A quantitave study was done on children who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders in primary schools. The main aim was to measure IQ and to find out if there are indicators of organicity. The hypotheses of the study were as follows: (i) Children diagnosed with ADHD will obtain lower scores on IQ tests than children not diagnosed with ADHD; (ii) Children diagnosed with ADHD have some form of neurological deficit or organicity The study consisted of a sample 25 children who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders and the children who were never diagnosed with the disorder. The sample and the control group range from the age of six (6) to 13 years. Data was collected using Bendor Visual Motor Gestalt Test and Senior South African Individual Scale Revised. Descriptive Statistics. Chi-square Test and Mann-Whitney Test were used to determine the difference between the sample and the control group. The results indicated that there is significant difference between children with ADHD and the control group on both verbal and non-verbal IQ tests. This means that children who were diagnosed with ADHD scored lower on measures •of IQ. The differences may have been due to IQ. or the ADHD group was distracted enough to perform significantly worse on reading. spelling, mathematics, comprehension and written tasks. The results on the Chi-square indicated that there is a relationship between the presence and ADHD and organicity. The findings in this study will aid teachers and parents (especially in African communities), to find out more about the children who they think are just problematic children.

This study investigated teachers’ management of learner problems in the context of an impoverished school community. The rationale for the study took into consideration the constant demands placed on learners and teachers by poverty-related issues. By illuminating the factors that affect teachers’ work performance in the context of an impoverished school community, it is hoped that all education stakeholders would be motivated to support, assist and guide teachers to overcome the current challenges with regard to poverty in schools, thus enhancing their work performance as well as that of their impoverished learners. The study employed a qualitative research design. Through a process of purposive sampling, five teachers from a primary school from the Phoenix Ward of the Pinetown District in KwaZulu-Natal were selected. The data were generated by means of semistructured interviews. The data gathered were coded and organized into themes, categories and sub-categories. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings suggest that the consequences of poverty at school level are numerous and become even more complex when there is a lack of parental support at community level. Furthermore, they reveal that poverty impacts negatively on learners’ academic performance. Factors associated with poor work performance by learners included abuse, parental apathy, the environment, and a lack of resources, to name but a few. Praise and recognition, as well as democratic leadership styles on the part of teachers have a positive influence on learners’ work performance. Flexibility, care and visible intervention by teachers and the school have been found to have a positive impact on learners’ attitude towards school. The study concludes with a number of recommendations to address and manage the problems experienced by learners in impoverished contexts. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

The research focused on an alternative partnership as an intervention strategy with regard to addressing problematic learner behaviour within the broader system and takes into account that there are practitioners who are experts with specialized knowledge and pooling of such resources would lessen the burden on those currently involved. The current position is that when a learner is considered to be presenting with challenging behaviour, the policies and referral procedures of the Department of Education deem it necessary that the learner is referred to the Department of Social Development, which is mandated to provide statutory services to children up to age 18years. The research strategy focused on the challenges in the current partnership between the respective departments through the collection of data from educators and social workers. A review of policies and procedures that address problematic behaviour among children under the age of 18 years was also undertaken with the objective of identifying gaps and challenges posed in their implementation when addressing learner behaviour. While the research focused on the partnership between the Department of Social Development and the Department of Education in the management of learner behaviour, an alternative partnership was implemented as part of an „action research‟ project and which includes other Departments, Non Governmental Organizations and Community Based Organizations thereby adopting a holistic approach in addressing problematic learner behaviour. Critical Systems Thinking and its metamethodology of Critical Systems Practice, utilizing Soft Systems Methodology as the dominant method of data collection, influence it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Educators from five schools and focus group discussions held with Social Services Practitioners to identify an effective partnership while engaging in continuous learning. An analysis of the responses revealed that the notion of a community of practice prevailing within the Department of Social Development can be extended to include other Social Workers who are experts in their respective fields of service, other professionals and Educators, all of whom have the common goal of uplifting humanity. The research, based on a core competence partnership approach, revealed that it is possible to implement the Integrated Service Delivery Model to the problem situation giving effect to its purposes, one of which is to develop and empower vulnerable groups in society, in this instance, learners at secondary schools as well as their parents thereby regenerating sound morals and values. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2009.

The effects of a gymnastic unit on stereotypic, on-task, and off task behaviors of two children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and two children with Down syndrome were examined using structured teaching, based on adaptations by the TEACCH model. Structured teaching consisted of individual pictorial activity schedules and work systems. The stereotypic, on-task, and off task behaviors were observed during three phases: baseline, treatment, and post-treatment. / Inter-rater reliability of stereotypic, on-task, and off task behaviors was 82.2%. The results indicated reductions on the levels of stereotypic behaviors of both participants with ASD, while no significant changes were observed in the levels of on-task behaviors for these participants. This was probably due to the fact that the gymnastic unit was fairly structured even before the implementation of the treatment. No effects were found on the levels of on-task behaviors of both participants with Down syndrome.

