Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Special Education and Teaching Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Theses and Dissertations

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication Year

Articles 271 - 300 of 709

Full-Text Articles in Special Education and Teaching

Educators' Perceptions Of The Importance And Intensity Of Supports In The General Education Classroom For Students With Individualized Education Plans, Stephanie N. Despain Mar 2016

Educators' Perceptions Of The Importance And Intensity Of Supports In The General Education Classroom For Students With Individualized Education Plans, Stephanie N. Despain

Theses and Dissertations

Federal law provides that all students are entitled to a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment (LRE). In order to educate students with disabilities in the LRE, educators need to provide supports to enhance meaningful engagement and success in the general education curriculum. Utilizing supports to increase engagement and human functioning is not a new concept, but it is one that has received increased attention due to scholarly efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2001) and the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD; Luckasson et al., 1992; Schalock et al., 2002; 2010). A major …

Go to article

Parents Of College Graduates With Learning Disabilities: Practices And Factors Attributing To Their Children's Preparation For Postsecondary Education, Alexander Johnston Hale Mar 2016

Parents Of College Graduates With Learning Disabilities: Practices And Factors Attributing To Their Children's Preparation For Postsecondary Education, Alexander Johnston Hale

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate and describe parenting practices that parents believe were effective in helping prepare their children with LD for college enrollment. Participants were chosen from among the parents of students interviewed by Cook (2010). Six parents (three couples) volunteered to be interviewed by phone. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed using hermeneutic phenomenological methodology. Under the category of Parent Practices, themes emerged in the areas of early identification, self-advocacy training, and home accommodations, and under the category of Family Factors, themes emerged in the areas reading, expectation, and normalization. Findings are discussed …

Go to article

Chinese International Students Attending American Universities: How Can We Help You? A Qualitative Study On Chinese International Students' Acculturation Experiences, Zhen Li Mar 2016

Chinese International Students Attending American Universities: How Can We Help You? A Qualitative Study On Chinese International Students' Acculturation Experiences, Zhen Li

Theses and Dissertations

Given the increasing number of Chinese international students attending American universities, an important study would be to consider problems arising during these students' initial transition period, as they acculturate into the American culture and educational system. Taking this information into account, university counseling centers, campus services, and those who interact with and support these students would be better able to assist in easing the initial and ongoing stress of living in a foreign country and adapting to a new way of life. Thirteen Chinese international students participated in qualitative interviews conducted in Mandarin Chinese, each participant's native language. Each participant …

Go to article

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Multiple Exposures To New Vocabulary Words Have On Students With Language Processing Disorders, Erin E. Higgins Jan 2016

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Multiple Exposures To New Vocabulary Words Have On Students With Language Processing Disorders, Erin E. Higgins

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research aimed to investigate how fifth-grade students diagnosed with processing disorders best-learned new vocabulary and the role motivation played in success. The district, school, and students were given pseudonyms in order to maintain anonymity. Over the course of three, one-week instructional periods, four students participated in six different oral and written vocabulary activities. They completed an assessment immediately following four days of instruction and again at the end of the study to measure growth in their ability to identify and use the word using a four-point scale. Based on the results of the assessments, they showed …

Go to article

High School General Education Teachers' Perception Of Iep Accommodations For Students With Asperger Syndrome, Mary Patricia Krones Jan 2016

High School General Education Teachers' Perception Of Iep Accommodations For Students With Asperger Syndrome, Mary Patricia Krones

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative design study was to better understand the experiences of high school general education English teachers who have students with Asperger Syndrome in their classes. More specifically, this researcher wanted to better understand the teacher's perception of the IEP-denoted accommodations the general education teachers are responsible for implementing. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, journal entries and collection of artifacts. Findings of this study include: the IEP document and IEP process from the lens of the general education teacher do not provide adequate information when considering the unique needs of students with Asperger Syndrome; …

Go to article

Elementary Special Education Resource Teachers’ Practices And Perceptions Of Curriculum-Based Measurement, Susan Brooks Seymour Jan 2016

Elementary Special Education Resource Teachers’ Practices And Perceptions Of Curriculum-Based Measurement, Susan Brooks Seymour

