Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / John A. Hortin / Secondary adolescents with disabilities (AWD) have been mandated participants in their Individual Education Plan (IEP) and Individual Transition Plan (ITP) meetings since 1990, yet overprotective and well-meaning adults have assumed their advocacy role (Janiga & Costenbader, 2002). This has weakened their (secondary AWD) ability to become self-determined. Secondary AWD should be involved with the development, implementation and execution of services and supports in their IEP/ITP in order to benefit from their participation in general education as well as develop self-determination skills. To improve transition outcomes, this study examined self-determination and socio-cultural factors (race/ethnic and gender groups) among secondary adolescents with disabilities by differentiating baseline skills among race and gender groups. The two independent variables were race/ethnicity and gender. The dependent variables were the self-determination total score and each of four domain total scores (Autonomy, Self-Regulation, Psychological Empowerment, and Self-Realization) of the Arc’s Self-Determination Scale. The literature revealed that there was not a standard for self-determination training programs for students with disabilities and teachers (Brunello-Prudencio, 2001). However, empirical data has emphasized that socio-cultural development (i.e. gender and race) could impact self-determination. Understanding the socio-cultural perspective of race/ethnicity and gender on self-determination has the potential to improve transition practices as well as highlight the importance for self-determination (Trainor, 2005). This study utilized information from the Arc’s Self-Determination Scale (Wehmeyer & Kelchner, 1995) score of secondary adolescents with disabilities to determine whether differences existed among race/ethnic and gender groups. Research findings from this study indicated significant differences in total scores among race/ethnic groups for: (1) the autonomy domain (the ability to express personal preferences or beliefs); (2) self-determination; and (3) there was no significant difference for gender on either domain score or self-determination total scores. This research revealed that a self-determination assessment instrument could be used to isolate essential abilities and behaviors by gender and race for secondary adolescents with disabilities. To promote positive outcomes among deficit areas of self-determination for secondary adolescents with disabilities, this researcher recommended differentiated strategies for educational practitioners. Differentiated strategies could focus on collaborative learning communities, experiential learning options, and reduced emphasis on competitive learning environments.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Socorro G. Herrera / Throughout the last several decades, rises in CLD student populations and teacher accountability have factored in the increased numbers of CLD students being referred for, and placed in, special education. Because traditional evaluation processes do not reliably distinguish student learning problems that result from culturally/linguistic difference from those associated with innate disability, once referred, most CLD students go on to be placed in special education. Since over-referral is a key factor in over-representation, the purpose of this qualitative study was to identify and examine the student and teacher factors associated with referral of bilingual CLD students for special education evaluation. The primary sources of data for this study were school records generated by classroom teachers, and semi-structured interviews with teachers who had referred bilingual CLD students for special education evaluation. Qualitative data garnered from these sources permitted identification and description of CLD student learning behaviors, and teacher interpretations thereof, which factored into referral of these students for special education. Results, obtained through review and analysis of 27 referral records and six teacher interview transcripts indicated that lack of teacher preparation was a significant factor in the teacher's ability to appropriately perceive and respond to CLD student learning behaviors. Most notably, grade-level teachers tended to overrate the CLD student's English language proficiency based upon observations made within the school setting. Once determined to have enough English, the CLD student's language needs were essentially disregarded throughout the pre-referral (intervention) process. Student failure with unaccommodative interventions appeared to reinforce teacher perceptions of prereferral as a confirmatory process rather than the means by which student learning problems could be resolved. These phenomena were compounded by the teacher's expressed deference for psychological test data and preference for special education placement. Teachers form observation-based opinions about CLD student language proficiencies which can derail the instructional and intervention process for CLD students and lead to inappropriate referrals for special education. Further research is needed to determine the reliability of such teacher impressions and methods by which these teachers can better identify and respond to CLD student's language assets and needs.