This study surveyed school-based speech language pathologists regarding their expectations for children returning to school after suffering a traumatic brain injury. Limited literature exists discussing the coordination procedures that should occur between hospital and school personnel. The survey was developed based on the existing literature and was sent to school-based speech language pathologists in the state of Indiana. A total of 38% of the surveys were completed and returned. Results of the surveys found that many of the coordination procedures in the literature were not consistently being followed. Participants who reported having experience with this population in the schools seemed more aware of the procedures that should be followed, based on their answers to the survey questions. It can be concluded, based on the results of the surveys, that increased knowledge and experience of school personnel about the effects, implications, and needs of students with traumatic brain injury would benefit children returning to the school environment after sustaining this type of injury. / Department of Speech Pathology & Audiology

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether gifted students scored higher on reading achievement and self-esteem ratings when they worked in mixed ability (heterogeneous) groups or similar ability (homogeneous) groups while participating in cooperative learning activities. The participants were 47 fourth grade students from six intact classrooms in four elementary schools in small midwestern school districts.The Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests were used to obtain pre- and posttest scores in the area of reading ability. The test consisted of 93 items, including 45 vocabulary and 48 comprehension questions. The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory was also given to the students as a pre- and posttest measure of self-esteem. A treatment of cooperative learning activities was then completed with each class by the researcher to determine if there was a difference between the two groups.The following hypotheses were tested at the.05 level of significance:Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference between the reading achievement of gifted students who participate in cooperative learning with heterogeneous groups of students and gifted students who participate in cooperative learning with homogeneous groups of students.Hypothesis ll: There is no significant difference in the self-esteem ratings of gifted students who participate in cooperative learning with heterogeneous groups of students and gifted students who participate in cooperative learning with homogeneous groups of students.To test the hypotheses an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. For each hypothesis, the obtained F-ratio exceeded the F-value for significance at the .05 level. Therefore, the tests failed to reject the null hypotheses. The findings of this study indicate that students achieve equally well in reading achievement and self-esteem regardless of the grouping strategy used. / Department of Elementary Education

This study identified school and district level variables relevant to the relationship among advanced academic achievement, as defined by a score of 3, 4, or 5 on at least one Advanced Placement exam, and high school context, opportunities for social support and advanced academics, and district support for high ability students in grades K-12. Using school and district-level data from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), district level data on services for high ability students from the IDOE Division of Exceptional Learners, and school-level data from College Board, 49 variables are described for 339 public high schools. A hierarchical linear regression was applied to 15 independent variables thought to be most relevant to the explanation of the variance among high schools. After review, a second hierarchical regression was conducted with 9 retained independent variables explaining 80% of the variance in high performance. The retained variables included size of the graduating class, SAT average, demographic classification according to local population density, percentage of the community with less than a high school education, number of different AP exams offered by the school, ratio of the number of students scoring between 55 and 80 on the math portion of the PSAT to the number of graduates, ratio of the number of students taking SAT Subject Tests to the number of graduates, percentage of the school corporation enrollment identified as high ability, and the number of grade levels and subject areas in which advanced instruction differentiated for high ability students was offered for at least 150 minutes per week. The variables included in the first regression are delineated for the highest 34 (10%) and lowest 34 (10%) performing schools on the dependent variable to construct profiles of a high and low performing school. High performance is limited in small and rural schools. The overarching finding is that schools make a significant difference in the opportunities and development of high performance in adolescents of high ability. Future research directions are suggested and implications of the findings for policymakers are discussed. / Department of Educational Psychology

Behavioral competencies are important elements of school readiness and make up an important component in any preschool curriculum. In this study, music therapy was implemented in a Head Start preschool program as a behavioral intervention. Forty-five subjects received music therapy sessions in groups of six to ten children for 25 minutes, twice weekly. The first treatment group received music therapy intervention along with the regular curriculum for eight weeks while the other subjects participated in the regular curriculum only. The second eight weeks, the second treatment group received music therapy intervention along with the regular curriculum while the first group participated in the regular curriculum only. Head Start teachers used the Behavioral Objective Sequence to assess all students at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the sixteen week period. Results indicated a significant increase in positive behavioral competencies associated with the music therapy intervention. Additionally, the music therapy intervention had a stronger impact on older students (ages five to six years) versus younger students (ages three to four years). / Department of Special Education

This study investigated the relationship between student scores on the Behavioral Objective Sequence (BOS) and student placement, the relationship of BOS scores to teacher variables, and the relationship of BOS scores to student variables. Participants in the study were 47 special education teachers serving students with Emotional Disabilities (ED). The teachers reported BOS total and subscale scores for 141 ED students. Student and teacher demographic data was collected. A significant relationship was identified between BOS total scores and student placement. A significant relationship was found between five of the six BOS subscale scores and placement. Student variables, with the exception of socioeconomic status, were not found to have a significant relationship to BOS scores or placement. Teacher variables were not found to have a significant relationship to BOS scores. The results of this investigation indicate that the BOS may be a useful tool for IEP team use in determining appropriate placement for students withED. / Department of Special Education

One result of the school reform movement has been changes in the teacher licensure programs. There has been a development of certain expectations in the quality of educators as well as in the educational services that are to be disseminated to students with special needs. Many states have restructured their licensure programs for special education teachers in order to adjust for the changing criteria for "high quality" teachers and to meet the demands due to shortages in the field and the current mandate for quality teachers. The state of Indiana changed its licensure requirements to incorporate a more generalist format. Categorical licenses, including ED have been discontinued in the area of special education. Teaching students with ED differs significantly than teaching other disability areas. This licensure change has resulted in fewer academic requirements in the area of ED. Therefore the new licensure format may result in less adequate preparation for future teachers to meet the diversity of needs experienced by this disability area. The level of training does effect the knowledge and skills teachers will have and their ability to provide appropriate services and placements for students with ED. Further, job stress for special education teachers of ED is a well documented role-related concern which has been linked to the levels of training and the intensity of student needs. The high attrition rate of special education teachers impacts the quality of services that students receive by limiting the growth in expertise that develops with experience. More appropriately trained teachers possess higher the quality of skills and knowledge which can be related to the quality of services provided to students and outcomes. The results of the study indicate that the more participants believed that their training was adequate, the more they were likely to believe that teaching students with ED requires a specific knowledge and skills and less likely to agree with IPSB's decision to eliminate skills associated with the categorical license program. This was a replication study and the findings supported the results of the earlier study completed by Braaten, Ulman, Merbler, and Polsgrove (2001). / Department of Special Education