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined elementary special education resource teachers’ practices and perceptions of curriculum-based measurement (CBM). A significant body of research since the 1970’s has shown that CBM is a reliable and valid predictor of subsequent performance on a variety of outcome measures, and thus useful for a wide range of instructional decisions (Deno, 2003; Busch & Reschley, 2007). Numerous studies have shown that when teachers use CBM, as originally intended, to write databased IEP goals, monitor the effects of their instructional programs, and adjust their interventions according to data-based decision rules, student achievement improves (Fuchs, Fuchs, Hamlett, 1989b; Jenkins, Graff …

Go to article

Special Education Teachers’ Working Knowledge Of The Idea, Laura B. Holland Jan 2016

Special Education Teachers’ Working Knowledge Of The Idea, Laura B. Holland

Theses and Dissertations

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the law that governs special education policies, procedures and practices for school districts. Special education teachers are viewed as the experts in leading the Individual Education Program (IEP) team in IEP development and implementation. Researchers have shown that special education teachers perceive themselves as having a high level of knowledge and understanding of the IDEA. However, special education teachers’ actual working and practical knowledge of the IDEA has not previously been assessed. This study, using hypothetical scenarios, examined whether special education teachers were able to determine if an action taken by the …

Go to article

Investigating The Decision-Making Of Response To Intervention (Rti) Teams Within The School Setting, Scott M. Thur Dec 2015

Investigating The Decision-Making Of Response To Intervention (Rti) Teams Within The School Setting, Scott M. Thur

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure decision-making influences within RtI teams. The study examined the factors that influence school personnel involved in three areas of RtI: determining which RtI measures and tools teams select and implement (i.e. Measures and Tools), evaluating the data-driven decisions that are made based on the assessment and intervention data (i.e. Data-Driven Decisions), and analyzing the process and procedures of the decision-making itself (i.e. Process and Procedures). Core RtI team members were asked to indicate which factors they found to be the most influential to both their team and personal decision-making processes, whether the …

Go to article

Services Received And Parental Perception Of Quality Of Life For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Judith Marie Cholewicki Dec 2015

Services Received And Parental Perception Of Quality Of Life For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Judith Marie Cholewicki

Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid increase in the rate of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there has been a surge in treatment interventions and outcome measures. Treatment interventions consist of evidence-based practices and programs that lack scientific validation. Parents’ selection of a treatment or multiple treatments is often based on the desire to maximize their child’s personal well-being (Pituch et al., 2011; Rodger, Braithwaite, & Keen, 2004). Current outcome measures provide valuable information and may demonstrate a change in a standard score. For example, a change in intelligence quotient, is not evidence that this change contributes to the child’s personal …

Go to article

Culturally Relevant Parental Involvement: Perceptions Of Mexican Immigrant Mothers In Rural Wyoming, Sandra P. Sanderson Dec 2015

Culturally Relevant Parental Involvement: Perceptions Of Mexican Immigrant Mothers In Rural Wyoming, Sandra P. Sanderson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand Mexican immigrant mother's perceptions concerning parental involvement with their children's schools. It provides a perspective on cultural considerations relevant to the implementation of Epstein's model of parental involvement. Eight mothers, two documented and six undocumented, who had emigrated from Mexico and were living in rural Wyoming, were interviewed. The information provided by the participants included descriptions of practices the mothers considered meaningful when involved with their children's education. They shared their own experiences of their school attendance in Mexico and their own parents' involvement with their education. They also shared their understanding …

Go to article

Job Satisfaction And Attrition Among Special Education Teachers, Sophia Mastrantuono Sep 2015

Job Satisfaction And Attrition Among Special Education Teachers, Sophia Mastrantuono

Theses and Dissertations

It is thought that special education teaching, as a professional entity, experiences high rates of turnover. These high levels of turnover, have been attributed to the demands included in a special education job description. While most previous studies have looked at external factors as the above, few have assessed if and how job satisfaction or the employers indication that they find their job to be meaningful or fulfilling, affects their likelihood to remain in the field instead of looking for alternate employment. The current study will investigate to what extent, job satisfaction, alleviates special education teacher's attrition rates. A survey, …

Go to article

Bibliotherapy As An Intervention For Aggressive Elementary Children, Kari Newman Sep 2015

Bibliotherapy As An Intervention For Aggressive Elementary Children, Kari Newman

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of bibliotherapy as an intervention for aggressive elementary children at a residential treatment center in the western United States. Bibliotherapy was provided for six children, three boys and three girls, ages 9 to 11, Caucasian and Hispanic, who took part in one of two groups. The study involved a multi-baseline design, beginning with a baseline phase, followed by two separate intervention phases comprised of eight sessions of bibliotherapy. Data gathered from almost daily observations along with pre- and post-intervention ratings of aggressive behaviors indicated that four of the six students demonstrated notable decreases in observed …

