Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Effects Of A Multimedia Shared Story On Comprehension Of An Employee Handbook, Stephanie M. Devine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Employment outcomes for individuals with intellectual disability (ID) continue to be among the lowest reported (Migliore, Butterworth, & Hart, 2009; Siperstein, Parker, & Drascher, 2013). Literacy skills are critical for obtaining employment and for supporting continued success in the workplace (Conceição, 2016), but individuals with ID typically have very low literacy levels (Katims, 2000). Limited research has been conducted on literacy skill development for young adults with ID, particularly on work-related texts such as employee handbooks. Research supports the use of shared stories on adapted age-appropriate texts for students with significant cognitive disabilities, including those with ID (Hudson & Test, …

Exploration Of The Qualities And Interactions Of Post-Secondary Faculty Identified As Exemplary By Students With Support Services, Joan E. Green

Special Education ETDs

Recent statistics indicate that approximately 11% of undergraduate college students seek out disability support services (National Center for Education Statistics, 20015). The review of research indicated a lack of research regarding faculty in postsecondary education and their knowledge of disabilities and services, experiences of individuals with disabilities, and in particular, experiences and interactions toward students with support services attending postsecondary educational institutions. The purpose of this case study was to explore the classroom experiences of seven faculty nominated by students with support services as exemplary at a four-year public university. The semi-structured interviews focused on the abilities of students with …

Working Together: Building K-12/College Mentor Partnerships To Support Students With Learning Differences, Tammy J. Graham, Renee N. Jefferson, Koy Mai, Christopher "Gage" Russell, Ashley Cannon, Mary Taylor

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

In an interactive discussion with audience members, presenters will share ideas for developing positive mentor-mentee partnerships between K-12 schools and colleges; discuss the impact of two recently established mentor partnerships, as well as perspectives from college student mentors and K-12 teachers of student mentees with learning differences; collaboratively examine data to discuss potential program adaptations; and provide mentoring activities that audience members can utilize.

Young Adults With Visual Impairments And Driver's Education: Journeys Of Self-Efficacy, Identity, And Transition To Adulthood, Molly Pasley

Theses and Dissertations

A person’s ability to travel independently can determine whether he or she transitions successfully from one life stage to another. One critically important aspect of independent travel is coming to understand how vehicles move in the built environment. For youth without visual disabilities, this information is addressed in depth in driver’s education courses. In the case of adolescents with visual impairments, the acquisition of this information is more complex and raises a number of complicated questions. In this qualitative study, seven adults with visual impairments ages 18-27 and six of their family members are interviewed to determine the impact of …

An Examination Of The Student-Focused Transition Planning Process In A Rural Setting, Pamela Lynne Brezenski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the local state special education transition aged postoutcome survey measurements, high school students with disabilities (HS-SWDs) continue to demonstrate problems with unemployment, independent living, and postsecondary education as they transition to adult life. HS-SWDs receive instruction from transition planning teams (TPTs) to address educational attendance, independent living, agency collaboration, and employment skills. When these knowledge and skills are not acquired, HS-SWDs cannot gain employment or attend postsecondary institutions. The purpose of this qualitative, bounded case study was to explore the TPT members' perspectives of the transition planning process. Kohler's transition taxonomy guided this study. The research questions were used …

The Role Of Professional Development On Secondary Special Educators Self-Efficacy Regarding The Use Of Evidence-Based Transition Practices, Lauren P. Bruno

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how transition specific professional development influenced secondary special educators’ knowledge and perceived self-efficacy regarding the use of evidence-based transition practices. Past research has suggested that secondary special educators enter the profession with limited knowledge and skills to provide effective evidence-based transition practices to students with disabilities. Based on Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, and Desimone’s framework for effective professional development, this study identified how different variables related to professional development can influence teacher self-efficacy in terms of delivering evidence-based transition practices. Specifically, a correlational research design was used to investigate teacher self-efficacy to …

Factors Contributing To School Placement For Students With Emotional Behavioral Disorders, Colleen F. Weis

