Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2006 / "Publication number AAT 3242493."

No description available.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Toronto, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 297-312).

This study investigated the knowledge of special education directors or division designees in school divisions across the Commonwealth of Virginia. One-hundred-twenty-nine Virginia special education directors or division designees were sent an on-line assessment describing 22 hypothetical scenarios representing current legal issues in the area of special education law as prescribed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The instrument used in this study was adapted from the Power (2007) study with a revision of response choices to provide more definitive results. A demographic questionnaire was adapted to determine individual and school division characteristics pertinent to the study. A total of 87 division special education administrators responded, a 67% response rate. After initial analysis, 84 assessments were usable. The statistical package JMP-Software for Univariate and Multivariate Statistics (2005) was used to tabulate the responses and to examine the relationships between demographic variables and respondents' knowledge of special education law. Descriptive statistics were applied to identify deficiencies in the respondents' knowledge base. Results of this study yielded a mean total score of 80.3% on the online assessment. Respondents scored below the mean in the areas of free and appropriate education, related services, student discipline, and liability for reimbursement to parents. There was no statistically significant relationship between knowledge of special education law and any of the following demographic characteristics: size of the school division, previous special education teacher experience, number of years as a special education director, highest degree attained, percent of time devoted to special education responsibilities, and attendance at special education law workshops. Respondents who belonged to professional organizations scored significantly higher on the assessment than those who did not. The assessment also compared methods of remaining current with special education law and the respondents' knowledge of the law. The following methods yielded a statistically significant relationship with knowledge of special education law: reading professional organization bulletins, attending professional development seminars, and using "other" means. The results of this study will be used to recommend professional development on the interpretation and implementation of special education law at the school-division and college/university levels. / Ph. D.

The problem of this study was to determine if a difference existed between selected classroom teachers' attitudes toward mainstreaming. The Attitudes Toward Mainstreaming Scale (ATMS) was the instrument selected as appropriate for the study. Permission was obtained from Joan Berryman at the University of Georgia, Athens, to reproduce and administer the ATMS. A stratified random sample was conducted as representative of the total population of classroom teachers in North Carolina. A demographic data sheet and the ATMS were mailed to 280 classroom teachers. A 75% return was obtained. The data sheet asked for the sex, present level of teaching position, area of assignment, level of formal preparation, years experience, hours taken in special education, and whether or not the teacher served mainstreamed students. Nine null hypotheses were formulated to be tested at the .05 level of significance. The t-test was used to test for significant differences for hypotheses 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and 9. The analysis of variance was used for hypotheses 4, 5, and 6 to determine if differences existed between attitudes and years of teaching experience. If a significant difference was revealed, the Newman-Keuls procedure was used to determine where specific differences lay. Three null hypotheses were rejected. Major findings revealed that female teachers had more positive attitudes than did male teachers. Teachers with 1-5 years of experience had more positive attitudes than did teachers with more than 10 years experience, and non-content area teachers had more positive attitudes than did content area teachers.

The problem of this study was to determine if young gifted and talented students who participate in a special program of the fine arts score significantly higher on tests of intelligence, language arts achievement, creativity, and personality than young gifted and talented students who do not participate in the program. For the study 102 students from kindergarten, first, second and third grades were selected. At the end of the study, ninety-seven students were posttested. Five students had moved from the school district. The students were selected for the program on the basis of teacher recommendations and on the basis of scores acquired on tests of intelligence, achievement, and creativity. Students selected for the program were additionally administered a personality pretest. Following participation in the fine arts program they were administered posttests in the four areas. The following questions were considered: (1) Does participation in a fine arts program significantly enhance the test scores of young gifted and talented students in the areas of intelligence, language arts achievement, creativity, and personality? (2) Does participation in a fine arts program and in an additional home component of the program significantly enhance the test scores of young gifted and talented students in the areas of intelligence, language arts achievement, creativity, and personality? (3) Does the basis of selection for a special program for gifted and talented students significantly influence the test scores in the area by which the student was selected? The study revealed that gifted and talented students at certain grade levels who participated in a fine arts program for a minimum of one hour per week scored significantly higher on tests of intelligence and on tests of creativity than young gifted and talented students who did not participate in the program. The study also revealed that students selected for the program on the basis of creativity showed significant increases in test scores of intelligence when compared with students selected on the basis of intelligence or language arts achievement.