Go to article

An Evaluation On The Wilson Reading Program For Students With Learning Disabilities: A Longitudinal Study, Rosemarie Harrison Jul 2015

An Evaluation On The Wilson Reading Program For Students With Learning Disabilities: A Longitudinal Study, Rosemarie Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the Wilson Reading Program as a supplemental reading program for students with disabilities. A school district's student decoding and comprehension scores in three years were reviewed and synthesized for the program evaluation. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a repeated measure was used to compare possible differences of student performance in decoding and word recognition, and overall reading skills at each grade level respectively. It was found that the Wilson Reading Program had a significant effect on students' Word Reading Scores in Year 2 of the intervention, but not …

Go to article

An Examination Of A Homework And Organizational Skills Intervention For Middle School Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Kristy Mitchell Jul 2015

An Examination Of A Homework And Organizational Skills Intervention For Middle School Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Kristy Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

Homework and organizational skills can be problematic for any middle school student, but can be especially problematic for middle students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. An intervention called Homework, Organization, and Planning Strategies was implemented to four students in the middle school who are diagnosed with ADHD. Research questions were focused determining if an intervention that aims to improve homework and organizational skills effective and can improve academic performance and if that improvement can be maintained. Two seventh grade and two eighth grade participants were involved in this study, all of which had a diagnosis of one of the three …

Go to article

Academic Perseverance: Establishing On-Task Behaviors Through Self-Monitoring, Lauren Arno Jul 2015

Academic Perseverance: Establishing On-Task Behaviors Through Self-Monitoring, Lauren Arno

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to (a) examine the effectiveness of using an iPad for self-monitoring of secondary students Classified with an emotional disturbance, (b) evaluate their behavior changes (c) evaluate their academic performance, and (d) evaluate their satisfaction with an iPad used for their self-monitoring. Three high school students, two female and one male with emotional disturbance (ED), participated in the study. A single subject design with ABAB phases was used. During the baseline, their behaviors including asking relevant questions, maintaining eye contact with the teacher or task, keeping conversation on topic, and working on current project were …

Go to article

The Effects Of Unified Sports On Attitudes Of College Students Towards Students With Intellectual Disabilities, William Moylan Jul 2015

The Effects Of Unified Sports On Attitudes Of College Students Towards Students With Intellectual Disabilities, William Moylan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a college Unified Sports program on the attitudes of college-aged students towards students with intellectual disabilities. A pre and posttest research design was used in the study. A total of 40 college students participated in the Unified Sports sport club at an institute located in the southern area of New Jersey. Data was collected after a six-week program that played games once a week for an hour. The independent variable in this study was the interactions and education of college students to people with intellectual disabilities. The dependent variable …

Go to article

Evaluating Teacher Stress And Its Effect On Student Behaviors In An Alternative School, Kimberly Nizolek Jul 2015

Evaluating Teacher Stress And Its Effect On Student Behaviors In An Alternative School, Kimberly Nizolek

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate teacher stress and its effect on negative student behaviors in an alternative school setting. Teacher stress is defined as a negative state held by a teacher that includes unpleasant emotions, such as anger or sadness, as a result of their work and it appears when events and responsibilities exceed one's coping mechanisms (Kyriacou, 2001; Lazarus, 1993). Teachers working in alternative schools may report a high level of stress based off of their working environment. When teachers feel stressed, they may not be able to provide the necessary support to their students to …

Go to article

Falsification Of The Look, Rodrigo Andres Veas Jul 2015

Falsification Of The Look, Rodrigo Andres Veas

Theses and Dissertations

The LOOK is a viewing time measure that seeks to assess sexual interest patterns and is currently in development at Brigham Young University. This instrument is intended to aid current efforts to prevent child sexual abuse by identifying deviant sexual interests. A recently presented study on a similar viewing time measure has raised concerns regarding individuals' ability to falsify sexual interest patterns on average. This study seeks to extend this falsification research to the LOOK in order to assess if falsification of this measure is possible by means of speed or pretense. Participants were exclusively heterosexual non-pedophilic males and females. …