Master of Science / Department of Psychology / Donald A. Saucier / Research has shown that attributions and behavioral reactions toward individuals may be based on their appearance; our studies examined how appearance-based assessments for individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs) determined how others think and react toward a target individual. Two studies examined the effects of appearance and identification on perceptions (i.e., agentic and communal traits) and behavioral reactions (i.e, self-efficacy expectations, anxiety, willingness to interact) toward targets. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that individuals with atypical appearances were rated higher on communal than agentic traits. Study 2 revealed that greater self-efficacy expectations and lower anxiety were associated with individuals with atypical appearances and individuals identified as having an ID. These studies increase understanding of perceiver-focused and target-focused factors related to bias toward individuals with IDs.

Doctor of Education / Department of Special Education / Robert H. Zabel / This study investigated the effects of new teacher induction programs on feelings of burnout of 69 newly hired special education teachers from two Midwestern, metropolitan school districts. The central research question was whether there was a significant difference in feelings of burnout between new teachers in a district that uses a special education instructional resource teacher as a key feature of their induction program and teachers in a district that uses a more traditional induction model. Participants’ scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey provided the dependent measures. There were, on average, no statistically significant differences (p < .05) in feelings of burnout of newly hired special education teachers in the two school districts. There were, on average, no statistically significant differences between the two groups. These findings suggest that, at least in these districts, special education teachers are staying in the field longer than originally expected, newly hired special education teachers are coming to the job better prepared, and deliberate and responsive induction programs did not influence feelings of burnout. The influence of participant demographic characteristics, particularly the amount of experience and licensure status, is discussed. Implications of these findings for special education teacher induction programs are suggested. Among these are the examination of supports from various sources, the availability of resources, and the structure of the induction program itself to meet the needs of more experienced teachers.

Doctor of Education / Department of Special Education / James Teagarden / Gerald Bailey / Finding qualified teachers is a growing concern to school districts nationwide. Special Education is one of those areas that is highly in need. Researchers have suggested the reason for these shortages is not recruitment of special education teachers, but the retention of special education teachers. The research has also shown that lack of effective building administrative support may be a critical factor in a teachers’ decision to stay or leave the field. This study was developed to determine what administrative behavior special education teachers value the most. Additionally, this study sought to find out if there were differences in the administrative behaviors that special education teachers value and what building administrators perceive to be of value. A survey was sent electronically to a random sample of convenience to 200 special education teachers and 200 building administrators in the state of Kansas; 276 surveys were returned. The survey collected data to determine the perceived value of administrative support behaviors by the special education teachers, and any differences of the perceived value of administrative supports by the building administrators. The survey items were categorized into four subgroups of administrative behaviors: emotional, environmental, technical, and instructional. The administrative behaviors of most value to the special education teachers were those that were emotional in nature. Respondents reported that the most valued support actions included providing praise and acknowledging that the teacher makes a difference, supporting the teacher in front of parents, and trusting the teacher’s judgment. Findings also indicated that there were statistically significant differences between what administrative supports special education teachers valued and what building administrators perceive to be of value to special education teachers, with the exception of the technical administrative support actions. These findings suggested that it would benefit school districts positively to implement strategies to evaluate the emotional support provided and desired by their special education teachers as one method to reduce special education teacher attrition. One way of ensuring administrators provide these supports is to hold them accountable, perhaps through policy change in the evaluation process. With recent legislation such as No Child Left Behind, mandating all students receive a quality education form qualified teachers despite the current shortage of special education teachers; administrators must implement strategies to reduce teacher attrition.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Gerald D. Bailey / The purpose of this study was to create a handbook for school and museum educators to support their development of curriculum materials that provide meaningful access to diverse learners. The handbook was developed using the research and development methodology (R&D) developed by Borg and Gall (1989). The steps in the R&D cycle used in this study included: (1) Research analysis and proof of concept; a proof of concept consisted of interviews with three national experts in the areas of accessibility, education, and museum education to determine the need for the resource. (2) Product planning and design; information was gathered through a literature review, curriculum materials derived from a collaborative partnership between Kansas State University and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum were used as examples. (3) Product development; a prototype of the handbook was created. (4) Preliminary field test; the handbook was evaluated by five national leaders in the fields of education, accessibility, and museum education. (5) Product revision; revisions were made based on feedback from the preliminary field test. (6) Main field test; seven potential users from the areas of education and museum education reviewed the handbook. (7) Operational product revision; feedback from the main field test was used for final revisions. Conclusions: 1. There was a need for a resource to assist professionals in the design of curriculum materials that were accessible to diverse learners in both the school and museum setting. 