Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Differential Outcomes At Follow-Up For Psychotherapy Clients Whose Therapists Received Feedback And Clinical Support Tools, Mark D. Oshida, John Okiishi

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Based on intake and follow-up scores on patients’ perceptions of their well-being, approximately 10% of patients who see trained psychotherapists have a negative treatment outcome. Additionally, 30%-40% see no positive differential change at all. Because of these negative statistics, researchers have studied various methods that might improve therapy outcome. A team of BYU researchers has identified that providing feedback and Clinical Support Tools (CSTs) to therapists about patient progress has been effective in promoting patient progress as well as efficient service delivery. This feedback is given in the form of graphs that chart the rate of client change based on …

Pressing Issues In College Counseling Centers: A National Survey, Breanda Dean, Jared A. Durtshi

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Traditionally, university counseling centers provide academic and psychological services to students in need of assistance. However, professionals in counseling centers have become increasingly aware of changes in higher education in general and in students’ presenting problems in particular, with a notable trend toward increasing severity and chronicity of mental health concerns. These trends, together with diminishing university fiscal support for student services, have created significant challenges for college counseling centers (American College Personnel Association, 1990; Bishop, 1990; Dworkin & Lyddon, 1991). These national trends were emphasized fifteen years ago (Stone & Archer, 1990), but the field could now benefit from …

Inclusion: Problems And Potential Solutions In Mathematics Instruction, Lynnea Marie Salscheider

Mathematics Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was (1) to identify and describe the attitudes and beliefs of general and special education teachers about inclusion and (2) to identify significant recommendations based on teacher attitudes for improving the teaching of mathematics to special needs students using inclusion.

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports, Scott Fluke, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Given the extremely strong research base for positive behavior intervention and supports (PBIS), and the usefulness of the tiered model in making intervention decisions, and its widespread use (in over 18,000 schools according to its website), PBIS has become the pre-eminent strategy for improving student behavior in school settings. Its framework establishes a clear emphasis on prevention of behavior problems, but also permits data based decision making about the intensity of interventions needed when problems do occur. It has become the basic tool to address behavior in school settings.

Tier 2 Intervention: Saturday School, Emily Moss, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

While there is little research on Saturday School and as a result it is difficult to judge its effectiveness, some schools have reported success in decreasing suspension and absences after implementing Saturday school. Given the alternatives, Saturday school may be a promising strategy.

Stabilizing Developmental Language Trajectories In Infants/Toddlers: A Preliminary Study, Christine Marvin, Miriam E. Kuhn, Lisa L. Knoche

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Parents’ interactions with their children can have influential effects on children’s language outcomes. Special supports may be needed however, when young children live in poverty and show developmental delays early in life. This study analyzed data for a subset of children enrolled in Early Head Start programs and participating in a randomized trial of the Getting Ready intervention (Sheridan, Marvin, Knoche, & Edwards, 2008). These 41 children had standard scores below 85 on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II when the EHS and intervention services began. Statistically significant benefits were observed for the 28 children in the treatment group compared …

Exploring The Effects Of Conversational Repair As A Scaffolding Strategy To Promote Mathematics Explanations Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Jia Liu

Open Access Dissertations

Conversational repair often occurs in conversations when people attempt to address communicative breakdowns or inaccuracy by way of repeating what have been said or putting them in another way. The review of literature on conversational repair revealed that as an important concept in pragmatic aspect of language, it is an effective strategy to improve communication of different populations with disabilities. However, it is rarely studied in the domain of mathematics and with the population with learning disabilities/difficulties (LD). In current reform-based, discourse-oriented mathematics classrooms, students with LD encounter difficulties articulating or explaining well their reasoning processes due to the mathematical …

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Anger Management, Kenneth Parnell, Russell Skiba, Reece L. Peterson, Scott Fluke

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusions

Students who engage in aggressive behaviors often have cognitive distortions that can be addressed in a therapeutic setting. Anger management programs challenge these distortions with the goal of replacing aggressive reactions to peers and the environment with positive, adaptive, and prosocial reactions. There has been relatively little definitive research on this topic. Existing research on anger management programs is promising with several studies demonstrating that a variety of programs can lead to positive outcomes for youth. However, much of this research has been conducted by program developers, prompting calls for research confirming their promising findings.

