<p> The research for this qualitative ethnographic study included interviews with nine general education, middle-school teachers in an urban school district. The purpose of this study was to explore how inconsistencies in teacher-based referrals describe disproportionality in special education. Through the development of themes from participant responses, the results of the study indicated that teachers had deeply rooted opinions of appropriate classroom behavior and academic achievement. Teachers were more likely to recommend special education services if the student did not align with the teacher&rsquo;s personal experiences of appropriate behavior and academic achievement. In the majority of the sample, teachers recommended that the student be referred for special education services. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a self-monitoring practice in a middle school setting. A total of three participants who received special education services utilized this self-monitoring practice to evaluate their individual behaviors. This investigation took place in an inclusive classroom setting where the participants received instruction from a certified teacher alongside their non-disabled peers. A multiple baseline ABAB design was employed to determine the effectiveness of a cuing procedure on two specific measures; 1.) staying on task and 2.) following directions. The participants recorded data on their individual intervention sheets during the intervention phases. Each of the participants made improvements toward the two specified measures. This investigation revealed that self-monitoring practices can be used to manage students&rsquo; behaviors and to assist teachers with classroom management.</p>

<p> I selected 10 typically developing preschool students between the ages of 2 and 3 years from a preschool facility. I tested their listener and speaker responses to common stimuli to determine whether they demonstrated differences in their listener and speaker repertoires. I selected the 6 children with the largest discrepancy in their listener and speaker repertoires to participate in Naming probe sessions to measure for the presence of Naming (a capability which allows an individual to acquire language incidentally). None of the participants had the full Naming capability at the onset of the study. A delayed multiple probe design across participants was implemented to test for the emergence of speaker responses for stimuli the participants could only respond to as a listener prior to the acquisition of Naming. Multiple exemplar instruction (MEI) across speaker and listener responses was implemented to induce Naming in these participants. Following the acquisition of Naming the experimenter re-tested listener and speaker responses, finding that the participants could respond as a speaker to the stimuli they previously could only respond to as a listener, thereby demonstrating the transformation of stimulus function from listener to speaker responses. Following the acquisition of Naming, 5 of the 6 participants acquired over 50% of untaught responses with the exception of 1 participant who acquired 30% of untaught responses following the acquisition of Naming.</p>

<p> In order to investigate the actual instructional experiences for students with reading disabilities in Taiwan, a qualitative study was conducted using the method consisted of observation of the special education environment and interviews with two students with reading disabilities, one parent of the student, and three Resource Room teachers. On a macroscopic scale, the researcher looked at the special education system&rsquo;s implementation in a public middle school in Taiwan, while on a microscopic scale, the researcher focused on the remediation of the reading disabilities that the students were receiving in special education. The ultimate goal of this research was to benefit the special educational system in Taiwan in educating students with reading disabilities. Therefore, this was written in both English and Mandarin for the benefit of readers in Taiwan and in the U.S.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative design study was to better understand the experiences of high school general education English teachers who have students with Asperger Syndrome in their classes. More specifically, this researcher wanted to better understand the teacher&rsquo;s perception of the IEP-denoted accommodations the general education teachers are responsible for implementing. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, journal entries and collection of artifacts. Findings of this study include: the IEP document and IEP process from the lens of the general education teacher do not provide adequate information when considering the unique needs of students with Asperger Syndrome; general education English teachers are committed not only to forming relationships with students with Asperger Syndrome, but often take it a step further, taking on the role of advocating for the student as well as encouraging the student to advocate for himself or herself; and general education English teachers are committed to doing what works for the student, regardless of what information can be found in the IEP document.</p>