This is an ethnography written by Malinda Castruita, an Education Specialist in Southern California. The ethnography was written between May 2018 and April 2019. Castruita is a Claremont Graduate University Teacher Education Candidate who sheds light on her personal experience in the past and present in both general and special education settings. She is employed in the city of Duarte, California as a Special Day Class teacher with a population of transitional kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade students. The research included addresses the individual educational experiences of her life, a synapse of her family background, as well as her views on social justice, and her educational philosophy and why she chose to become an educator. Castruita chose three specific students in her class to focus her research on for this narrative. These specific students are referred to as “case studies” and “focus students”. The case studies portray a student that is an English learner, another that has an Individualized Education Program (IEP), and one student that has experienced a significant life experience. She researched their culture, funds of knowledge, and academic status of each student. The findings were conducted through focus student home visits, extensive scholarly research, classroom observation, hands-on teaching, and ongoing parent-teacher communication. Castruita will also discuss the cultural and socio-economic findings within the community of her school and Castruita also went out into the Duarte community and conducted member interviews and attended various events to gain a perspective and understanding of the local economy, history, demographics and overall community atmosphere. Malinda also gives a self-analysis of her teaching style and experience within the classroom. She reflects on her effectiveness as a teacher in both whole class and individual student perspectives. Overall, this thorough and thoughtful narrative will allow the reader to step into the community of Duarte and Castruita’s classroom environment and learn how viewing students through the lens of compassion and understanding allows teachers to teach students more efficiently and successfully.

Bridging the Gap Between Then and Now is an ethnography written by Katheryne Lucia Gomez, an Education Specialist currently living and teaching in Southern California, in her hometown of La Verne. Gomez is a student in Claremont Graduate University’s Teacher Education Program providing first-hand perspective as a first-year special education teacher and the experiences leading up to this point. Having prior experience in applied behavior analysis and working with multiple grade levels, the following document details personal experiences (philosophies on education, social justice, reasons that led Gomez into education), a community breakdown including its history, demographics, socioeconomic status, and three student case studies. Each case study student has an IEP and two students have experienced a significant life experience. There is a breakdown for each student of their family history, culture, parent(s)/student point of view on academic status, aspects of IEP, strengths and weaknesses. Areas of struggle were identified for each student and teaching strategies were implemented and tracked for progress. Ultimately, Gomez reflects on her teaching practices, belief systems, social justice practices and how to continue creating a classroom environment that builds on and fosters the strengths of students, academic and otherwise.

In a southeast school district, students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are taught by elementary general education teachers despite their lack of training to meet the needs of such students. To provide effective education that supports the learning needs of students with ASD, exploration of the problem was needed. The intended outcome of this qualitative case study was to provide information to district administrators that could be used to develop interventions to help general education teachers meet the learning needs of students with ASD. The Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, and Kincaid model of effective educational practices for students with ASD grounded the study. Research questions explored how general education teachers met students' individual support and service needs, academic needs, structured learning environment needs, communication and language needs, and disciplinary needs, as well as what supports and resources teachers perceived they needed to meet student needs. Ten elementary general education teachers participated in the study. Data were collected through interviews and analyzed using provisional coding and pattern coding. Six themes emerged from the analysis: (a) individual support and service, (b) academic needs, (c) structured environment needs, (d) communication and language needs, (e) disciplinary needs, and (f) teachers' perceptions of needed supports and resources. The results were used to create a professional development 3-day program from which teachers could strengthen their knowledge and skills in providing quality instruction to students with ASD. Such training may result in social change by improving the quality of education provided to students with ASD that will enhance their opportunities to live valued lives.