Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Elementary Teachers' Understanding, Knowledge, And Perceptions Of Inclusion Best Practices, Jason Liggins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent legislative actions requiring schools in the local school system to increase the percentage of students served in the inclusion classroom has led to teachers having difficulty in implementing inclusion best practices. Using Vygotsky's social theory, the purpose of this case study was to examine teachers' understanding, knowledge, and perceptions of inclusive teaching strategies. The research questions were used to explore the teachers' understanding of inclusion, perceived effectiveness of strategies, and the resources that teachers feel are necessary to implement inclusion strategies. A purposeful sample of 10 teachers currently teaching in an inclusion setting were interviewed face-to-face using semistructured questions. …

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 …

The Bridges And Barriers Model Of Support For High-Functioning Students With Asd In Mainstream Schools, Wendy Holcombe, Margaret Plunkett

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

National statistics indicate the ongoing challenge of catering for the unique needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) within the context of inclusive education. Higher rates of difficulty and poorer outcomes are experienced by this cohort when compared to both the general population and others within the disability sector. The perspectives of educators from a variety of roles were examined to identify factors impacting upon the educational experience of high-functioning students with ASD to determine how they could be supported more effectively. Findings indicate despite extensive educational experience and considerable knowledge of ASD, many educators lack an understanding of …

A Case Study Of The Experiences Of Students With Disabilities Who Did Not Complete High School, Richard Wieringo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This case study explores the experiences of students with disabilities who have dropped out of high school, so as to identify related factors that led to their decisions. Participants included both males and females who were designated as students with disabilities at Ridgeville High School (pseudonym for a Virginia high school) and who dropped out between their third and fourth years of high school, during the 2010 to 2014 academic years. All participants were between the ages of 18 and 24. The case study was conducted through the use of semi-structured interviews, journaling, and observation of the sample population, with …

Online Curriculum For Evangelism Training For Adults With Special Needs, Sidney A. Carmichael

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this project is to address the discrepancy between Liberty University’s mission to train all individuals to be Champions for Christ and the lack of access to higher education for individuals with disabilities. My role in this project will be to come alongside the School of Education (SOE) in helping to write the curriculum, create the activities and manage the creation of a new online program that teaches Bible foundations and evangelism strategy. This project will be developed after consulting literature of best practices for teaching adults with disabilities using online technology. The outcome of this project has …

Ambiguity In Speaking Chemistry And Other Stem Content: Educational Implications, Mick D. Isaacson, Michelle Michaels

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Ambiguity in speech is a possible barrier to the acquisition of knowledge for students who have print disabilities (such as blindness, visual impairments, and some specific learning disabilities) and rely on auditory input for learning. Chemistry appears to have considerable potential for being spoken ambiguously and may be a barrier to accessing knowledge and to learning. Educators in chemistry may be unaware of, or have limited awareness of, potential ambiguity in speaking chemistry and may speak chemistry ambiguously to their students. One purpose of this paper is to increase awareness of potential ambiguity in speaking chemistry and other STEM fields …

Predicting Future Special Education Eligibility From Developmental Assessment Of Young Children (Dayc) Scores, Helen E. Shaw Tripp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative non-experimental correlational study used logistic regression and archival data to examine the relationship between scores obtained by children at age three on the Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC) rating scale and later special education eligibility status. The purpose of this study was to determine if DAYC scores can predict future special education eligibility as defined by the criteria of the State of Tennessee Department of Education and thereby provide a tactic for early identification and intervention. The 74 participants were students from a small, rural, high-poverty school district who were initially evaluated at age three using the …

“Meeting Proficiency – Can Elementary Schools, With Subgroup Of Students With Disabilities, Exit Program Improvement After 2014?” “A Study To Determine If Instructional Strategies And/Or Inclusionary Practices, And Principal Support Of These Practices, Contributed To Schools Reaching Safe Harbor, Meeting Ayp Benchmarks Or Exiting Program Improvement In The 2012-2013 School Year.", Carolyn Lindstrom