2. The handbook was useful to both intended audiences. Museum educators found the handbook expanded their thinking to include cognitive accessibility. School educators reported the handbook increased their skills in designing learning activities for diverse learners. 3. The handbook provided specific instructions in the applications of differentiated instruction and universal design to curriculum developed for museums. 4. Physical accessibility was accepted as an important concern for museum educators. This awareness provided a useful bridge to cognitive accessibility. 5. Cognitive accessibility was accepted as an important concern for school educators. The handbook increased their skills in reaching diverse learners. 6. Both museum and school educators appreciated the technology resources that prompted reviewers’ expanded thinking.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Marjorie R. Hancock / No Child Left Behind legislation has required public schools to increase efforts to measure and track student performance through school, district, state and nation-wide assessments. Researchers argue that it is essential for all students, including special education students, to be included in accountability assessments in order to help measure and track educational progress and compare the performance of schools, districts and states in terms of achieving educational goals. One method for including more special needs students in accountability assessments is to use accommodations during testing. Assistive technology is an accommodation that is approved for use on accountability assessments in many states and has the potential to significantly impact the performance of special education students. The primary purpose of this research was to gather and analyze data from special service providers (staff of a special education cooperative) and educators and administrators (employees of the school districts the cooperative serves) on the subject of using assistive technology as an accommodation on Colorado State Assessment Project (CSAP) testing. The researcher conducted a survey to measure the attitudes and knowledge of educators and special service providers on this subject. The survey was a five point Likert scale comprised of ten items designed to measure "attitudes" and ten items designed to measure "knowledge". Data was analyzed using backward regression analysis to compare scores between groups and consider the impact that years of work experience had on survey scores. The researcher used responses from survey data to select ten survey respondents to participate in in-depth interviews. Interview data was analyzed using pentadic analysis, a method of rhetorical analysis designed by Kenneth Burke (1945). Survey results indicated that the knowledge and attitudes scores between the two groups were similar, however regression analysis identified a significant increase the attitude scores of employees of the special education cooperative as they gained work experience. Scores of district employees did not increase on either scale as participants gained work experience. Analysis of interview data provided rich description of participants’ knowledge and attitudes concerning the use of assistive technology as an accommodation and enabled the researcher to identify significant similarities and differences between groups of employees and the state standards intended to guide their decision making on this subject. Results of this research suggest a need for improving education on the subject of assistive technology, related state regulations and improving resources to foster the use of assistive technology as an accommodation on accountability assessments.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Marjorie Hancock / With the inception of No Child Left Behind, educators are required to ensure proficiency for all students in reading and math, but provide no incentive for developing the talents of gifted students (Gentry, 2006b). Implementing differentiation into the classroom can assist educators in providing appropriate instruction for all students and maximizing the potential of gifted learners. Differentiation modifies curriculum and instruction to meet the diverse needs of students in the classroom (Tomlinson, 1999, 2001, 2003). The purpose of this study was to document how differentiation influenced the gifted readers’ ability to think more critically and the fifth grade teacher’s perceptions of differentiation as it was implemented into the reading curriculum for all readers in her classroom. This qualitative research study was conducted in a fifth grade classroom in a rural mid-western community from October 24, 2008 to February 4, 2009. Data collection included response journals of the gifted readers, audio recordings of literature circle discussions, observations/field notes, digital voice recording of interviews with the gifted readers and the classroom teacher, teacher reflective journal, and weekly meetings. Data analysis revealed three levels of critical thinking within ten categories as outlined in the Written Response Hierarchy of Journal Critical Thinking. Advanced Level Critical Thinking included the categories of Synthesis, Character Affinity, Character Scrutiny, and Evaluative Inquiry. Intermediate Level Critical Thinking was evidenced by the categories of Inference, Image Construction, Author’s Writing Technique, and Prediction. Basic Level Critical Thinking was represented by responses in the Ambiguity and Engagement categories. The Oral Response Hierarchy of Literature Circle Critical Thinking revealed four critical thinking levels of oral response. Analytical and Probe represented Advanced Level Critical Thinking, Conjecture demonstrated Intermediate Level Critical Thinking, and Engagement provided evidence of Basic Level Critical Thinking. Advanced Level Critical Thinking was evidenced in both written and oral responses across the three stages of the study. Data analysis further revealed the teacher’s perceptions of differentiated instruction. Benefits included increase in students’ motivation, active involvement and leadership, exceeding expectations, quality of literature circle discussions, confidence in implementing differentiation with continuous support of a mentor, flexibility, and empowerment to solve problems.