Anger management provides students …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Middle To High School Transition, Janeen Erickson, Reece L. Peterson, Paige T. Lembeck

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Providing all students, but particularly students at risk of dropping out, with a variety of supports for the transition from middle to high school is an intervention with both strong research support as well as practical logic.

Note: Several examples of secondary school programs which focus on transition from middle to high school can be found in the Examples of Middle to High School Transition Programs, Program Description document which is also available from the Student Engagement Project.

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Restitution, Ann O'Connor, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

The restitution model may be a useful alternative to traditional punishment oriented discipline consequences. This model requires a different type of orientation that the traditional approaches, but might offer a better chance to bring about changed behavior and “healing”. Preliminary research shows much promise in this approach as a discipline alternative which will reduce the number and intensity of discipline incidents.

Note: See related Strategy Briefs on Family Group Counseling, Mediation, and Restorative Practices.

Racial Biases In Psychotherapy Treatments: An Ongoing Meta-Analysis, Denise Spät Albino, Dr. Timothy Byron Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

For the past several years, the psychology literature has investigated the possibility that mental health services are racially biased. Studies assessing treatment outcomes in multicultural settings have increased over the past few years, with now hundreds of articles comparing treatment outcomes of people of color and whites. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to conduct a meta-analytic examination of recent studies to inform the field of the results accumulating on ethnically sensitive interventions. The first step of this project consisted of locating data to be examined. Thus, in order to identify published and unpublished articles investigating outcomes of multicultural …

Proposal For Recruiting Candidates To Join The Special Education And English As Second Language (Esl) Combined Program, Sungti Hsu, Dr. Lynn K. Wilder

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The key to a successful recruitment for this project is to identify individuals who are qualified, and the best way of distributing information about the Culturally Responsive Special Education and ESL Combined Program. According to the personnel preparation grant written by Drs. Prater, Marchant, and Wilder in the department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, qualifying individuals must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and be either ethnically diverse, bilingual (Spanish preferred), or have a disability. The grant was awarded by the U. S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in 2004 for the length of …

Improving Conditions For Families With Children With Disabilities, Mallory Grover, Dr. Lynn K. Wilder

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Many families with a child with disabilities undergo much stress. Lack of communication and delayed development, along with other factors are causes of problem behavior among children with a disability. In order to prevent problem behaviors from elevating, support service intervention is key.

Spirituality And Eating Disorders, Bridger Jensen, Dr. Scott Richards

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Eating disorders are approaching epidemic proportions, being purported in more than 5% of adolescent girls and young women, and up to 20% of college women (Lelwica, 1999, p. 3-4). These numbers are shocking and demonstrate the prevalence of eating disorders. In many cases, eating disorders result in death. One of the most severe and life-threatening eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, is “an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a minimally accepted body weight, intense fear of weight gain, and distorted body image” (Dubé, 2004).

Instructional Effectiveness Of An Integrated Theater Arts Program For Children With Disabilities, Rachel Reynolds, Heidi Abraham

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My project was to see if students with or without disabilities could improve in their memorization skills and other skills needed for the learning process through practicing and performing a theatrical play. The purpose for this study is to see if theatre could be used like occupational therapy to help stimulate the students in many areas. I tested their improvements by doing some memorization exercises with the children at a daycare before working on a play with them to see where they stood as well as after to check their improvements.

Orca Final Report, Kimberly Peet

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The final report of my ORCA project is one of success! I was able to complete a thorough meta-analysis of 39 previous studies on the effectiveness of multicultural training on a therapist’s competence in dealing with ethnically diverse cliental.