Dissertations

In 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act, which required all students to be proficient in English and Math by 2014. (Congress, 2002), including all subgroups. Students with disabilities were expected to meet the proficiency criteria along with all other subgroups. NCLB also required schools to report assessment scores to reflect the achievement of students as well as demonstrate all students were meeting, or at least making gains to achieve, proficiency. If students did not reach the expected benchmark the school was identified as failing and placed in Program Improvement. (CDE, 2011) Each school year, …

School Counselors' Provision Of Career And College Transition Services To Students In Special Education, Pamela K. Lee

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

School counselors provide career and college guidance services to secondary students to prepare them for transition to post-secondary education and employment. Successful post-secondary transition is a desired outcome for students in special education. This project surveyed 96 currently practicing secondary school counselors from two Northern Utah school districts. A survey questionnaire using rating scale items and open-ended questions was administered to assess the degree to which school counselors provide specific career and college guidance services to students in special education, counselors rating of preparedness to provide such services, counselor beliefs about providing these services, and what factors negatively or positively …

A Multi-Case Study Examining Co-Teaching Approaches And Practices In High School Mathematics And Literature/Composition Classes, Patti A. Cleaveland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Special education provides a variety of instructional models to ensure the success of students with disabilities. The increasingly utilized model of co-teaching allows students with disabilities access to the general education environment with the support of special education teachers. The co-teaching model consists of one general and one special education teacher who work together to ensure the success of both the special education and general education students. This qualitative study investigated and explained the co-teaching approaches and practices used by co-teaching partners participating in the academic areas of literature/composition and mathematics classes at the high school level. A multiple case …

Using Video Prompting On An Ipod Touch To Teach Multiple-Step Recipes To Transition-Age Students With Moderate To Severe Cognitive Disabilities, Kjerstin Mourra

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated effects of video prompting using an iPod Touch to teach recipe-following to four 16-19 year-old youth with intellectual disability and autism in a transition classroom. Target behaviors involved correctly following three multi-step recipes: microwave dinner, brownies, and gelatin. A multiple-probe design across recipes was replicated across participants. After low levels of responding in baseline probes, researchers presented participants with an iPod Touch showing each step of the task using video and with audio narration. Following the video prompting phase, maintenance and home-based generalization probes were conducted. The intervention increased recipe-following performance for all participants. Performance maintained and …

How Does Inclusion With Co-Teaching Affect Student Performance On Summative Assessments?, Kaitlin Marie Hutchinson

Masters Theses/Capstone Projects

Schools have been pushed toward inclusive practices with an emphasis on co-teaching models (Yeung, 2012), yet reservations exist and little is known about the effects of inclusive practices. The questions this study aims to answer are: 1. Does inclusion with an emphasis on co-teaching affect performance of newly transitioning students with disabilities on district and teacher made summative assessments?, and 2. Does inclusion with co-teaching have a carry-over effect on typically-developing students’ assessment scores? This study aims to investigate the effect of inclusive practices on student summative assessment scores. Results from the district preassessment were gathered for all students in …

Employers Attitudes Towards Hiring Individuals With Alternative Diplomas, Leah West

All Capstone Projects

Having career aspirations is a natural part of development. Many students dream of receiving their high school diploma and going on to enter the workforce. However, one must consider what happens to students who receive degrees of completion, certificates of attendance, or occupational diplomas. In order to examine the postsecondary job opportunities for students who hold alternative diplomas the researchers conducted an action based study which used the mixed methodology approach of surveys and interviews to examine employer’s attitudes towards hiring individuals with alternative diplomas. A total of 50 participants, who were part of a convenience sample, were asked to …

Parental Expectations And Perspectives As They Relate To Their Children With Special Education Needs (Sen) During Transition From Early Intervention/Preschool To Kindergarten, Arika Spencer-Brown

Dissertations

Parental Expectations and Perspectives as They Relate to Their Children with Special Education Needs (SEN) During Transition From Early Intervention/Preschool to Kindergarten

