Thesis (M.A. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Cette thèse traite de l’évaluation comparée de la qualité de deux dispositifs scolaires d’intervention auprès d’élèves ayant des troubles d’apprentissage. Pour ce faire, nous avons élaboré et utilisé un modèle multidimensionnel d’évaluation de la qualité composé de neuf dimensions (pertinence, congruité, adéquation, synergie, efficacité, efficience, impact, fiabilité, flexibilité et bien-fondé) s’inspirant du modèle multidimensionnel développé par Bouchard et Plante (2002). Il nous a permis d’élaborer et d’évaluer 31 indicateurs et 10 sous-indicateurs. Le premier dispositif a été mis en place dans le cadre d’une recherche-action menée en Communauté française de Belgique se proposant d’implémenter et de pérenniser un dispositif d’intégration/inclusion scolaire. Le second dispositif évalué est constitué de classes de l’enseignement spécialisé de type 8. Les deux dispositifs étudiés s’adressent à la même population, celle d’enfants ayant des troubles/difficultés d’apprentissage et orientés vers l’enseignement spécialisé de type 8. Nous avons procédé à l’évaluation de la qualité de huit expériences d’inclusion en école primaire et de treize classes d’enseignement spécialisé de type 8. Ces expériences débutaient en 1re année (CP) dans une classe d’enseignement ordinaire (de 12 à 22 élèves) où étaient intégrés 3 à 7 élèves relevant de l’enseignement spécialisé de type 8. Les résultats présentés reprennent les deux premières années de cette évaluation. À l’analyse de ces différentes dimensions, nous constatons que cette évaluation de la qualité des deux dispositifs comparés est nécessairement à nuancer. Au regard de l’analyse des différentes dimensions et indicateurs pris en considération dans la présente recherche, le dispositif inclusif et celui d’enseignement spécialisé de type 8 se montrent globalement comparables sur les composantes de base (population, objectifs et ressources). Toutefois, ils se différencient fondamentalement par le contexte dans lequel ils se déploient et par la configuration du travail collaboration entre professionnels (co-enseignement et co-intervention). Les résultats montrent des effets légèrement plus positifs en faveur des élèves inclus, surtout en lecture/écriture. Toutefois, la taille de notre échantillon, le caractère de la recherche (recherche-action), des indicateurs contradictoires, etc. ne nous permettent pas de généraliser nos résultats. De plus, le modèle multidimensionnel d’évaluation de la qualité demande à être interrogé au niveau de son opérationnalisation pour rechercher une plus grande validité, fiabilité et sensibilité. Cependant, ce relativisme ne doit pas occulter le fait que si nous ne pouvons nous prononcer de manière claire envers l’un ou l’autre dispositif, la présente recherche-action a sans doute permis de mieux comprendre les deux dispositifs étudiés et l’émergence d’une configuration originale et crédible de ressources permettant l’inclusion de ces élèves en enseignement ordinaire.

Syftet med arbetet var att åskådliggöra innebörden av att vara i matematiksvårigheter och elevers syn på hur de hanterar sin vardag. Undersökningen utgår från ett elevperspektiv och ambitionen var att elevens egna tankar och känslor skulle komma fram. Jag har använt mig av en kvalitativ ansats med observationer och semistandardiserade intervjuer. För alla eleverna i studien påverkas vardagen och skolan av att de har svårigheter i matematik. Det är allt från att planera sina fritidsaktiviteter till att veta när ett arbete i skolan ska vara inlämnat. Detta gör att föräldrar måste hjälpa till i denna planering i stor utsträckning även nu när barnen är tonåringar och borde klara sig själva lite mer. Eleverna själva är ofta inte medvetna om sina strategier för att klara de svårigheter som uppstår på grund av matematiksvårigheterna. Föräldrarna kan dock berätta mer om hur dessa strategier tar sig ut. Känslorna inför matematiklektionerna är ofta en uppgivenhet, ska de misslyckas idag igen och de känner sig stressade inför att kanske inte uppnå målen. Lärarens bemötande spelar här en stor roll och ett icke positivt bemötande gör att eleverna upplever att de är till besvär för läraren. Det leder till att eleverna får ett svagt självförtroende och olustkänslor inför matematiken. I jämförelse med andra studier så upplever eleverna i min studie inte att de blir stämplade till följd av att de får särskilt stöd, utan tvärtom så är det en lättnad att gå till stödgruppen. / This study focuses on pupil’s view how they handle mathematics learning disabilities in their daily life. The study is from pupil’s point of view and the ambition was to capture the pupil’s own thoughts and feelings. Observations and interviews were carried out with three pupils, in the age of 13, and their parents. The results show that all three of the pupils have difficulty in their daily life due to the mathematics learning disabilities. They have different problems from to plan their free time to plan when schoolwork should be submitted. The result of this is that the parents have to plan for them, even now when they are teenager’s and should be able to handle things like this by themselves. The pupils are not aware of the strategies they use to cope with the difficulties in mathematics. However, their parents are able to explain the strategies their children have developed. The emotions the pupils feel when they think about math class are that they feel dejected and they are under stress with thoughts as “will I fail again today”. It is very important how the teacher do talk to the pupils and this will affect the pupil’s self-confidence and they develop discomfort to mathematics. This study, unlike some other studies, does not show that pupils feel uncomfortable because they have special support. Instead they feel relief in visiting the support group.

