Abstract not available

This study co-investigated with students with hidden disabilities the phenomenon of disability identity. This qualitative study utilized phenomenology and strategies proposed by Paulo Freire in an effort to understand identity development specific to individuals with hidden disabilities. There were seven students from a medium-sized, public university who participated in the study. The participants shared their experiences with having a hidden disability in three one-hour individual conversations and three two-hour group conversations. The conversations were tape recorded and transcribed. The concepts and themes that appeared to emerge from the initial conversation guided subsequent conversations. Findings revealed that the use of traditional identity development literature was not useful to understanding students with hidden disabilities. Relying on social constructivist concepts findings revealed the following themes: 1) Identity Confusion they tended to be neither able-bodied nor disabled; 2) Identity Refinement they depended on perceptions of the other to varying degrees; and 3) Identity Reconciliation they were using accommodations to varying degrees. A potential area for action and further study revolves around students with hidden disabilities, disability services practitioners, faculty and college student services administrators understanding the issues of normalcy and American individualism and their influence on both individuals with and without disabilities. Furthermore, fostering the development of a support system where students with hidden disabilities can interact with each other and discuss disability-related issues may help them cope with a fundamentally hostile collegiate environment. The institution may need to educate students, staff and faculty about the social construction of disability and the need to create a learning environment inclusive of diverse learners. / Graduation date: 2003

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Lehigh University, 2000. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-129).

Thesis (Ph.D)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009. / Prepared for: Dept. of Psychology. Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Bibliography: leaves 138-154.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2009. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.123-132).

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Notre Dame, 2003. / Thesis directed by Cindy Bergeman for the Department of Psychology. "July 2003." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-106).

Students must be good problem solvers in order to compete in today’s global economy. However, many students, including students with disabilities, do not have adequate problem-solving skills, thus eliminating potential job opportunities. In order to increase opportunities for problem-solving success, schools must find strategies that are effective and efficient for students to use and simulate real-world scenarios. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether a direct, cognitive-strategy, problem-solving program (Solve It!), which is designed to enhance student skills in word-problem solving, could increase the accuracy with which students with and without disabilities correctly solved word problems and whether it affected students beliefs about problem solving. The research questions developed for this study were (a) does the Solve It! method affect the math problem-solving achievement of Grade 6 students, and (b) what are teacher and student perceptions of the efficacy of the Solve It! method of teaching word-problem solving? A quantitative case study was used for this study to determine the efficacy of a specific cognitive instructional strategy with Grade 6 students. Participants in this study included 54 Grade 6 students, 7 with disabilities, from a middle school in Southwestern Colorado. Data were gathered from students through the use of pre- and posttests containing 10 word math problems. Students were also given short weekly quizzes to monitor progress and check for proper usage of the strategy. Finally, data were gathered from the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) instrument, winter and spring testing periods, to investigate changes on the problem-solving strand of the mathematics test. Teacher interviews and student surveys were also used to gain deeper insight into the effectiveness of the strategy. From this analysis, conclusions were drawn to answer the research questions. Comparison of means showed that although the Solve It! strategy did not statistically significantly improve students’ mathematical problem-solving abilities on the standardized NWEA test, it did improve their scores in word-problem solving on the 10-item word-problem test. In addition, the students’ perceived self-efficacy to solve word problems increased. / text

The implementation of inclusive education has begun in Hong Kong for over a decade. This research is a mixed methods research consisting of two related studies that examine support for students with special educational needs (SEN) in Hong Kong. The first study explored the effectiveness of inclusive and segregated education in supporting students with intellectual disabilities (IDs). A total of 42 students (19 female and 23 male) attending primary 4 to primary 6 and diagnosed as having mild grade ID participated in this study. Eighteen of them (8 female and 10 male) were from 16 ordinary schools and 24 (11 female and 13 male) were from 3 special schools designed for students with mild grade ID. The two groups were compared based on academic achievement, socio-emotional functioning and self-perception of acceptance, popularity among peers, and intellectual and school status. The results indicated that students in ordinary schools outperformed their counterparts in academic achievement. However, students in special schools were found to have better peer relationships and a lower level of emotional distress in addition to exhibiting more helpful behavior. Their self-perception was also more positive. The second study was conducted to investigate the contextual factors that could have affected the academic achievement, socio-emotional functioning, and self-perception of the two groups of students. To this end, a total of 3 parents, 8 school personnel and 3 students from 2 ordinary schools and 2 special schools were interviewed and 2 classroom observations were conducted. Special schools were found to have lower academic demand. They adopted a functional curriculum designed to strengthen the students’ practical and generic skills and offered various support programs to increase confidence and develop positive attitudes. Small class sizes allowed teachers to use individualized, interactive, and experiential strategies that catered to the students’ individual learning styles and socio-emotional needs. Close home-school collaboration was also maintained. In contrast, ordinary schools followed a standard mainstream curriculum and assessment for all with both teachers and parents exhibiting higher expectations of the students that resulted in more active involvement in the students’ academic learning. These collective factors might have contributed to the better academic achievement of SEN students in ordinary schools and the more positive socio-emotional functioning and self-perception of their counterparts in special schools. The implications of this research for policy makers tasked with the development of and resource allocation for the support system for SEN students, in addition to its effects among practitioners who wish to strengthen current practices and support for SEN students, are discussed. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Education

This was a descriptive study focused on identifying attitudes of University staff towards the inclusion of students with disabilities at University within the context of a focus on psychological wellness. A probability sample of93 staff members was selected through systematic random sampling from the Mafikeng Campus of North West University. A questionnaire identifying attitudes of staff towards inclusion of students with disabilities and factors contributing to the development of attitudinal barriers was designed and administered by the researcher. The literature reviewed identified the following factors as barriers to the inclusion of students with disabilities at university: inadequate understanding of disability, negative attitudes, stereotyping, inadequate support services and insufficient knowledge and experience of students with disabilities. The central hypothesis was that the existence of negative attitudes amongst staff would inhibit the inclusion of students with disabilities at university. The results obtained correlated with the hypothesis and implicit in these findings is the threat to the healthy psychological development of students with disabilities. / M.Soc.Sc. (Clinical Psychology) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2004