Understanding The Support Needs Of People With Intellectual And Related Developmental Disabilities Through Cluster Analysis And Factor Analysis Of Statewide Data, Yuwadee Viriyangkura

Theses and Dissertations

Through a secondary analysis of statewide data from Colorado, people with intellectual and related developmental disabilities (ID/DD) were classified into five clusters based on their support needs characteristics using cluster analysis techniques. Prior latent factor models of support needs in the field of ID/DD were examined to investigate the factor structure of the support needs construct using confirmatory factor analytic procedures.

Schooltipline: Online Incident Reporting, Maren Dennis, Dr. Betty Ashbaker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

SchoolTipline.com is a website where students can report issues of school violence, drugs, or other problems to administrators. This service provides students, parents, and administrators with a two-way communication system that aids in reporting and dealing with school safety issues. Students can access School Tipline 24/7 and anonymously report any problems they see or experience at school directly to school administrators. After receiving the report, administrators can respond to student reports and take preventative action to effectively help students and create a safe school environment.

Meta-Analysis Of Client-Therapist Ethnic Matching: Client Outcomes, Serena Bohn, Dr. Timothy B. Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this research was to conduct a meta-analysis of past and current psychological studies in order to assess what trends have occurred within the field of multi-cultural psychology in regards to the effect on client outcomes through matching clients and therapists based on race or ethnicity. A meta-analysis is the study of the results of other studies. Articles and manuscripts are collected and the data from within is analyzed and converted to a standard statistic, allowing for an overall look at what the collection of data implies. Positive client outcomes were defined in this study as a decrease …

Multicultural Counseling Issues: Ethnic Groups’ Attitudes Towards Mental Illness, Rose Hirt, Dr. Timothy B. Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the world of counseling, there are many issues that arise due to differences between cultures. These differences are particularly apparent in how different cultural groups view mental illness. There have been studies done on this topic, but the literature must be compiled and compared in order for any overall effect to be measured. My research set out to begin compiling this literature.

Limited Interest In The Orca Grant And Their Causes, Jordan Dille, Dr. Betty Ashbaker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The BYU Office of Research and Creative Activities (ORCA) provides BYU undergraduates with the unique opportunity to plan and conduct funded research in an area of interest or field of study. No other University provides this type of experience to its students; yet each year only a low percentage of students apply for an ORCA research grant. The aim of my research was to discern the reason for this. My goal was to discover how many students are aware of the ORCA opportunity, and then discern why they either did or did not apply. Through this research I hoped to …

Book In A Bag: An Integrated Approach To Social Skills Instruction, Jennae Thomas, Dr. Michelle Marchant

Journal of Undergraduate Research

There is a much needed improvement in American school children’s behavior skills. Evidence of this concern comes from the increase in disciplinary referrals, suspensions, and expulsions (Sugai, G., Horner, R., Dunlap, G., Hieneman, M., Lewis, T., Nelson, C., et al 2000). With more effort and time directed at implementing these disciplinary actions, teachers are required to spend less time fulfilling their lesson plans. However, by including social skills in the normal curriculum, teachers would be able to use a universal preventive measure of educating, thus lowering the need for disciplinary intervention later. The research supports this offensive measure or “front-loaded” …

Developing Their Refuge: A Study Of The Infrastructures Behind Programs For Children With Disabilities In Developing Nations, Ashley Dean, Barbara Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Penilla can be found along a back road, half way up a steep hill on the outskirts the urban city Iași, Romania. From the outside, the building’s yellow panels look much newer than the blanket of cement that seems to cover every other structure within a 20-mile radius, which is intriguing itself; yet the building’s novelty goes far deeper.

Graduation Rates Of Latino Students: Contributing And Deterring Factors, Rebecca Richards, Dr. Betty Ashbaker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A major concern among educators is the consistently high number of dropouts among Latino students. While the graduation rate has improved over the last decade, this improvement has been marginal. According to a study done in 2001, 43.4% of Hispanic students ages 16-24, born out of the country, were high school dropouts. Equally disturbing, a study performed by the Na-tional Center for Education Statistics confirmed that among Hispanic students, by their sopho-more year, 11.2% had already dropped out.

