The use of puppetry to motivate and teach children in early education settings has a long tradition, yet there is very little research evidence linking puppetry training for teachers to the use of puppets in early elementary school classrooms. In this study, 120 early childhood educators completed a survey about the use of puppetry in schools and their perceived value as an educational tool. Teachers were also asked to indicate the type of training they had had in puppetry skills (college course, workshop, both college and workshop, neither), and their perceived abilities as puppeteers. The survey data were tabulated to determine overall frequency response rates. Chi Square analyses were used to examine relationships between the type of training and the following factors: the overall use of puppetry in the classroom; teachers' perceived ability as a puppeteer; the number of professional programs presented in the classrooms; and teachers' attitudes towards the effectiveness of puppetry in the classroom. Although results indicated that training by itself was not related to the use of puppets in classroom settings nor to teachers' reports on the overall effectiveness of puppetry as a teaching tool, training in puppetry was significantly related to the teachers' perceptions of their own abilities as puppeteers. And, the average frequency of use of puppets in the classroom increased with each increase in skill level. Data are also presented concerning the attitudes of the teachers toward the use of puppets in their classrooms, the various curriculum areas in which puppets have been used successfully, limitations on puppetry use and student classification (emotionally disturbed, developmentally delayed, physically challenged, "typical"). The implications of these findings as they relate to teacher inservice training are discussed. A training module to teach puppetry skills to early childhood educators is outlined as are topics for possible future research.

Students with learning disabilities are enrolling in post-secondary education programs around the country with increasing numbers. The literature suggests that students with learning disabilities are often unprepared and overly challenged by the academic demands of college. This study introduces three domains of self-management (academic self-understanding, procedural self-management, and content mastery self-management) identified through a focused literature review, and presents an short-term, ten-week long (one session per week), skills based training as an intervention to better prepare students with learning disabilities for post-secondary educational success. Students with learning disabilities from a local college were identified as eligible for this study according to criteria outlined in the methods section of this study, and all eligible and interested students were included in the study. Students were pre and post tested on a set of dependent measures. This study presents a program evaluation using as a before and after design including seven case studies. Confidentiality of all human subjects was in adherence to the ethical research guidelines of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Over the past six years, efforts at integrating students with disabilities in general education classrooms, otherwise known as “inclusion,” have occurred in varying degrees in response to legislative requirements; national, state, and local school district initiatives; and advocacy groups vocalizing their inclusionary philosophies and beliefs. Subsequently, the number of students with mild to severe disabilities who are placed and educated in general education classrooms has increased, yet the inclusion movement has been tremendously challenging for educators. Massachusetts Education Reform, the Title I Reauthorization, and a district-wide Inclusion Plan are compatible in several ways and have influenced inclusive efforts in the district studied. They all promote collaborative efforts in delivering services to students, as well as require that high expectations in content and performance standards be set for all students. Given special education's least restrictive environment mandate, Title I regulations encouraging inclusion as a primary service delivery model, and a mandated inclusion plan, the stage was set for this district to implement inclusion. This study examines inclusion service delivery models in second and fourth grade with particular emphasis on general education students' academic and social outcomes in inclusion versus non-inclusion classrooms. Several questions guided the study: (1) What are the effects of inclusion classrooms on the academic progress of general education students compared to the academic progress of general education students in non-inclusion classrooms? (2) What are the social benefits of inclusion to general education students? (3) Regarding general education students' success in inclusion classrooms, what are the perceptions and experiences of the teachers, the principal, the parents, and the students? A two-part literature review, an analysis of in-depth interviews, a Student Assessment Inventory, curriculum-based and norm-referenced test scores in reading and mathematics, report card grades, and attendance records are presented. Implications for this school, district, and other districts are addressed. This study documents five general findings regarding the implementation of inclusion, variables for successful inclusion, a continuum of placements for all students, the use of multiple teaching strategies, curriculum modifcations, and alternative assessment measures to address all students' needs, and the outcomes of inclusion academically and socially for general education students.