Go to article

The Effects On Physical Exercises To Improve Social Communication Skills Of Adolescents With Autism, Christopher Fox Jun 2015

The Effects On Physical Exercises To Improve Social Communication Skills Of Adolescents With Autism, Christopher Fox

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of fitness activities on communication skills of adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Over the course of 12 weeks, 3 middle school students with ASD participated in a wellness program focusing on learning social and conversational skills through practicing verbal language in a 1:1 situation, paired with peers, and whole group instruction. The initiation and maintenance of their conversation through reciprocal responses, and responses to questions and comments were evaluated. Participants gained social communication (e.g. requests, responses, and making comments), as well as conversational skills (e.g. reciprocity, listener knowledge, verbosity, …

Go to article

The Effects Of In-Service Training On Teachers' Attitudes Towards Inclusion, Heather Moore Jun 2015

The Effects Of In-Service Training On Teachers' Attitudes Towards Inclusion, Heather Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study are to a) evaluate teachers' attitudes towards inclusion and willingness to provide supports to students with special needs, b) evaluate teachers' willingness to collaborate and use co-teaching models after training, c) evaluate whether or not teachers feel more comfortable about inclusion, and d) evaluate whether or not teachers becomes more positive toward students with disabilities and willing to work with them in an inclusion setting. A total of 16 teachers, 9 general education and 7 special education participated in the study. A pre and post group design was used using a Likert Scale survey with …

Go to article

Using Ipads To Increase On-Task Behavior Of Students With Autism, Michelle Gould Jun 2015

Using Ipads To Increase On-Task Behavior Of Students With Autism, Michelle Gould

Theses and Dissertations

Students with ASD often exhibit behavior problems, of these; off-task behaviors are a concern. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of using an iPad for students with ASD to self-monitor their own behaviors. A boy and three girls with ASD participated. A single subject design with ABAB phases was used. During the baseline, each student's behavior occurrences in a language arts class were observed using interval recording of three on-task behaviors including facing forward, engaging in assignment, and looking at the teacher. During the intervention, an iPad was provided with an app called Choiceworks downloaded together …

Go to article

The Effects Of Behavior Interventions On First Grade Students Diagnosed With Adhd Combined Type, Kelley Rand Jun 2015

The Effects Of Behavior Interventions On First Grade Students Diagnosed With Adhd Combined Type, Kelley Rand

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of multiple behavior interventions of first grade students diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This study implemented three behavior interventions. The results were analyzed to determine the successes and comparisons of the interventions. The participants were two first grade male students diagnosed with ADHD. Data was collected during a baseline phase, intervention one phase, intervention two phase, intervention three phase, and post-intervention phase. The independent variables were the use of three singular behavior interventions. The dependent variable was the measure of the participants' appropriate behavior in the classroom. Overall, the …

Go to article

Rural High School Special Education Teachers' Perceptions Related To Structured Work Experiences, Abigail Meghan Christina Lies Jun 2015

Rural High School Special Education Teachers' Perceptions Related To Structured Work Experiences, Abigail Meghan Christina Lies

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study examined the perspectives of rural secondary special education teachers and related service professionals on structured work experiences for youth with disabilities. An online survey was developed for this study and distributed to teachers and related service professionals through school principals. Rural schools were identified using the National Center for Educational Statistics. The survey included sections on respondent and school demographics, perceptions on the value of, frequency of participation in, and quality of implementation of structured work experiences. Additional sections included perceptions on the level of influence specific barriers have on the implementation of structured work experiences. A …

Go to article

Using The Raz-Kids Reading Program To Increase Reading Comprehension And Fluency For Students With Ld, Angela Marchand Jun 2015

Using The Raz-Kids Reading Program To Increase Reading Comprehension And Fluency For Students With Ld, Angela Marchand

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the computer program, Raz-Kids will assist in supporting independent reading as well as increase a student's guided reading level, fluency, and comprehension. Four 1st graders with a learning disability in an inclusive classroom participated in the study. The Raz-Kids online reading program was provided individually for 15 minutes each session during the literacy intervention period, 3 times a week for 16 weeks. The Developmental Reading Assessment was given at the end of each month to evaluate student performance on a guided reading level, fluency and comprehension. A single subject design with …

Go to article

Navajo Nation Brain Drain: An Exploration Of Returning College Graduates' Perspectives, Quintina Ava Adolpho Jun 2015