Characterization Of Autism Spectrum Disorders In Adolescent Novels, Katherine Way, Tina Dyches

Journal of Undergraduate Research

We examined ten juvenile books using a qualitative, descriptive design, to evaluate the characterization of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in adolescent novels (Dyches & Prater, 2005; Dyches et al., 2001). To be included in the study, the books were required to meet four criteria. They must have (a) included a main or supporting human character with an ASD; (b) been recognized as a novel written for teenagers or young adults, in story format, including biographies written in story format; (c) been published initially in English between 2007 and 2009; and (d) been published by a commercial publisher rather than through …

Book In A Bag: An Integrated Approach To Social Skills Instruction, Katrina Anderson, Michelle Marchant

Journal of Undergraduate Research

There is a much needed improvement in American school childrens’ behavior skills. Evidence of this concern comes from the increase in disciplinary referrals, suspensions, and expulsions (Sugai, G., Horner, R., Dunlap, G., Hieneman, M., Lewis, T., Nelson, C., et al 2000). With more effort and time directed at implementing these disciplinary actions, teachers are required to spend less time fulfilling their lesson plans. However, by including social skills in the normal curriculum, teachers would be able to use a universal preventive measure of educating, thus lowering the need for disciplinary intervention later. The research supports this offensive measure or “front-loaded” …

Meeting The Needs Of Gifted Students By Providing Year-Long Professional Development On Differentiated Instruction, Barbara M. Rollins

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study focused on how teachers' planning and teaching methods changed after they acquired more confidence in applying differentiated strategies in their instructional units. Teachers were given a questionnaire about their skills, qualifications and teaching beliefs comparing teaching general education students and gifted education students within the typical classroom setting. Then teachers received several professional development opportunities within the school year exposing them to different forms of differentiation. Time was given between trainings so that teachers would have ample time to integrate what they learned into their planning and instructional design. At the end of the study, teachers were given …

Predicting Performance On The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment For Reading For Third Graders Using Reading Curriculum Based Measures, Robert S. Kirkham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite flexibility waivers granted to states by the United States Department of Education from some provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, our nation’s public schools continue to struggle to improve reading proficiency as measured by high stakes assessments. To reach state targets for reading proficiency schools must use data at the earliest point possible to inform instructional strategies and identify students at risk of failure. The response to intervention model holds promise for improving reading outcomes particularly for early elementary students.

The effective use of reading curriculum based measures (R-CBM) to determine if instruction is adequate to produce …

Advance Organizers In Secondary Special Education Resource Classrooms: Effects On Student Engagement Behaviors, Lisa King

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Student engagement and appropriate behaviors are essential for effective instruction in secondary special education classrooms. Research suggests that proactive engagement strategies and interventions can have a greater effect on overall classroom behaviors than negative consequences. A single case experiment measured the effects of expository advance organizers on academically engaged behavior, respectful behavior, and disruptive behavior in the special education self-contained resource classroom. The single-case A-B-A-B design for this study evaluates these components of student engagement during academic instruction over a four-week period. Three secondary special education small-group resource Language Arts classes from a Northeast Georgia high school comprised the subject …

Supplemental Algebra Vocabulary Instruction For Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities, Joanna Stegall

All Dissertations

Vocabulary is vital for success in secondary content area curricula and students with learning disabilities often have limited vocabulary knowledge which inhibits their success in secondary-level content area classes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an explicit algebra vocabulary intervention with graphic organizers on vocabulary knowledge and skills in algebra for students with learning disabilities in high school Algebra I. A single-case repeated acquisition design with pre- and posttest measures was used to determine the effects of the intervention for students with learning disabilities who received special education services. The study included 10 students …