This study describes the experiences of belonging of three Grade 6 students with mild disabilities, Jacob, Leah, and Andy, educated in an inclusive classroom. In addition, I gained the perspective of the classroom teacher, Linda, who described her approaches to facilitating belonging in an inclusive environment. Data collection included field observations and interviews with the classroom teacher and with the three focal participants. After completing data collection, analysis of the classroom data and the data of the three individual students was conducted using standard methods of qualitative analysis. Themes that emerged from the classroom data included: developing a trust culture, developing trusting relationships, teaching pro-social behaviours, building competence, and fostering autonomy. The classroom teacher fostered a supportive community environment that encouraged the development of interpersonal relationships, and she actively supported the social-emotional needs and the academic needs of all her students. Each student participant presented a unique case; therefore, the themes for the three student participants varied. Common themes included: sense of belonging, interpersonal relationships, and peer victimization. Themes that varied were sense of academic and social competence and fostering autonomy. For each individual student, belonging was fostered slightly differently and yet to fill this need, relatedness with others and a sense of academic or social competence was necessary. This study emphasizes that a sense of belonging is complex and multidimensional. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-12-01 08:35:33.991

This thesis suggests that students with (dis)abilities are immersed in, and emerge from powerful discourses within classrooms named `inclusive'. It suggests that resilient and normative psycho-medical discourses and discourses of special education work to maintain the deep structures of schooling, and work against a valuing of difference, and of the Other, within schools and classrooms named `inclusive'. The inquiry that is the basis of this thesis works with textual representations of `inclusion' and `inclusive schooling' and works to address issues of identity and subjectivity within the various discourses from which `inclusion' and `inclusive schooling' might be understood to emerge. It is sited within Western philosophical streams concerned with language and meaning, discourse and narrative, texts and textuality. It emerges from a qualitative research paradigm and is deeply influenced by the earlier works of Michel Foucault (1969, 1970, 1972, 1991). Through these works Foucault develops `genealogy' as a form of historical analysis. This thesis engages genealogy as a form for critical interpretative inquiry into schooling practices named `inclusive' of students with (dis)abilities. The genealogy admits the historical, social, theoretical and political contexts which frame research, inquiry and interpretation within the social sciences. The inquiry emerges from an epistemology of tentativeness and uncertainty. It accepts that knowledge is contextual, contingent and indeterminate. It addresses the associated `crisis of representation' (Denzin & Lincoln 1994, 1998) related to what might constitute an adequate description of the sets of social relations and spaces named `inclusive schooling' through interpretative processes of opening questions and sets of questions. / This genealogy develops understandings of `inclusion' and `inclusive schooling' through unfolding sequences of questions as 'thought-lines' that are strategies for this interpretative inquiry. Three thought-lines are woven from the questions which both propel, and emerge from, the processes of this critical interpretative inquiry: The 'self-other' thought-line; The 'included-excluded' thought-line; The 'particular-general' thought-line. Thought-lines transgress the borders of form and content in this inquiry. They are enmeshed to become the fabric of the genealogy. The thesis is in three sections, the first, Shaping a Genealogy, offers a theoretical and methodological perspective. The second, Squinting and Connecting, is in the form of a suite of interpretations, and the last, Developing Understanding, offers a range of ways in which inclusion and inclusive schooling might be understood. The thesis culminates in a set of new questions that represent a range of understandings of inclusion and inclusive schooling.

The assessment reform movement has focused on classroom assessment and grading practices as a potential means to improving teaching and learning. Many researchers agree that the best way to enhance learning for a diverse range of students is through appropriate, reliable, and valid classroom assessment and grading practices. This is of particular importance in Saskatchewan because the inclusive philosophy has been mandated for all schools. Classroom teachers are responsible for the instruction, assessment, and grading of students with mild disabilities, learning, emotional, and behavioral challenges, and other needs that require specific attention. This study examined secondary classroom teachers assessment and grading practices in one urban school division. A survey instrument adapted from the work of Duncan and Noonan (2007) and McMillan (2001) asked current secondary teachers, within inclusive classrooms, to indicate their current assessment and grading practices. Evidence from the survey demonstrated that teachers in this division have diverse assessment and grading practices and that they have begun to explore the potential for assessment to assist all students in their learning. This study has provided data to move forward with some professional development opportunities for teachers and further research in assessment and grading with particular focus on students with special needs in inclusive classrooms.