Social competence and positive self-concept are essential to future adaptive outcomes and overall well-being; but children and adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) frequently struggle in these domains. This dissertation examined changes in the social competence and self-concept of campers with learning disabilities (LD), within a specialized summer camp, with particular focus on friendship development. The dissertation is presented in two manuscripts, which will be submitted for publication. The objective of the first manuscript was to examine changes in campers’ social skills, social acceptance, self-worth, and self-esteem, within the context of summer camp, as reported by parents and campers. Parental reports indicated small gains in social skills, social acceptance, and self-worth from the beginning to the end of camp; with gains in social acceptance and self-worth maintained four to five months later. Campers did not report changes in any domains. Parents and campers reported declines in camper self-esteem at follow-up. In general, campers with LD+ADHD exhibited smaller gains in social competence and self-concept, than those with LD. Results are discussed in relation to theoretical frameworks and existing camp and LD research. The objective of the second manuscript was to investigate campers’ friendship development, within the summer camp context. Many campers reported having high-quality, reciprocal friendships at the beginning of camp. Campers reported more reciprocal friendships after camp, but these were not maintained at follow-up. Campers also reported having a best camp friend by the end of camp, and this relationship was maintained at follow-up. In terms of friendship quality, campers reported increased closeness by the end of camp and conflict ratings were low, overall. This study examined factors predicting changes in social competence. High-quality, reciprocal friendships predicted changes in campers’ social acceptance, according to parents. Similarly, reciprocal friendships predicted changes in camper reported social acceptance. These results highlight the inter-connections between friendship and aspects of social competence. Camp attendance was found to be a relevant factor in friendship development and quality. The concluding chapter discusses social competence, friendship, and self-concept outcomes for campers with LD within the context of a specialized summer camp. The implications of the findings for present theory and clinical practice are discussed, including specific recommendations for this camp’s structure and program evaluation procedures.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the state of special education programs in selected Jewish Ultra Orthodox (Haredi) community schools in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and the attitudes and perceptions about special education of the Melamdim (rabbis/teachers) teaching in those schools. A Special Education course, modeled on OISE’s additional qualification program available to in-service teachers in the public sector, was administrated to 28 Melamdim. Throughout the 12 weeks, course data was collected through observations and dialogues with course participants. The impact of the special education course on classroom practices by those who engaged in the course was also assessed. In addition, a collection of pre-course and post-course data from participants (Melamdim) on attitudes and perceptions in regards to special education through a self-administrated questionnaire, took place. Four additional questionnaires were administered, examining demographic characteristics, general attitudes and behaviors, and well-being. Finally, a pre-selected group of 8 Melalmdim was interviewed as representatives of their home school and the denomination of Judaism they belong to. The results showed significant changes in attitudes of Melamdim toward the inclusion of students with Learning Disabilities (LD in regular classrooms. In addition, the positive change in attitudes could be attributed to the special education course in which participants engaged. During in-class observations changes to the Melamdim’s own practice was recorded.

To help circumvent reading disability (RD) decoding difficulty, Text-To-Speech (TTS) software can be used to present written language audibly. Although TTS software is currently being used to help RD students, there is a lack of empirically supported literature to inform developers and users of TTS software on best practices. This dissertation investigated two methods to determine whether they increase the effectiveness of TTS for RD and typically-developing students. The first method compared low and high quality TTS voices in regards to understanding. TTS voice quality was identified by having 40 university students listen to and rate the quality of 10 commonly used TTS voices and 2 human voices. Three voices were chosen for the subsequent study based on the ratings; one low quality TTS, one high quality TTS, and one natural voice (Microsoft Mary, AT&T Crystal, and Susan, respectively). Understanding was assessed with tests of intelligibility and comprehensibility. Forty-five grade 6 to 8 students who were identified as having a RD were compared to same-age typically-developing peers. Results showed high quality TTS and natural voice were more intelligible than the low quality TTS voice, and high quality TTS voice resulted in higher comprehensibility scores than low quality TTS and natural voice. The second method investigated whether it is possible to increase a student’s comprehension when using TTS by modifying the presentation style of the TTS voice. The presentation style was manipulated in two ways: varying the speed at which the TTS presented the materials (120, 150, 180 words per minute) and the presence of pauses varied (no pauses inserted, random pauses inserted, or 500 millisecond pauses at the end of noun phrases). Due to a floor effect on the comprehension of the texts the expected results were not obtained. A follow up analysis compared the participants’ prosodic sensitivity skills based on whether they had a specific language impairment, (SLI) a reading impairment (RI), or were typically-developing. Results suggested that SLI has significantly less auditory working memory then RI impacting their auditory processing. Recommendations for future research and the use of TTS based on different learning profiles are provided.