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students with Emotional Behavioral Disorders, in combination with significant and chronic behaviors, are often placed in alternative educational settings. No clear rationale is used by school districts to determine educational placement, and schools rely on a variety of settings to provide instruction and services to students with disabilities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the narrative regarding student placement in restrictive settings and the individual and institutional rationales for student transitions. It also studied the narratives supporting students’ return to a less restrictive educational placement. Participants were school district representatives in one Minnesota county who served on …

Understanding Administrators' Perceptions On Transition Education, Jessica Rose Samples

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Transition education is a required component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Information Act of 2004, and all students who have disabilities must have a transition education plan to prepare them for life after high school. However, there are no definitive standards for transition programs, and it is unclear how administrators with successful transition education programs support those programs to make them successful. The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to examine how administrators of successful programs perceive transition education programs. Systems theory provided the framework for this study because administrators can impact the entire special education system by …

Preparing Those With Developmental Disabilities For Adulthood And Work: Parent Perspectives On Support Services Available In Washington State, Amy Mcalindon

All Master's Theses

Services designed to support the transition periods for individuals with special needs from high school to employment vary throughout the state of Washington. There is little information available regarding the opinions of parents and their experiences while navigating supports available in their area, and recommendations for system improvements. This paper derived from an in-depth study regarding these experiences and questions how the Diffusion of Innovation theory could be used to impact public policy, leading to improvements in high school to employment supports for individuals with special needs. This study presents the findings of a survey sent to parents of children …

Promoting Transition To Postsecondary Education: Creating Opportunities For Social Change, J. Christopher Linscott, Carey Busch

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

Multiple studies document that students with disabilities participate at significantly lower rates than their peers without disabilities in post-secondary education, post-school employment, independent living, and community participation. This article exposits a program model at Ohio University, Gateway to Success, which addresses this inequity through a combined effort of various stakeholders. Particular consideration is given to evidence based predictors related to post-school success, the need for intervention, and the social justice implications of increased participation in post-secondary education for students with disabilities.

Teachers' Perceptions Of Addressing Leisure In Curriculum For Students With Severe Disabilities, Kara Klepp

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study was designed to examine the perspectives of addressing leisure in curriculum for students with severe disabilities. Quality of life disucssions have shown the importance of considering skills to prepare them for adulthood which includes leisure outcomes. Research has examined many different aspects of transition including vocational education, but limited research has been conducted relating to leisure outcomes. Qualitative data obtained through semi-structured interviews indicated that more research is needed in leisure education including curriculum development and prioritization of skills taught. The participants reflected on their own definitions of leisure, current leisure outcomes, and the types of assessment …

Effects Of Parent Training On Increased Knowledge And Changes In Perceptions Regarding Transition To Adulthood For Middle School Youth With Disabilities, Lauren E. Wright

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parents of children with severe/moderate disabilities experience uncertainty and a lack of knowledge as their children go through the transition to adulthood. Research has shown parents play a key role in their child's postschool outcome success and that parent training and beginning transition preparation early are key predictors. This study examined the effects of parent training on parents' knowledge, expectations, and action towards their child's transition to adulthood. Participants consisted of parents of middle school youth with severe/moderate disabilities. The study measured parent knowledge, expectations, and actions. Procedures involved (a) a pretest administered to parents on their transition knowledge, (b) …

Transition For Students With Autism: A Multi-Case Qualitative Study Exploring How Male Students With Autism Experience Postsecondary Education, Christine Bojanowski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This dissertation was multi-case study designed to examine how three male students with autism experienced the academic, social, and self-advocacy aspects of postsecondary education. The study was driven by the following conceptual framework concepts: entrainment, social capital, self-determination, and disability studies. The research question for the study was: How do male students with autism experience the academic, social, and self-advocacy needs of postsecondary education from the perspectives of the students themselves, their parents, their professors, their disability coordinators, and their tutors? Data were collected via multiple interviews with the students, their parents, their professors, and the disability coordinators at their …

