In recent years, research with students identified as academically gifted has focused on what processes enable these students to perform at high levels of ability. The present study was carried out in the context of exploring the role of metacognition in giftedness. A specific focus of the study was whether learning-disabled gifted students performed more similarly to their gifted or nongifted peers (i.e., learning-disabled or average-achieving) on measures of metacognition. An interview was used to assess metacognitive knowledge in reading, and the error-detection paradigm was paired with the think-aloud method of data collection to investigate metacognitive skills in monitoring comprehension while reading a text. The dependent variables were an index of metacognitive knowledge, the percentage of metacognitive statements made, the number of errors detected, and a comprehension score. A measure of prior knowledge was used as a covariate. / The subjects were 48 boys, drawn equally from both the elementary and high school grade levels, who had been identified by their respective school systems as being gifted, learning-disabled gifted, average-achieving, or learning-disabled. The design incorporated two levels of giftedness (gifted or not gifted) and two levels of learning disability (learning-disabled or not learning-disabled) at two grade levels (elementary and high school). Results of the multivariate analysis of covariance revealed a main effect for giftedness, indicating that the subjects identified as gifted performed significantly better than did the nongifted subjects. This result, coupled with the lack of gifted-by-learning disabilities interaction, showed that the learning-disabled gifted subjects performed more like their gifted than their nongifted peers on the four dependent variables. There was also a main effect for grade, with the subjects at the high school level performing better on the dependent variables than the subjects in the elementary grade level. Finally, a grade-by-gifted interaction was revealed, which an examination of the univariate analyses of variance indicated was most likely due to a ceiling effect on the measures of metacognitive knowledge and comprehension. / These results support the hypotheses that giftedness is related to the use of metacognitive skills in a comprehension-monitoring task, and that the learning-disabled gifted subjects perform characteristically like their gifted peers with respect to their use of metacognitive knowledge and skills.

Since the time of Bryan's (1974) seminal work on the social status of children with learning disabilities (LD), research has consistently shown that children with LD struggle to earn social acceptance from non-LD peers. Recently, investigators have uncovered within-group variability among children with LD suggesting that some children with LD are well accepted and even popular among non-LD peers. An appeal in the field of learning disabilities has emerged, calling for a shift from deficit-model research focusing on the deficiencies of children with LD, to the investigation of how children with LD obtain positive social outcomes. Accordingly, a study was undertaken addressing this request by examining the characteristics of peer-accepted children with LD from a multi-rater and multi-method perspective. Using the comprehensive model of social competence proposed by Vaughn and Hogan (1990) as the theoretical framework, data were gathered from teachers, peers, and peer-accepted children with and without LD in important areas of social functioning. Participants were grade four and five mainstreamed students meeting the following criteria: (a) having a researcher-identified learning disability in at least one academic area (reading, spelling, or arithmetic) and (b) peer-rated social acceptance as determined via a modified version of the Asher and Dodge (1986) sociometric classification system. Statistical analyses consisted of multivariate and univariate techniques. Findings indicated few significant differences between peer-accepted children with and without LD in specific areas of social competence as rated by peers. Significant interactions, however, between LD status and gender revealing variable profiles of social-behavioural characteristics for boys and girls with and without LD did emerge from the perspective of teachers. Implications for special education referral and placement, inclusive education, and interventions are discussed.

The benefits and influences of parent involvement were examined among a group of children with learning disabilities (LD). One aim of this study was to determine whether different types of parent involvement are associated with educational benefits in special education. A second aim was to apply an existing model of parent involvement to assess its influences in this population. One hundred and twenty-three children with and without LD from grades 1 to 8 and their parents participated in the study. Children's grades and their attitudes to school were used as educational outcomes to evaluate the impact of their parents' involvement. Mothers and fathers completed questionnaires regarding their school, cognitive-intellectual and personal involvement, as well as measures of stress, social support, and perception of their child's academic ability. Mothers were consistently more involved than fathers in all types of activities. Higher grades were significantly correlated with mothers' involvement in school-related activities and fathers' involvement in personal activities. Fathers who felt they received a greater amount of social support tended to be more involved in their children's cognitive and personal activities. Mothers who perceived a greater amount of social support were more personally involved with their children, and mothers who perceived their children as having more severe LDs were less personally involved. Overall results extend the literature on the benefits and the factors associated with parent involvement for children with LD and highlight the need for parents, educators and school psychologists to combine resources in order to increase awareness and levels of parent involvement.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (ℓ. 166-184)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Anne Jordan.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1974. / Bibliography: leaves 72-79.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--George Mason University, 2008. / Vita: p. 187. Thesis director: Margo Mastropieri. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Mar. 17, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-186). Also issued in print.

Research paper (M.A.) -- Cardinal Stritch College -- Milwaukee, 1980. / A research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education (Education of Learning Disabled Children). Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-80).

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2008. / Adviser: Lisa A. Dieker. Includes bibliographical references (p. 200-213).