Doctor of Education / Department of Special Education / Warren J. White / The current study, based solely on teacher-report, provides descriptive data regarding current transition-related instructional practices among Kansas special educators of secondary-aged youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Students with E/BD are the least likely of all students with disabilities to gain and maintain positive post-school outcomes in the areas of employment, personal-social skills, and community and independent living. Students who demonstrate functional life skills and self-determination skills independent of instruction and directive generally report a higher quality of life than those who are unable. Transition-related instruction specifically addressing functional life skills and self-determination skills may assist these students in their quest for positive post-school outcomes. Research indicating what, if any, transition skills instruction these students receive is not available. Teachers (N = 165) reported a desire to provide transition skills instruction to youth with E/BD (N = 1,076) yet reported having very little transition training (fewer than eight clock hours) and providing very little instruction (less than two hours weekly). Teachers reported that many students with E/BD do not demonstrate life skills and self-determination skills independent of instruction or directive, yet fewer than 11% of the student population had, within their IEP, a goal addressing the specified transition skills. IDEA 2004 regulations mandate that teachers address the transition needs of students with disabilities within a statement of needed transition services, which is not happening with any regularity. The self-determination skills of demonstrating positive social interactions, making appropriate choices and decisions, and employing self-regulation, though often deficits of youth with E/BD, were among the skills mentioned least frequently within the goals of these students. Based on the Pearson r correlation-coefficient analysis no significant relationship was indicated between the number of years of experience of the teachers and the number of minutes of transition instruction teachers provided to this student population. Very few significant relationships existed between the level of independence students reportedly demonstrate each life skill and self-determination skill and a) the amount of transition training the teacher had received and, b) the amount of transition-related instruction teachers reportedly provide. The teacher’s focus has frequently shifted from transition to educational reform.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Anthony Jurich / This study explored the parents’ perspective of having a child with Autism living in the home. Specifically, the researcher was looking to explore the attachment style between the parent and child, as well as the process of the parents’ changing their expectations of their child, from the expectation of raising a normal child to raising a child with Autism. In order to understand the experience of both families interviewed, the researcher, through semi-structured, qualitative interviews, interviewed each parent separately. A multiple case study approach was used in order to allow for comparison within each family. Methods for analyzing the data included coding the data, so that the data could be analyzed from the individual interviews and also analyzed based on family response. For the parents interviewed in the study, four themes emerged that were similar for all parents. These themes included the diagnosis process, the differences in attachment before and after their child was diagnosed, the changing expectations of themselves, each other and their diagnosed child, and the parents’ views on getting professional help, such as therapy. Both families shared the experience of confusion during the diagnostic process, especially confusion surrounding the cause and prognosis of Autism. All parents in the study illustrated the attachment injury after their child’s diagnosis, in addition to when the child began showing the classic signs of Autism. The study also found that each parent’s expectations changed from higher ones of themselves, spouse and diagnosed child to more moderate and low expectations of their spouse and diagnosed child. Last, all parents interviewed expressed that seeking therapy would have helped them deal with the diagnostic process and better cope with having a child with Autism. It is believed by the researcher that these themes have emerged because of the families’ shared experience of raising an Autistic child.