This research study uses a descriptive approach and systematic observations to examine the nature of nonverbal teacher-student interaction in a second grade inclusion classroom. Its purpose is to compare the nonverbal behaviors of children who are considered average in ability with those who are perceived as cognitively challenged, while they are engaged in regular classroom instruction in both large and small group settings. This study also examines the nonverbal behaviors of one teacher as she interacts with a select group of students within the context of a naturalistic classroom environment. The data collection involved classroom observations noting context, formal and informal discussions with the classroom teacher regarding lesson instruction, student profiles, and overall study validity and the videotaping of small and large group math lessons. For purposes of analysis, each videotape was viewed numerous times in an effort to capture the nonverbal interaction in the categories of Verbal Eye Contact, and Nonverbal Eye Focus (i.e., attending to teacher/student, attending to procedure, non-attending) in three situations: Student-teacher, Teacher-student, Student-student. Intra-observer agreement was established. The role of teacher/student proximity and teacher voice tone were addressed separately. The results indicate that the most common nonverbal behavior exhibited by both the special education students (SES) and regular education students (RES) was attending to procedure under the category of Eye Focus. The SES varied more among themselves in the verbal eye contact category, teacher eye focus and non-attending subcategories than did the (RES). Verbal eye contact and attending to student and attending to procedure in the Eye Focus category were the predominant nonverbal behaviors used by the classroom teacher. In most cases the majority of nonverbal interaction occurred between students who sat in close proximity regardless of their cognitive ability. The small group setting lent itself to greater frequencies in each of the nonverbal categories for both RES and SES. The data from this study also indicate a relationship between teacher voice tone and effective classroom management. Taking into consideration the possible nonverbal behaviors which engage all students may assist teachers as they attempt to meet the diversity in today's inclusion classroom.

The current study examined the effect of Strong Start Grades K–2 (Merrell, Parisi, & Whitcomb, 2007), a social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, among a sample of 24 kindergarten and first grade students identified by their teachers as needing additional support with behavioral and social skills in school. The current study used a quasi-experimental design with within-subjects and between-groups comparisons (Heppner, Kivlighan, & Wampold, 1992) to evaluate the effects of the Strong Start social and emotional learning curriculum. The intervention consisted of staggered curriculum implementation across four classrooms, whereby students were assigned by classroom to either the treatment or waitlist conditions. The classroom teachers implemented the 10 lessons of Strong Start as part of their classroom instruction. Results indicated that Strong Start was implemented with moderate integrity and there were significant within-subject effects for increases in students' emotion knowledge and decreases in students' problem behaviors associated with exposure to the curriculum. However, no significant effects were found between intervention and waitlist groups for increase in emotion knowledge and decreases in problem behaviors. Teachers and students indicated strong user satisfaction and social validity of the Strong Start curriculum. Limitations of this study as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Community colleges have always played a crucial role in providing access to college, especially for students with disabilities. At the same time the rate of completion is exceptionally low for this particular population (Belch, 2004). In order to improve persistence and achievement measurably, colleges may seek clues in successful transitions by students with disabilities. This project presents a qualitative research study to illuminate factors that contribute to semester-by-semester success of community college students with disabilities during their first year. A conceptual model of successful transitional processes was developed from theoretical constructs reported in the literature and was expanded by data from individual case studies. Seven very strong stages emerged as a result of the research. These stages were: (1) pre-college experiences that influence academic involvement, (2) initial encounters that created first impressions, (3) transition shock, (4) support-seeking and strategic adjustment (5) prioritizing and balancing of college and non-college commitments, (6) recognizing success, and (7) a sense of belonging to the college community. These results indicated a successful transition into college is an important first step in persistence for students with disabilities. Persistence of students with disabilities requires further attention and research in order to improve graduation rates of these students at community colleges.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate three different teaching approaches that might improve the social functioning of young children with visual impairment and additional disabilities. These three methods included: (1) the arrangement of ecological variables (child-selected play materials), (2) peer-mediated training procedures, and (3) teacher-directed prompting strategies to promote and reinforce social behaviors. Of the four children studied, two failed to show changes in verbal and physical interactive behaviors across baseline and peer-mediated conditions. However, these same two students demonstrated increases albeit highly variable, during the teacher-prompting phase. For the other two students, physical and verbal interactive behaviors increased during both peer and teacher prompting conditions when contrasted to baseline phases. Overall, these findings suggest that teacher-prompting procedures may be an effective teaching method to improve social skills of young children with vision impairment and additional disabilities.

