The development of sight words is essential for individuals with significant disability. There is a plethora of research highlighting the acquisition of sight words for this population but to date, most focus on teacher led interventions (Browder, Algrim-Delzell, Spooner, Mims, & Baker, 2009). This study investigated the use of computer technology vs. one-on-one instruction targeting sight words acquisition for a student with a significant disability. Results showed the participant indicated improved performance using the computer based intervention versus the constant time delay instructor led intervention.

A single subject alternating treatment design was used to compare the relative effectiveness of one-to-one embedded instruction in the general education classroom and one-to-one massed practice instruction in a special education class. Four middle school students with developmental disabilities, their special education teacher, and paraprofessional participated in the study. The results indicate that embedded instruction is an effective instructional strategy for students with developmental disabilities being served in inclusive settings. However, the results indicate that there was some difference in the efficiency of the two instructional formats. Two students reached criterion more rapidly in the one-to-one massed instructional intervention while the one-to-one embedded instruction was more efficient for one student. There was no difference between the interventions for the fourth student. Finally, the study validated previous research that found that both special education teachers and paraprofessionals can, with minimal training, accurately implement embedded instructional interventions in the general education classroom. Implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.

Attrition rates among applied music students accelerate as young people progress through adolescence. Once disengaged from music participation in the teenage years, disinterest tends to persist throughout adulthood. The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the teaching practices of applied music teachers as they worked with teenagers at a talent development level referred to as second phase (Bloom, 1985), which is typically reached in adolescence. The study investigated teaching and learning behaviors in the lessons, teachers’ management of para-instructional decisions (such as monitoring students’ progress and recommending students for collegiate-level study), and teachers’ strategies for influencing, motivating, and nurturing students. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit six classical guitar, harp, and piano teachers. Data collected from music lesson observations, semi-structured interviews, and documents were analyzed typologically for occurrences of predetermined categories of instructional behaviors and inductively for emergent themes. The study revealed several findings. Verbal directives and questions, positive approbations, and playing models dominated the teachers’ behavior. The teachers accommodated individual learning styles and empowered their students by providing them with decision-making opportunities. The teachers’ pedagogies were systematic and goal driven, with refined tone and strategies for lifelong music making among the pedagogical foci. Musical analysis was integral to the teaching, as it served to deepen students’ intellectual understanding of the music and support their memorization during performances. The teachers prescribed exact practice routines, which most of them provided in written form. The findings suggest that in light of the voluntary nature of applied music study in adolescence and the many activities competing for students’ time, a chief concern of the teachers was to influence and motivate their students to continue their participation in music lessons. The teachers accomplished this by utilizing six categories of teaching strategies, some of which could involve decisions contrary to their own musical preferences and pedagogical inclinations. The strategies’ synergy maximized the facilitation of positive student experiences, particularly those associated with public performance. These experiences seemed to fulfill students’ drive for independence, satisfy their need for recognition, and boosted their motivation to work towards achieving higher proficiency levels. / 2024-03-31T00:00:00Z