The availability of online college and university courses have continued to grow, offering opportunities for education to students that may find attending in a regular classroom difficult, if not impossible. The number of students with disabilities enrolling in online courses is also growing. However, because of the mode of delivery (via computer/internet), blind and low vision college and university students can find it difficult to participate fully in an online course if it is not designed with accessibility in mind. Education is directly related to blind and low vision individuals becoming fully employed and independent. Blind and low vision college and university students who have previously taken an online course and used assistive technology devices to access the computer are aware of the issues of accessibility to online courses. The current study began by asking a group of blind and low-vision students to answer seven open-ended questions regarding their experiences accessing online courses at their college or university. The group responses generated 25 survey items and participants were asked to rate each item. Survey items were evaluated and participants were given the opportunity to re-rate their answers based on the group’s responses. The final results were evaluated and ranked in importance according to participant responses. Results were discussed along with the implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research.

Previous research has shown that various forms of self-evaluation improve teachers' instructional skills. Common among all studies reviewed is the importance of explicit pedagogy linked to improved student outcomes and clear instruction on how to self-assess. Both of these appear critical to sustained change in teachers' behaviors. In this study new teachers were provided initial didactic instruction to improve their presentation skills, praise rate, and error corrections. In addition, the effects of self-evaluation of targeted skills were assessed with one teacher. All three teachers mastered the targeted skills. Two teachers mastered the skills immediately following didactic instruction and practice in a coach's classroom, while one participant mastered the skills following self-evaluation, goal setting, and video. The results are examined relative to the available research. In addition, variables that might have contributed to the loss of experimental control are discussed.

This study examined how Florida administrative law judges (ALJs) constructed an appropriate education for students with disabilities in their final orders. This study utilized the Johnstone Method as a heuristic in analyzing the data. It examined the construction of an appropriate education from the implementation of PL 94-142 up to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Board of Education v. Rowley (1975-1978), after the Rowley decision (1983-1986), and after the reauthorization of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act in 2004 (2004-2007). Each time period was examined individually and then the results were compared. The data sources included six purposively sampled final orders obtained from the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings and the Florida Department of Education. Two final orders per time period have been examined. For each time period, one final order with the school district as the prevailing party and one with the parent as the prevailing party were selected. Immersive line-by-line coding, and grounding of claims in specific textual evidence have been utilized to establish trustworthiness. The results indicate that during the period pre-Rowley, ALJs constructed an "appropriate" education based on the needs of the child and the special education program proposed to meet those needs. Deference was not given to one party over the other and the ALJ used his or her judgment in helping to construct an appropriate education. After the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Board of Education v. Rowley (1982), experts were charged with constructing an appropriate education for students with disabilities. This decision established an epistemic hierarchy that gave deference to school districts over parents. Outcomes were not considered by ALJs in constructing an appropriate education post-Rowley. The purpose of special education as outlined in IDEA (2004) had no impact on the construction of an appropriate education for a student with a disability; instead the Rowley decision impacted the time period post-IDEA (2004). Throughout the three time periods, the ALJs all emphasized that school districts are not required to provide the "best" education to students with disabilities.

