This …

Comparing The Perceptions Of Inclusion Between General Education And Special Education Teachers, Debra Bruster

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This causal-comparative, quantitative study compared the perceptions of inclusion of students with disabilities in the mainstream classroom that are held by high school general education teachers and high school special education teachers that teach in inclusive settings. The study determined there is a difference between the perceptions of inclusive education between teachers with different teaching assignments. Special education teachers were clearly more positive than general education teachers about the inclusion of students with disabilities, the influence of students with disabilities on the general education classroom and its students, and the management of behavior in the inclusive classroom. There was no …

Experiences Of General Education Elementary Inclusion Co-Teachers In Successful Schools: A Phenomenological Study, Sherrie Robbins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the experiences of general education elementary school inclusion co-teachers in schools that are successful with their special education population as defined by Adequate Yearly Progress and most recently, the College and Career Ready Performance Index. The participants were employed in a district in the metro Atlanta area. The primary research question was, "What are the experiences of general education teachers in inclusion and co-teaching classrooms in schools that have met Adequate Yearly Progress and College and Career Ready Performance Index for students with disabilities?" The three sub-questions addressed the self-efficacy, motivation, …

A Phenomenological Study Of Inclusive Environments From The Perspective Of Rural Middle School General Education Teachers Of Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, James Barr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study explored the shared experience of rural middle school general education teachers of students diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in inclusive classrooms. The study began by examining related issues associated with inclusive environments. Data analysis was structured around phenomenological organizational methods: that there exists within the phenomenon a descriptive experience, and within that experience there are voids of possible explanation and interpretation. The research incorporated observations, interviews, and documents as forms of data collection. This inquiry sought to uncover the ways in which general education teachers who serve students diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disabilities find …

Children’S Attitudes Towards Peers With Disabilities: Associations With Personal And Parental Factors, Soo-Young Hong, Kyong-Ah Kwon, Hyun-Joo Jeon

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the following: (i) associations among children’s prior contact with people with disabilities and the three dimensions of children’s attitudes towards people with disabilities: children’s understanding of and their feelings about people with disabilities and their behavioral intentions to make inclusion decisions; (ii) the relation between children’s behavioral intentions to make inclusion decisions and the demands of activity contexts and the types of disabilities; and (iii) the association between parents’ attitudes and children’s attitudes. Participants included 94 typically developing four- and five-year-old preschoolers. Children’s understanding of disabilities and their prior contact with people …

Growing Ideas - Partnering With An Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) is a collaborative relationship between a mental health consultant and families, care and education professionals, and/or early care and education teachers. ECMHC strives to improve the ability of families, teachers, and care and education professionals to promote, sustain and restore healthy social and emotional development for all children. Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation approaches challenging situations with children from a problem solving perspective. ECMHC is not a therapeutic intervention: it occurs in the children's natural settings - child care, home, and school.

Growing Ideas - Increase Access: Universal Design In Early Care & Education, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies

Early Childhood Resources

According to Ron Mace of the Center for Universal Design, universal design is the philosophy of designing and creating products and environments to be accessible to the greatest extent possible, to the people who use them, without the need for adaptation (http://www.cast.org). The principles of Universal Design have been broadened beyond the creation of physical space and materials, to include the design of curriculum, teaching strategies, and assessment. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is based on the understanding that children learn in different ways. This framework focuses on planning from the start for the widest diversity of learners.

Dynamic Evaluation Approach In Adapted Physical Education: Assessing Individualized Education Procedures For Inclusion Purposes, Dimitrios Kokaridas, M. Paslamouska, A. Patsiaouras, P. Natsis, I. Karagiannidis, G. Maggouritsa, P. Efthimiou

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The purpose of this study was to present a new Individualized Education Program (I.E.P.) developed for PE teachers using a dynamic evaluation procedure so as to assess its value in promoting educational knowledge. A modified version of the Evaluation Scale of the Educational Program’s Implementation (ESEPI) (Grammatikopoulos 2004) was applied for the needs of the research on a sample of 151 physical education teachers (84 men, 67 women), all working in Greek primary and secondary schools. Statistically significant differences were observed in ‘training’ factor with PE teachers who had previous experience of teaching students with disabilities or working in inclusion …

A Comparative Study Of Classroom Teachers' Perceptions Towards Inclusion, Keisha H. Pritchard

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine classroom teachers' perceptions of inclusion in local education agencies (LEAs) in North Carolina. Regular education teachers at both the elementary and secondary levels were surveyed to determine characteristics that impact their perceptions of inclusion in regards to teacher gender, years of teaching experience, subjects taught (core or elective classes), past experience with inclusion, personal experience with disabilities, number of hours of coursework concerning disabilities, number of hours of professional development concerning disabilities, number of hours of training concerning inclusion, and region. This study detailed related research in the area of inclusion and …

Inclusive Education For Students With Emotional Impairments: Factors For Success, Jessica Cohen

Wayne State University Dissertations

Special education policy and practice are ever evolving to best meet the needs of all students in an inclusive environment. Since the implementation the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) thirty years ago, students with special needs have moved from restrictive, exclusionary placements to being educated alongside their same aged non-disabled peers. As we have moved towards viewing special education as a service, not a place, including more students with disabilities in the general education setting and curriculum has become the expected practice in the majority of public schools in the United States. Despite this progress, students with emotional impairments …

"People Are People": Benefits Of Inclusive Service, Sarah Mueller

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

College institutions often emphasize the importance of service learning for their students. After research revealed a lack of volunteer opportunities for college aged individuals with disabilities, a pilot program was developed to examine the benefits of service for this population, as well as their peers without disabilities. The project involved college undergraduates and young adults with an intellectual or developmental disability. After a weeklong service trip together, benefits were discussed and evaluated. Benefits to the participants with disabilities included pride, skill development and generalization, empowerment, and increases in social interaction. Benefits to the participants without disabilities included positive attitude change, …

General And Special Education Teachers' Perspectives Of Full Membership For Students With Disabilities, Pamela S. Morgan

Doctoral Dissertations

The idea of full membership (FM) for students with disabilities (SWD) originated with the 1975 Education for all Handicapped Children Act which required equal educational access for these students. Full membership has evolved from mainstreaming to focusing on acceptance and belonging in a school community where all stakeholders have a voice and the culture is reflective of these values and beliefs. Despite American public education policy, there appears to be minimal progress for SWD in gaining FM. This phenomenological qualitative study was conducted to gain insight into the perceptions and lived experiences of teachers. Comparing two high schools in the …

Creating The Continuum: J. E. Wallace Wallin And The Role Of Clinical Psychology In The Emergence Of Public School Special Education In America, Philip M. Ferguson

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This paper reviews the history of the continuum of services in intellectual disability programs. The emergence of public school special education in the United States in the first two decades of the 20th century is used as a case study of this history by focusing on events and personalities connected to the St. Louis Public Schools. Using Annual Reports from the era along with the abundant publications and personal papers of J.E. Wallace Wallin, the author explores how the growing class of specialists in clinical psychology and psychometrics gained a foothold in the schools as educational gatekeepers for student placements …

Disability And Access: Leadership Opportunities For Students With Disabilities In High School, Tori A. Klisz

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Many students at public high schools enrich their high school experience and gain valuable skills through their participation in extra-curricular activities including, but not limited to, high school student leadership organizations. In this study, the researcher aims to present qualitative data obtained from semi-structured interviews that provide insight into the accessibility of high school student leadership organizations to students with disabilities. This study examines the perspectives of both student leaders in high school student leadership organizations and students with disabilities at three public high schools. The findings indicate that high school student leadership organizations provide limited accessibility to some students …