By Arika Spencer-Brown

The purpose of this study was to define parent perspective and expectation as it pertains to their children with special needs transition process using a descriptive method. This study was designed to assess the perception and expectation of third year and first year Head Start families and provide insight into how effective their special needs transition was from preschool into kindergarten and the individuals related to the overall development of an Individualized Family Service Plan …

Nontraditional Pre-Service Teachers: What They Learn From Inclusion Literature, Kimberly Sutton

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Characterized by work, financial, and family demands, nontraditional students are an increasing population in university teacher education programs. Typical teacher education programs include at least one course on the education of students with special needs, and faculty may address perceived weaknesses of the course textbook by supplementing it with "inclusion literature," narratives written by or about individuals with disabilities. Although inclusion literature has been documented to be of value, to date there has been no research that specifically examined the use of inclusion literature with nontraditional pre-service teachers. This qualitative study examined the impact of inclusion literature on a population …

Examining Barriers With Implementing Augmentative And Alternative Communication In A Midwest School, Ashley Renee Fields

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in a Midwest urban public school system have experienced barriers that prohibit the effective use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The result has left some students with speech language impairments (SLI) without the communication skills for meaningful relationships and success in and out of school. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to determine the perceived barriers of 8 local school SLPs regarding the successful implementation of AAC and their suggestions for addressing the problem. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with the SLPs. Data collection and analysis were grounded by Ely's conditions of …

A Study Of Parent Satisfaction Of The Transition From Junior High To Senior High School For Students With Special Education Needs, Colleen M. Feldman

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the parental perspective and satisfaction with the transition process as their child, who is a student with special education needs, moves from the junior high to the high school setting. For students with disabilities, transitions within the education system can be more challenging and difficult (Hay & Winn, 2005; Hill, 2010; Kinney, 2006;) than for students without unique learning needs. Many parents of special education students find the transition from junior high to senior high school to be particularly intense. If school professionals are in the position to support educational transitions, understanding …

Does Student Status Affect Perceptions Of School Climate And Bullying?, Samantha Palladino

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Students with disabilities are a diverse group of individuals who may experience the world in ways that are distinct from typical peers. Extant research suggests that these students are at risk for academic, social, and emotional challenges. Given the amount of time that students spend in school, their perceptions of the school climate and experiences with bullying have the potential to significantly impact their well-being academically, socially, and emotionally. While there is expansive literature related to school climate and bullying, few studies have investigated these topics simultaneously and specifically through the lens of students with disabilities. This was an archival …

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 …

Early Childhood Teacher Perspectives Of Developmentally Appropriate Use Of Computer Applications, Heather S. White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is little evidence in the literature that early childhood (EC) teachers are using developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) in implementing computer applications in their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to identify EC teachers' perspectives about the use of developmentally appropriate computer applications and to identify their perspectives on strategies for implementing change toward greater use of developmentally appropriate computer applications. The study was based upon Joseph and Reigeluth's conceptual framework of systemic change processes, which provides educators with the foundation to achieve sustainable changes. The research questions that guided this qualitative case study were designed to obtain teachers' …

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) …

Use Of An Interdependent Group Contingency To Improve Homework Completion, Homework Accuracy, And Achievement Of High School Students With Disabilities, Maria Carrino Kennedy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Homework is a frequently utilized teaching strategy in elementary and secondary classrooms. The completion of homework has been shown to have a strong positive effect on students' academic achievement across content and ability levels. Moreover, research suggests a stronger positive relationship between homework and achievement at the upper grade levels. Numerous interventions, both at home and at school, have been employed to increase students' level of homework completion and/or accuracy. The present investigation employed a single-subject reversal design to examine the effectiveness of an interdependent group contingency, with randomized components, on the homework completion, homework accuracy, and the academic achievement …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of The Special Education Referral Process For Black Males Based On Ace: Administration, Culture And Environment, Malik Douglas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal comparative study is to contribute to the understanding of Critical Race Theory by using a parametric test to compare the independent variable of human characteristics to the dependent variables of Administrative, Cultural, and Environmental/ Hereditary (ACE) factors to develop a picture of parents'/guardians' and educators' attitudes about factors that may explain the overrepresentation of Black males in special education programs. A total of 162 participants completed a self-reporting demographic characteristic survey and the Gresham survey to provide information on the attitudes towards the administrative, cultural, and environmental/hereditary factors that may be correlated with the overrepresentation …