Parent Perspectives On Transition Services And Expectations For Transition-Age Students With Disabilities In A Virtual School Setting, Heather Raithel

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

Students with disabilities often experience difficulties as they transition from school to adult life. This project examined the perspectives of parents of transition-age students with disabilities enrolled in a full-time virtual school setting. The first dependent variable was parent satisfaction with transition services for students in the virtual school including relevancy and quality of student and parent trainings and information on transition, inter-agency collaboration, community-based learning experiences, staff knowledge and communication, transition specific courses, and appropriateness of the IEP transition plan. The second dependent variable was parent expectations for students as they exit school in regards to independent living, post-secondary …

The Quiet Discrimination Of Lowered Expectations: A Study On The Independent Living Needs Of Severely Disabled Individuals In Kansas, Joe Dalgarn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing the independence of individuals with severe disabilities is of increasing concern to schools and federal agencies. Improving quality of life for high needs individuals with disabilities is an objective of transition programs, which allow consumers to adapt from one aspect of life to the next. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between variables (a) vocational assessment and exploration; (b) workplace readiness training; (c) independent living skills; and (d) self-advocacy and self-care and the independence level of individuals with severe disabilities residing and receiving their education within an institutionalized setting. Finally, this study will examine the …

A Qualitative Investigation Of Secondary General Education Teachers' Perspectives On Their Involvement In Transition Services, Stephen M. Kwiatek

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory qualitative study was designed to examine the perspectives of secondary general education teachers’ involvement within the transition for all youth, including youth with disabilities. Youth with disabilities continue to find less success than peers without disabilities during postsecondary life. Research has examined special education teachers and transition professionals’ roles within the transition process, but limited research has been conducted relating to general education teachers’ roles. Qualitative data obtained through semi-structured interviews indicate the opportunity for more substantive involvement in transition planning for all students, including those with disabilities. Overall findings suggest that general educators have desired student outcomes …

Transitioning Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder From School To Society, Charla Brenta Spurlin Deleo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High school administrators in a rural school district were providing transition planning to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in order to meet postschool transition goals. Despite these efforts, few students with ASD were employed or enrolled in postsecondary training, and parents reported that they were dissatisfied with the postschool transition process. The purpose of this collective case study was to explore parental and staff perceptions of the postschool transition processes of students with ASD to increase the understanding of the practice related to postschool transitions. Guided by Tinto and Pusser's institutional framework, research questions were focused on the experiences …

Educational Predictors For Postsecondary Living Status, Irina Cain

Theses and Dissertations

This study was performed as the result of gaps in the literature in the area of transition to independent living (IL) using secondary data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS-2). Its findings identify individual, skills, family, and school factors that predict postsecondary living status and moderators of the relationships between predictors and the outcome. Specifically, results indicated the following factors as predicting postsecondary living status: individual factors (ethnicity and disability label), skills (self-care, functional mental, personal autonomy, self-realization, and social), family factors (parental expectations and parental involvement in school), and school factors (student’s role in transition planning and …

An Alternative Program To Help Special Education Students Transition Back Into High School: A Program Evaluation, Janine E. Gruhn

Dissertations

This program evaluation examines the effectiveness of transitioning students from an alternative program (O’PLUS) back to a general high school setting. Research on effective alternative high schools for students with disabilities includes five components: broad academic courses, support structures that can be customized to a student’s needs, student-felt connection to the school and built in motivation, a caring adult community, and responsive school leadership (Brigharm, et. al. 2006). Students lacking these key components in an alternative setting often do not transition well, or at all, back into the high school general education environment. In this program evaluation it was found …

Transition Outcomes Of Young Adults With Disabilities: A Social Cognitive Career Theory Perspective, Sabrina Michelle Singleton

Dissertations

Young adults with disabilities are impacted by the learning experiences they engage in as students that help shape their career development post-high school. Researchers have identified moderate-level transition predictors that improve post-school outcomes in employment, postsecondary education, and/or independent living. This study used the Social Cognitive Career Theory to examine if a relationship exists among race/ethnicity, gender, and disability type and transition predictors among young adults with disabilities in Mississippi who completed high school in May of 2013. Additionally, this study explored whether a relationship existed between career decision self-efficacy and engagement in employment or enrollment in postsecondary education. A …