The assessment reform movement has focused on classroom assessment and grading practices as a potential means to improving teaching and learning. Many researchers agree that the best way to enhance learning for a diverse range of students is through appropriate, reliable, and valid classroom assessment and grading practices. This is of particular importance in Saskatchewan because the inclusive philosophy has been mandated for all schools. Classroom teachers are responsible for the instruction, assessment, and grading of students with mild disabilities, learning, emotional, and behavioral challenges, and other needs that require specific attention. This study examined secondary classroom teachers assessment and grading practices in one urban school division. A survey instrument adapted from the work of Duncan and Noonan (2007) and McMillan (2001) asked current secondary teachers, within inclusive classrooms, to indicate their current assessment and grading practices. Evidence from the survey demonstrated that teachers in this division have diverse assessment and grading practices and that they have begun to explore the potential for assessment to assist all students in their learning. This study has provided data to move forward with some professional development opportunities for teachers and further research in assessment and grading with particular focus on students with special needs in inclusive classrooms.

In the decades following the Stonewall riots in New York, there has been an increasingly public acceptance and normalization of LGBTQ identities. In some spaces, however, like public schools, LGBTQ identities continue to be contested and positioned as problematic, creating challenges for teachers who seek to create safe and affirming spaces within the classroom and the curriculum. This study using a narrative inquiry methodology, examines the stories of seven teachers of foreign languages at the high school level as they seek to make sense of their work as it relates to LGBTQ identities. This research study using narrative inquiry methods describes the experiences of seven teachers of foreign language as they make sense of and negotiate LGBTQ identities in the context of their work as foreign language teachers. The teachers describe how and when LGBTQ identities manifest in their instruction, their knowledge base of LGBTQ identities, ways in which they address sex and gender normative practices and behaviors in their classrooms, and supports and barriers available to them as they work to create curriculum and classroom spaces that are inclusive of LGBTQ identities. The findings of this study address the unique ways in which foreign language teaching presents a unique site of study of the target language and culture, including LGBTQ identities that are present within those target languages and cultures and within the classroom environment. Teachers described barriers, like language proficiency, administration, perceived surveillance, and lack of materials as challenges to enacting LGBTQ inclusive teaching practices. They cited supports like colleagues, professional learning communities and opportunities to engage with one another on challenging topics, as well as the nature of foreign language teaching as beneficial in their work.

This study investigated what constitutes a teaching curriculum for students with autism in inclusive classrooms in Thailand. The researcher employed 3 qualitative methods: semi-structured interviews, document analysis of curricula and lesson plans, and nonparticipant observations. Six schools were selected as the sites. Participants for interview included 6 principals and 24 teachers. The researcher observed one inclusive classroom for each of the 6 selected schools. The study concentrated on 3 questions: (a) What contributes to appropriate instructional curricula to promote teaching of students with autism in inclusive classrooms in Thailand? (b) What teaching strategies improve the achievement and learning skills of students with autism in inclusive classrooms in Thailand? (c) What are the problems of curricula for teaching students with autism in inclusive classroom in Thailand? Key findings for the research questions were as follows: Common features of effective curricula for teaching students with autism in inclusive classrooms include opportunities, health care, specialized curriculum, students' individual needs and abilities, guidelines of teaching, teacher training and supervision, transition plan, parent involvement, tools/classroom environment, and students' class assignments. The teaching strategies include varying the teaching format (large group, small group, and one-on-one), teaching functional communication (giving direction, close-ended questions or open-ended questions), reinforce communication, using demonstration, modeling, and shaping to teach skills, expecting to gather the child's attention, demonstrating nonverbal communication (use gestures with speech), using appropriate language for the child (short sentence structure), providing visual materials (books, computers, or real objects), starting with small intervals of time and reinforcing, using other children as peer models for helping, working to maintain eye contact, asking the child to say the word, pointing to objects with hands and with gestures, including regular exercise (active movement activity), providing time to be alone, and using math activity (to include counting one-to-one, odd and even, and patterns). Moreover, the results revealed that all of interviewees always used applied behavior analysis (ABA), such as discrete trial instruction (DTI), task analysis, and peer tutoring in their classrooms. However, these classrooms never used floor time approach. The problems in teaching students with autism in inclusive classrooms in Thailand include lack of special teachers, lack of knowledge or training for teachers, lack of a good plan and curriculum, lack of supportive services or effective collaboration, lack of budget, and lack of essential information and materials.