Navajo Nation Brain Drain: An Exploration Of Returning College Graduates' Perspectives, Quintina Ava Adolpho

Theses and Dissertations

American Indian tribes face the phenomenon known across the world as the brain drain. They invest millions of dollars in educating their members, only to have little return on their investments. Many nation members leave reservations to get postsecondary education but never return, contributing to the brain drain. Those who get education off the reservation and choose to return are the exceptions to this rule. Although there is an abundance of literature regarding the brain drain across the world, there has been little research done with American Indians. In order to begin to understand the brain drain phenomenon this study …

Go to article

Expected Profiles And Temporal Stability Of The Look, Sierra Marie Baird Jun 2015

Expected Profiles And Temporal Stability Of The Look, Sierra Marie Baird

Theses and Dissertations

The LOOK is an iOS based iPad app designed to measure viewing time as an estimate of sexual interest. Participants used a 7-point Likert scale to rate 154 images based on sexual attractiveness. The images belonged to 14 differentiated gender and age categories from infants to elderly adults. Before rating each image participants were asked to complete an additional task of locating and touching a small dot found in one of the four corners of the screen. This was included to make sure that participants we attending to each image, and to add another level of information to the results.The …

Go to article

Adolescents' Perceptions Of Homophobic Language: Implications For Bullying Prevention, Benjamin M. Bailey Jun 2015

Adolescents' Perceptions Of Homophobic Language: Implications For Bullying Prevention, Benjamin M. Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

Large scientific studies have recognized homophobic language as a national concern (American Association of University Women [AAUW], 2001; Kosciw, Greytak, Diaz, & Bartkiewicz, 2010). Concerning perceptions of homophobic language use, quantitative studies were mostly conducted in specific areas of the United States and qualitative studies have largely approached the issue with the theory of masculinity. The current study proposed to approach the study actively challenging all assumptions about homophobic language use. This study assimilated 20 adolescents' perceptions of homophobic language, using a hermeneutic qualitative methodology. This study found that in addition to policing masculinity, homophobic language was used to police …

Go to article

Predictive Validity Of The Look, Joy Wiechmann Cox Jun 2015

Predictive Validity Of The Look, Joy Wiechmann Cox

Theses and Dissertations

The LOOK, an iOS app, is a viewing time measure used to assess sexual interest. The measure is based on the assumption that sexual interest can be assessed by the amount of time a participant spends looking at an image. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of the LOOK, a newly developed viewing time instrument, to accurately screen and diagnose individuals with deviant sexual interest. The profiles of known sexual offenders were compared to norm-referenced profiles of an exclusively heterosexual, non-pedophilic, male, college student population. Researchers were not able to find a fair constant multiplier that …

Go to article

Assessing Validity Of A Screener For Social, Emotional, And Behavioral Concerns: Analyzing Gender Differences In A Middle School Population, Kimberly Lowe Jun 2015

Assessing Validity Of A Screener For Social, Emotional, And Behavioral Concerns: Analyzing Gender Differences In A Middle School Population, Kimberly Lowe

Theses and Dissertations

Systematic screening for social, emotional, and behavioral concerns (SEBC) identifies at-risk students and provides information to guide interventions that may prevent negative outcomes (Glover & Albers, 2006; Kauffman, 1999; Severson, Walker, Hope-Dolittle, Katochwill, & Gresham, 2007). However, the screening process may be influenced by the gender of the student (Young, Sabbah, Young, Reiser, & Richardson, 2010). This study further examined the influence of student gender on screening by assessing the congruency of gates one and two of a screening process based on student gender. Participants included 59 middle school teachers who nominated at-risk students on the Teacher Nomination Form (TNF; …

Go to article

International Student Support Groups: Understanding Experiences Of Group Members And Leaders, Nathaniel W. Page Jun 2015

International Student Support Groups: Understanding Experiences Of Group Members And Leaders, Nathaniel W. Page

Theses and Dissertations

A multi-site qualitative study explored the group experiences of 6 group leaders and 10 group members who participated in 7 different university counseling center international student support groups. Data collection and analysis phases followed the process of hermeneutic interpretation articulated by Kvale and Brinkmann (2009), which resulted in nine major themes and ten sub-themes organized into four sections: (a) Recruitment and group design, (b) Experiences of group members, (c) Experiences of group leaders, and (d) Additional considerations. Implications for international student support groups are discussed.

Go to article

First Prev Next Last