<p> This case study produced evidence regarding the relationship between parents&rsquo; and educators&rsquo; partnership in the creation and implementation of a child&rsquo;s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and regular elementary educators&rsquo; perceptions of the mainstreaming process. The quantitative research portion included the collection of Likert scale surveys (<i> N</i> = 62) from kindergarten through fifth grade regular elementary teachers and parents of students mainstreamed into the regular education classroom. The qualitative portion of the research involved interviews (<i>n</i> = 6) with kindergarten through fifth grade educators teaching in a regular education classroom. Data from the quantitative data were analyzed prior to the qualitative data, but the data were analyzed to monitor for ways data were related after separate analysis was completed. The results indicated that the opinions of parents and educators did not differ significantly when asked about the IEP process. Participants in the qualitative portion of the research supported what was found in the literature review. Teachers have had both positive and negative experiences with mainstreaming. Negative experiences generally related to having little or no training related to handling students with special needs outlined in an IEP, misbehaviors interfering with the classroom environment, unclear expectations of student accommodations and paraprofessionals (paras), and unsuccessful attempts at mainstreaming due to lack of support or communication with stakeholders. Positive experiences reported during interviews included some paras working well inside the classroom, success with support received from administration, and students with IEPs working alongside their grade level peers.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to explore the application of andragogical principles to real-time embedded coaching of parents, when teaching their children with hearing loss to talk. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.) </p>

<p> 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 efficacy of the Functional Independent Skills Handbook curriculum and assessment in addressing the independent living skills needs of individuals with severe disabilities in-residence in a state institution. Participants include adolescents with severe disabilities receiving services from the Special Purpose School at the Parsons State Hospital. </p><p> The results obtained by this study may be of extreme use to educators, service providers, and policy makers in Kansas, as well as other states utilizing a similar institutionalization model for severely disabled individuals. The study yielded statistically significant results that a focused, leveled curriculum emphasizing (a) vocational assessment and exploration; (b) workplace readiness training; (c) independent living skills; and (d) self-advocacy and self-care can increase the independence level of individuals with severe disabilities.</p>

<p> Research has shown that there is an achievement gap with students of color in the urban environment and their White non-urban peers (Norman, Ault, Bentz, &amp; Meskimen, 2001; National Research Council, 2012) additionally an achievement gaps exists between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2011). The demand for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) preparation is growing and more students need to be prepared in school for STEM careers (Carlson, 1997). The didactic traditional style of teacher led text book reading has proven unsuccessful for large groups of urban youths and students with disabilities (Kahle, Meece, &amp; Scantlebury, 2000; Haberman, 1991; National Research Council, 2012). Using a hands-on, experiential informal learning environments in science has proven successful in engaging students to the science curriculum (National Research Council, 2012). Nature has also proven to engage students into the curriculum. This study combines these topics and addresses the gap in the literature where these topics overlap. This qualitative case study sought to understand how students with learning disabilities from an urban environment experienced nature-based informal learning. The participants for this exploratory case study informed by ethnographic methods of observation involved seven eighth grade students with learning disabilities from an inclusive science program at a public urban school.</p><p> The students participated in four nature related informal learning experiences that were aligned to the science curriculum. These students&rsquo; experiences were collected from observations, and conducting both one-on-one interviews and focus groups. The data was then triangulated, analyzed thematically, and interpreted. The students&rsquo; experiences were shared thematically. The three themes which emerged from the data were:</p><p> -Hands-on learning is an engaging and a more enjoyable way of learning for students with learning disabilities.</p><p> -There is not enough science being taught.</p><p> -Students are not habitually accessing natural areas.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative research study was to better understand why students classified with emotional disturbance (ED) were able to graduate from high school and earn high school diplomas. Students classified as having emotional disturbance have a host of deficits in the areas of reading, writing, math, and social and emotional skills. Despite these stumbling blocks, some students who had these deficiencies were resilient and able to graduate from high school, even in an era of school reform and heightened accountability. Using an extensive literature review, this phenomenological study explored reasons why this targeted population remained in school. Graduates were interviewed to determine the motivational factors that influenced and enhanced their decision to stay in an urban alternative high school. The subjects were classified with emotional disturbance over the age of 18 who were well past the age when they could legally withdraw from school and had graduated from a special education alternative high school in an urban setting. A cadre of administrators and teachers who supervised and taught this population during their 11^th and 12^th grades were interviewed for comparison to determine what kept these students in school. The theoretical framework of Alderfer&rsquo;s Existence, Relatedness, and Growth (ERG) theory was used; findings showed that the growth aspect was key in both the teachers&rsquo; beliefs as well as the students&rsquo; responses.</p>