<p>Low levels of on-task behaviors can be troublesome for both teachers and students leading to difficulties associated with regulating off-task and disruptive behaviors and providing continuous prompts. Research indicates that students with intellectual disabilities (IDs) frequently engage in off-task and disruptive behaviors (e.g., talking, sleeping, and making negative statements). According to teachers, the on-task behaviors of students with IDs are unsatisfactory due to a behavioral deficit; as a result, these students demand more individual time and attention from adults than their typically developing classmates. This dependence on external prompts can have negative consequences for students with IDs, including exclusion from general education classes and school dropout. Although empirical investigations to address on-task behaviors is limited in Türkiye, Turkish educators indicated that one of their primary concerns was to manage off-task behaviors of students with disabilities in their classrooms. General education classroom teachers also have suggested that special education classrooms were a better placement for students with IDs because of the need to manage off-task behaviors via one-on-one or small group instructional arrangements. As a result of these off-task issues, there is a need for interventions to assist teachers in improving on-task behaviors of students with IDs which may, in turn, promote the inclusion of these students into general education classrooms. </p> <p>  One such intervention is self-management. Self-management strategies in general and self-monitoring in particular have been found to be effective in enhancing on-task behaviors of students with IDs due in part to intrusiveness, adaptability, and reactivity impact. These interventions can also be used to promote inclusion because the responsibility of behavior management passes from the teacher to the student.This change in responsibility could leave teachers more time to teach instead of providing continuous prompts given the higher teacher-student ration in general education classrooms. Unfortunately, there are several limitations in self-management research in Türkiye including the following: (a) the implementation of self-management interventions to improve on-task behaviors has been prominently conducted with students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and learning disabilities (LD); (b) the vast majority of these interventions has been conducted in segregated settings such as special education classrooms in middle school settings; and (c) systematic planning in generalization and maintenance has been lacking or limited that have caused lack of generalization of increased on-task behaviors to other settings. Given that Türkiye has only two studies investigated self-management interventions with students with IDs, these interventions have similar concerns as Western countries including lack of investigations in general education classrooms and the absence of generalization and maintenance planning.  </p> <p>In the current data set, self-management interventions (i.e., self-monitoring, self-evaluation, token economy) was utilized to improve on-task behaviors of 4 students with IDs in general education classrooms in Türkiye. A single case multiple-baseline across participants design was used. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate (a) the magnitude of the effect of self-monitoring of the on-task behaviors of Turkish students with IDs, (b) the extent to which the on-task behaviors of Turkish students with IDs generalized and maintained after exposure to self-monitoring training, (c) the effect of self-monitoring on the academic behaviors of Turkish students with IDs, and (d) the relationship between the implementation of self-monitoring and teacher reports on changes in students’ on-task behaviors.  Self-management interventions were implemented across three settings (i.e., Turkish-Language Art [TLA], math, social studies), and generalization data were collected in English-Language Art classes (ELA). Additionally, an average of 16-week maintenance data were collected from all the intervention settings (i.e., TLA, math, social studies). Based on two statistical analyses (i.e., Tau-U and Performance Criteria Based Effect Size [PCES]), the effect of self-management interventions was <em>immediate</em>, <em>generalized</em> across settings, and <em>maintained</em> over long period of time. PCESimmediate was computed to be 1.14 with a significant effect. The overall impact of the Tau-<em>U</em> intervention was 1.00 CI95 (.705 to 1.00), with generalization and maintenance effects of 1.00 CI95 (.695 to 1.00) and 1.00 CI95 (.592 to 1.00), respectively. The total PCES values were determined to be 1.2 for high effectiveness, 1.08 for generalization, and 1.2 for strong effect maintenance. The classroom teachers’ overall classroom behavior ratings were also aligned with the increased on-task behaviors. Therefore, study findings suggested that self-management interventions that originated in the West can be implemented in diverse cultural contexts, specifically with Turkish students with IDs in inclusive classrooms. Implications for future studies are discussed.   </p>

Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) was birthed from the framework of multicultural education. Multicultural Education is a broad framework that focuses on equity amongst race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomics, disabilities, and other groups who identified as marginalized. Culturally responsive teaching encompasses the ability to acknowledge cultural differences, expand diversity of thought, all while having a caring relationship with students. The literature says that both of the multicultural education and CRT, help foster inclusive classrooms and spaces on campus. CRT also notes that a teacher’s ability to care about students influences positive outcomes for learning. For the last 30 years, CRT has been studied from the perspective of K-12 students. While this research is important the researcher argues that culturally responsive teaching is needed at the university. All research questions for this study were created through the lens of multicultural education, CRT, and Nodding’s Caring Theory. Since CRT is typically examined with minority students only, the researcher explored both minority and White students at Mississippi State University to understand if the techniques were equitable and inclusive for all learners. A total of eight focus groups were held between Fall 2017 to Fall 2019 with 39 total participants, undergraduate (n=28) and graduate students (n= 11). Participants included mostly minority students (n=21) and females (n= 21). While there were some major differences between undergraduate and graduate CRT experiences, there were more commonalities that arose when theming occurred. Students from all focus groups were able to identify at least five out of the six characteristics of culturally responsive teaching; however, minority students were able to talk about feelings of exclusion inside and outside of the classroom, as it pertained to the racial and ethnic identity. Minority students were better able to identify what culturally responsive teaching means and what it looks like in practice. Minority students were also more reflective in their responses around feeling included and excluded both inside and outside of the classroom. All students wanted a teacher that cared for them and to make the course material relevant to their lives.

As a result of U.S. federal policy directives mandating inclusion, general education teachers in a rural elementary school in southern Maine were expected to be effective in working in inclusive classrooms with learners with diverse needs; however, teachers were meeting the mandates for inclusion but their students were not meeting the state's annual progress targets. The purpose of this project study was to explore teachers' perceptions of their readiness and needs for professional learning to work with diverse learners in the inclusive classroom. The research questions centered on teachers' beliefs, specific to their preparation and their needs and preferred mode for professional learning. The theoretical framework for this project research consisted of sociocultural and transformative learning theories. A qualitative case study approach was used in which teachers at the school completed online surveys and follow-up e-mail interviews. Twenty-seven of the school's 44 teachers participated in the study. Survey and interview responses were reviewed on a continuous basis during data collection and coded for emergent themes; open-ended data were analyzed using qualitative data analysis software. The key findings were that none of the participants believed they were unprepared for teaching in the inclusive classroom; however, the teachers provided key insights for professional learning related to the challenge of teaching diverse learners. The results of the study might offer guidance to school and district administrators on how to build the capacity of teachers to create classrooms where all learners can succeed and to reduce reliance on separate special instruction. Doing so could help promote social change in the culture of the school by encouraging respect and empathy among students to work together and celebrate their collective successes.

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