To help circumvent reading disability (RD) decoding difficulty, Text-To-Speech (TTS) software can be used to present written language audibly. Although TTS software is currently being used to help RD students, there is a lack of empirically supported literature to inform developers and users of TTS software on best practices. This dissertation investigated two methods to determine whether they increase the effectiveness of TTS for RD and typically-developing students. The first method compared low and high quality TTS voices in regards to understanding. TTS voice quality was identified by having 40 university students listen to and rate the quality of 10 commonly used TTS voices and 2 human voices. Three voices were chosen for the subsequent study based on the ratings; one low quality TTS, one high quality TTS, and one natural voice (Microsoft Mary, AT&T Crystal, and Susan, respectively). Understanding was assessed with tests of intelligibility and comprehensibility. Forty-five grade 6 to 8 students who were identified as having a RD were compared to same-age typically-developing peers. Results showed high quality TTS and natural voice were more intelligible than the low quality TTS voice, and high quality TTS voice resulted in higher comprehensibility scores than low quality TTS and natural voice. The second method investigated whether it is possible to increase a student’s comprehension when using TTS by modifying the presentation style of the TTS voice. The presentation style was manipulated in two ways: varying the speed at which the TTS presented the materials (120, 150, 180 words per minute) and the presence of pauses varied (no pauses inserted, random pauses inserted, or 500 millisecond pauses at the end of noun phrases). Due to a floor effect on the comprehension of the texts the expected results were not obtained. A follow up analysis compared the participants’ prosodic sensitivity skills based on whether they had a specific language impairment, (SLI) a reading impairment (RI), or were typically-developing. Results suggested that SLI has significantly less auditory working memory then RI impacting their auditory processing. Recommendations for future research and the use of TTS based on different learning profiles are provided.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among the various scales of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. Of particular interest was the degree to which the Wechsler Verbal and Performance IQ's contributed to the prediction of the K-ABC Mental Processing Composite and the K-ABC Achievement score respectively.The subjects were 51 students, aged 8-0 to 12-0, who had been referred for psychoeducational assessment because of suspected learning disabilities. They were evaluated with both the K-ABC and the WISC-R as part of a standard battery.Descriptive statistics and univariate correlations were computed. Multiple regression procedures revealed that significant relationships existed between the composite of predictor variables, the Wechsler Verbal and Performance IQ's, and the criterion variables, the K-ABC Mental Processing Composite and the K-ABC Achievement score when each was considered separately.Stepwise multiple regression procedures indicated that the unique contribution of the Wechsler Verbal IQ to the prediction of the K-ABC Mental Processing Composite was statistically significant. A significant relationship was not found, however, between the Performance IQ and the K-ABC Achievement score when the Verbal IQ had been statistically controlled.

The aim of this essay is to study how parents to children with learning disability experences the support they get from society. My main question has been: what kind of support offer does society offer this parents? What is good and what is less satisfactory in this support? The study is based on a qualitative method. Five parents with children who has learning disabilities has been used as base. The material has been analysed with a narrative, hernmeneutic perspective.The study concludes that the parents, use in this case, find that society does not offer the necessary understanding for their problem of their family. The parents situation are demanding. The result in this study shows there is a difference between the experience of social support in social service and in school. There are small difference in experience of medical service.

Coteaching is one instructional delivery model that purports to provide students with supports they need to succeed in the general education setting. This case study used qualitative methodology, which was supplemented by quantitative data, to explore the instructional factors that may contribute to the achievement of high school students with learning disabilities who are placed in a cotaught setting. An optimal environment was created for coteaching and included careful selection of the cotaught team, support from the campus administration, initial and ongoing training for the coteachers, and the creation of common planning periods. Two cotaught classrooms were observed for one semester, and five students with learning disabilities were selected from these classrooms for observation and interview. Additional data included interviews with the campus principal, campus teachers, and the coteachers, as well as weekly observations using the Stallings Observation System. Interviews and observations suggested that there was little change in teacher or student behaviors.