Creating a scientifically literate society appears to be the major goal of recent science education reform efforts (Abd-El-Khalick, Boujaoude, Dushl, Lederman, Hofstein, Niaz, Tregust, & Tuan, 2004). Recent national reports in the U.S, such as Shaping the Future, New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (NSF,1996), Inquiry in Science and In Classroom,. Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 2001), Pursuing excellence: Comparison of international eight-grade mathematics and science achievement from a U.S. perspective (NCES, 2001), and Standards for Science Teacher Preparation (NSTA 2003) appear to agree on one thing: the vision of creating a scientifically literate society. It appears from science education literature that the two important components of being a scientifically literate individual are developing an understanding of nature of science and ability to conduct scientific inquiries. Unfortunately, even though teaching science through inquiry has been recommended in national reports since the 1950's, it has yet to find its way into many science classrooms (Blanchard, 2006; Yerrick, 2000). Science education literature identfies several factors for this including: 1)lack of content knowledge (Anderson, 2002; Lee, Hart Cuevas, & Enders, 2004; Loucks-Horsely, Hewson, Love, & Stiles, 1998; Moscovici, 1999; Smith & Naele, 1989; Smith, 1989); 2)high stake tests (Aydeniz, 2006); 3) teachers' conflicting beliefs with inquiry-based science education reform (Blanchard, 2006; Wallace & Kang, 2004) ; and, 4) lack of collaboration and forums for communication (Anderson, 2002; Davis, 2003; Loucks-Horsely, Hewson, Love, & Stiles, 1998; Wallace & Kang, 2004). In addition to the factors stated above this study suggest that some of the issues and problems that have impeded inquiry instruction to become the primary approach to teaching science in many science classrooms might be related to teachers NOS conceptions. Developing desired understanding of nature of science conceptions and having an adequate experience with inquiry learning is especially important for science teachers because science education literature suggests that the development of teachers' nature of science conceptions is influenced by their experiences with inquiry science (Akerson et. al. 2000) and implementation of science lessons reflect teachers' NOS conceptions (Abd-EL-Khalick & Boujaoude, 1997; Matson & Parsons, 1998; Rosenthal, 1993; Trowbridge, Bybee & Powell, 2000; Turner & Sullenger, 1999). Furthermore, the impediments to successful integration of inquiry based science instruction from teachers' perspective are particularly important, as they are the implementers of inquiry based science education reform. The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between the teachers' NOS conceptions and their inquiry beliefs and practices in their classrooms and how this relationship impedes or contributes to the implementation of inquiry based science education reform efforts. The participants of this study were in-service teachers who were accepted into the online Masters Program in science education program at a southern university. Three online courses offered in the summer semester of 2005 constituted the research setting of this study: (1) Special Problems in the Teaching of Secondary School Science: Nature of Science & Science Teaching, (2) Curriculum in Science Education, and (3) Colloquium. Multiple data sources were used for data triangulation (Miles & Huberman, 1984; Yin, 1994) in order to understand the relationship between participants' NOS views and their conceptions and beliefs about inquiry-based science teaching. These include: (1) VNOS questionnaire, (2) Electronic postings, (3) Semi-structured interviews, (4) email correspondence, and (5) videotapes. The study revealed that the relationship between the teachers' NOS conceptions and their inquiry beliefs and practices is far from being simple and linear. Data suggests that the teachers' sophistication of NOS conceptions influence their perception of inquiry science instruction in variety of ways. In a nutshell, these include: 1) The teachers become more confident in their ability to implement inquiry-based science classes; 2) Better understanding of NOS conceptions assists the teachers develop a higher appreciation of inquiry science instruction; 3) The teachers' misconceptions about nature of science appear to be connected to their misconceptions about inquiry science instruction; 4) A better understanding of NOS concepts seems to have stimulate the teachers to put more emphasis on some aspects of inquiry more than others; and 5) Sophistication of teachers' NOS conceptions influences their decisions about the type of inquiry they plan to incorporate in their instruction. This study also suggests that enhancing teachers' NOS conceptions should be among the main objectives of inquiry-based professional development programs and courses that are taught in science education programs. Science education literature suggests that teachers' resistances to adopting inquiry-based science instruction may be related to their inadequate or inappropriate knowledge of the nature of science (Lederman & O' Malley, 1990; Lederman, 1992; Ryan & Aikenhead, 1992). This study reveals that enhancing NOS conceptions helps teachers in their efforts to integrate inquiry into their instruction by boosting their confidence in their abilities to teach science through inquiry. This study reveals that especially teachers who lack strong science backgrounds and prior experience with inquiry science are at risk. Not having a strong background in science and lacking extensive experience with inquiry science negatively influences the teachers' confidence and thus delays their efforts to implement inquiry-based science lessons. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Middle & Secondary Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester 2007. / Date of Defense: June 21, 2007. / Nature of Science Conceptions, Reform in Science Education, Professional Development, Online learning, Inquiry learning / Includes bibliographical references. / Alejandro J. Gallard, Professor Directing Dissertation; Jeff Chanton, Outside Committee Member; Nancy Davis, Committee Member; Janice Flake, Committee Member.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 253-266). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 253-266). Also available on the Internet.

Algebra has been called a gatekeeper because proficiency in algebra allows access to educational and economic opportunities. Many students struggle with algebra because it is cognitively demanding. There is little empirical evidence concerning which cognitive factors influence algebra achievement. The purpose of this study was to test a cognitive model of algebra achievement among undergraduate college students. Algebra achievement was defined as the ability to manipulate algebraic expressions which is a substantial part of many algebra curriculums. The model included cognitive factors that past research has shown relate to overall math achievement. Other goals were to compare a cognitive model of algebra achievement with a model of SAT-M performance and to test for gender differences in the model of algebra achievement. Structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect effects of algebra experience, working memory, 3D spatial abilities, and computational fluency on algebra achievement. Algebra experience had the strongest direct effect on algebra achievement. Combined direct and indirect effects of computational fluency were as strong as the direct effect of algebra experience. While 3D spatial abilities had a direct effect on algebra achievement, working memory did not. Working memory did have a direct effect on computational fluency and 3D spatial abilities. The total effects of 3D spatial abilities and working memory on algebra achievement were moderate. There were differences in the cognitive models of algebra achievement and SAT-M. SAT-M scores were highly related to 3D spatial abilities, but moderately related to algebra experience. There were also gender differences in the cognitive model of algebra achievement. Working memory was highly related to computational fluency for males, but was not related to computational fluency for females. This study adds to the large body of evidence that working memory plays a role in computational abilities throughout development. The evidence that working memory affects higher level math achievement indirectly through computational fluency and 3D spatial abilities provides clarity to conflicting results in the few studies that have examined the role of working memory in higher level math achievement.

The needs and concerns of the siblings of children who are deaf-blind were studied. Subjects included 12 siblings (eight males, four females) whose families are involved in the Utah Intervener Services Program. Information was collected by conducting one-on-one interviews with the siblings. The Siblings' Perceptions of the Intervener Interview (SPII) and Taylor's Siblings' Problems Questionnaire were administered. The results indicated that individual sibling's perspectives were unique, varying from positive to negative. As a group, the siblings made positive comments about the intervener and their life with their deaf-blind brother or sister.

All areas of life require time management, but those skills are especially integral and require a different level of accountability for an individual to be successful in academia or when employed (DiPipi-Hoy et al., 2009; Macan et al., 1990). A study by Janeslätt et al. (2015) measured daily time management of adults and found individuals with cognitive disabilities possessed low daily time management skills compared to neurotypical peers. In a study by Button et al. (2019) the majority of college students with disabilities at one university who sought out support services spent most of their time working on the area of time management. A potential way to address these deficits is a new trending tool to assist students with disabilities to improve time management skills, wearable and mobile assistive technology. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a vibrating smart watch (Apple Watch® Series 6) using preprogrammed calendar events to improve the time management skills of students with disabilities.