The effects of mainstreaming on children with disabilities have been well-documented, yet its effects on typical children are not well known. In this study, multiple measures were used to examine social behavior and possible determinants of social behavior of typical preschoolers in integrated and non-integrated classrooms. Measures were selected to build toward a comprehensive and convergent picture of what typical children in both settings do and think in reference to their peers. Methodological problems in earlier research were circumvented by increasing the number of settings and size of samples used, and by matching subjects on the variables of gender, age and social-economic status. Sixty typical preschool children in integrated and non-integrated classrooms were compared on the variables of social behavior, self-competence, social distance and attitudes and cognitions about disabilities. Results challenge research reports asserting children with disabilities are assigned low social status in integrated classrooms. In comparison to non-integrated children, children in integrated settings demonstrate more accurate understanding of issues involving disability, and higher competence ratings. They also exhibit more prosocial and communicative behaviors. Children in integrated classrooms demonstrate positive attitudes and behavior toward special needs peers. Findings suggest that children in mainstreamed classrooms demonstrate social interactions, beliefs and attitudes that are socially desirable.

This study will attempt to clarify behavior modification practices as related to the timeout procedure generally and specifically in a program for emotionally and behaviorally troubled children grades 3-5 and to propose a new concept which may improve the efficiency and effectiveness of behavior management. This study took place in a self-contained classroom in a public school that is located in a semi-rural community. It is understood that teachers need to be in control of their classrooms in order to maintain an effective learning environment. The way they achieve that control may be dependent upon imposed control in contrast to students managing themselves. This study will attempt to provide an understanding of children's ability to control their own behaviors and the role of the teacher as a facilitator of tools for modifying behavior.

This dissertation is a critical ethnographic study of a participatory research project in which a group of eight adults labeled mentally retarded, with the assistance of two nondisabled adults, created and performed a musical theater production called Special. Special was produced as part of a participatory research process in which group members also interviewed friends, advocates of disabled people, and former residents of a local institution for people labeled retarded, in order to find out how ex-residents were treated once they were placed in community living situations. The information from these interviews, as well as accounts from group members' own lives, comprised the content of Special. This study consists of two main parts--an interpretive section (Chapters 5 and 6), including emic and etic interpretations of group members' experiences, and a critical section (Chapter 7), in which an internalized oppression framework is invoked to examine group members' experiences. Three main findings of the study were: (1) that group members expressed a chronic problem orientation; (2) that group members exhibited a justice orientation; and (3) that group members were largely motivated by the drive to visibility, or the need to be seen, understood and accepted for who they really are. Another major finding of the study was that group members' drive to visibility was not only a major motivation for doing the play, but was also a key to understanding much of their behavior--that when they felt visible, they "acted up," or became positive and productive, and that when they felt invisible, they "acted out," or became destructive, and even violent, evidence of internalized oppression in group members. Group members' drive to visibility, coupled with their resistance to an identity of mental impairment, raises two important questions regarding the issue of social identity with people labeled retarded: (1) Are there reasons to believe that people labeled retarded can feel a sense of pride in who they are, both as individuals and as members of a social group? (2) If people labeled retarded cannot feel a sense of pride, what are their prospects of overcoming internalized oppression, and of working with one another as a group with an identity, a purpose, and a right to have power like all other groups?