Preparing Music Educators To Work With Students With Diverse Abilities: An Introduction To Music Therapy, Elizabeth Mitchell

Music Faculty Publications

Music education programs are uniquely situated within Canadian universities as most disciplines do not offer honours education programs at the undergraduate level. Within faculties of music, honours music education students engage in both practical and philosophical preparation for their teaching careers prior to acceptance and enrolment at a Faculty of Education. These students often return to departments of music education to pursue graduate work after having taught music within public or private school systems.

Music teachers regularly teach children with special needs within self-contained as well as integrated or inclusive classrooms. Research indicates that music educators are enthusiastic about the …

Evaluating Factors That Influence Treatment Integrity During Peer Consultation, Jennifer Ann Arms

Theses and Dissertations

Many schools are using consultation in order to provide students with disabilities adequate services mandated by IDEA (2004). However, consultation is only effective if consultee's implement treatment plans with high levels of treatment integrity (Noell et al., 2005 & Sanetti & Kratochwill, 2008). There are many factors that influence consultee's treatment integrity. The current study examines teacher respondent's answers to the Evaluating Factors that Influence Treatment Integrity During Consultation Survey. Results indicate the teacher consultee's believe peer educational consultants to have more knowledge in the area of behavior. Further results indicate that there are up to 19 factors that teacher's …

Barriers In Meeting The Needs Of Special Education Students: A Qualitative Case Study, Zoee Bartholomew

Education | Faculty Authored Dissertations and Theses

Special education students’ needs are not consistently being met in special education programs. This qualitative single case study explored special education programs based on a county education program serving multiple school districts in Northern California. The qualitative approach was selected to explore and identify potential themes in special education programs affecting special education students’ needs not being met consistently. There were 14 themes found in this study, which appeared to be potential barriers impacting students’ needs from being met consistently. The study utilized both a theoretical and conceptual framework for the study. There were 8 recommendations provided to help this …

Perspectives Of Parents Of Students With Disabilities Toward Public And Homeschool Learning Environments, Angie Marie Delaney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homeschool delivery to students is on the rise, particularly in regards to the education of students with disabilities. At this time, there is a lack of research on homeschooled students with disabilities. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how parents choose a model of education for their children with disabilities. A purposeful sample of 3 distinct groups comprising 13 parents of children with disabilities was assembled: (a) parents who are homeschooling their child with a disability, (b) parents who have decided to enroll their child in the public school system after previously homeschooling, and (c) parents who …

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 …

Identification Of Specific Learning Disabilities: Georgia School Psychologists' Perceptions, Marie T. Underwood

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

An on-line survey was conducted to investigate the assessment practices and perceptions of 366 practicing school psychologist in the state of Georgia concerning various operational components, and the use of RTI when determining SLD eligibility. Results were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression to determine if psychologists’ perceptions could be predicted based on various explanatory variables. Results revealed that a little over half of the respondents preferred assessment of cognitive processing deficits evidenced through patterns of strengths and weaknesses for establishing SLD classification; while well over two-thirds continue to also value analysis of cognitive ability (IQ) scores. Psychologists’ assessment practices were …

Teachers Adapting Common Core Informational-Text Writing Instruction For Students With Mild To Moderate Disabilities, Diana Hawley

Doctoral Dissertations

With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards, students must now become skilled at using different types of writing to help them critique text and process information. They also are required to write informational text. Informational-text writing is challenging for students with mild to moderate disabilities, including students with language-learning disabilities, who often struggle with aspects of language necessary for learning to read and write. These students show striking challenges with productivity, grammatical and spelling accuracy, and sentence complexity, with differences in performance by genre (Koutsoftas & Gray, 2012; Scott & Windsor, 2000; Troia, Lin, Cohen, & Monroe, 2011). …