The Effect Of Behavioral Skills Training On Teachers Conducting The Recess-To-Classroom Transition, Sarah C. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although it may not seem harmful, students in the elementary grades often take several minutes to move from recess back to their classrooms. The problem, however, is that these lengthy transitions add up over time, and teachers lose valuable time to instruct. The less instruction students receive, the poorer their academic performance tends to be. But how much time can teachers save by reducing their students’ transitions?

According to the current study, the answer is a lot. Dr. Thomas S. Higbee and Sarah C. Smith of Utah State University recently conducted a study in which they trained second, third, and …

Easing Reentry Of Incarcerated Youth With And Without Disabilities Through Employability And Social Skills Training, Taryn Vanderpyl

CGU Theses & Dissertations

When incarcerated youth – those with and those without disabilities – face the prospect of reentering the community, they have many obstacles to overcome. Employment requirements are often associated with terms of parole or aftercare. Those who fail to obtain and maintain employment often reenter the juvenile justice system instead of successfully reentering society. Research shows employment is critical for successful transition from incarceration back in to the community. Limited information is available about programs that positively impact post-incarceration employment for juveniles, however. Practitioners face the challenge of selecting effective curriculum, interventions, or supports. Unfortunately, the current knowledge base provides …

Using Group Video Self-Modeling In The Classroom To Improve Transition Speeds With Elementary Students, Matthew T. Mcniff

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Video self-modeling has been proven to be an effective intervention for individuals with a variety of disabilities and behavioral issues. Very few studies have addressed the impact of video modeling on behaviors that are displayed by groups of students and no studies have tackled the issue of group behaviors with video self-modeling as an intervention. This study focused on analyzing the effects of video self-modeling on students in an elementary classroom in order to increase the speed at which the students lined up and transitioned. Further, the study addressed the question of whether the intervention had a differential impact on …

Parents’ Expectations Of Developmentally Delayed Children With Special Education Needs (Sen) When Transitioning Into And Out Of The Public Middle School Environment, Areza C. Enea

Dissertations

Transitions occur at every stage during the educational experience. Transitions from preschool to adulthood affect students and their parents when entering or leaving each educational level. The most difficult transitions for any parent occur when students advance to the next level of their educational journey. Special education students’ transition experiences are unique and more formalized. The students’ identified special education needs (SEN) impact where and how they will transition. These needs are considered during the formalized individualized education plan (IEP) process, involving parents, educators, and other key stakeholders. Parents of special needs students rely on parent-teacher-administrative collaborations to assist students …

Examining Barriers And Facilitators Of Community Based Vocational Instruction For Students With Significant Disabilities, Lavinia Gripentrog

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

This study examines the barriers and facilitators of community based vocational instruction (CBVI) for students with moderate to significant disabilities as identified by special educators. Community based vocational instruction (CBVI) involves students with disabilities receiving repeated instruction on vocational and other job related skills in community settings (Kim & Dymond, 2010). An electronic survey was sent to high school and transition special education teachers from four states including Utah, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Colorado. One hundred thirty-five participants completed the survey. Almost two-thirds of the respondents had a master’s degree and one-third a bachelor’s degree. The majority of respondents were …

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 …

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 …

Indicator 13 Training For Transition Teachers: Comparison Of Pre-And Post Test Scores On Writing Of Goals, Christina B. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Special education teachers sometimes experience problems with knowing how to construct and write transition goals that meet Indicator 13 requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This project examined the effects of teacher training in Indicator 13 requirements on the quality of transition goals. Participants included 17 special education teachers from one school district located in a western state. Target behaviors where increasing each participants’ post-test goal quality scores from individualized transition plans (ITP) written after they demonstrated knowledge about requirements through a post-instruction goal quality writing probe. Procedures involved (a) a pre examination of participants’ transition goals that …

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 …