Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 268-276). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

The study in this thesis is a longitudinal case study of a group of overseas teachers involved in research as part of an in-service B.Ed. (Honours) degree in TEFL. It addresses the process of development as teacher-researchers of the group during the course. In terms of outcomes it seeks to investigate the contribution, as perceived by the participants, of involvement in research to their professional development, and the impact of this experienceo n their ways of conceiving of teacher-researcha nd of themselves as reflective, enquiring practitioners. The findings of the study suggest that the adoption of a multi-stranded approach to involvement in research with in-service teachers may be desirable to the extent that it may foster the development of teachers as reflective practitioners, while also providing for their development at an academic level. However, the study also suggests that the particular type of approach to involvement in research undertaken by this group can be problematic, given the difficulties in reconciling the on-going professional development perspective with the certification element. The efforts to include a teacher-researche lement in degreec oursesf or teachersi s not unique to this course, and the conflict between the two aims may be relatively common. The end result is that the approach may require from participants a lot of effort to create a balance between their pedagogical expectations from the course and the criteria of academic certification. The study also provides some empirically-based analytical frameworks which may be of value in attempting to understand what happens when teachers encounter research.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Texas at Dallas, 2008. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-155)

The study documented three case studies of primary school aged children with Down Syndrome attending ordinary public schools in Gauteng province, South Africa by employing an adapted ecosystemic model (Donald, Lazarus & Lolwana, 2002). Triangulation and content analysis was employed to analyse the data obtained from a parent questionnaire; parent, teacher and teaching assistant interviews; documented reports; school observations; an educator rating scale; a speech-language assessment and audiological screening. The study found that inclusive education had been successful for the participating children. Their communicative impairments impacted on the domains of communication, academic skills and socialization in the inclusive school context and had the greatest influence on their functioning in the ordinary school. The unique perceptions, attitudes and experiences of the children’s parents and educators were found to have a profound impact on the inclusive education process. The study found that systemic factors influencing inclusive education within the South African context acted as barriers and challenges to the successful inclusive education of the children and that their parents were the most influential and contributing force to the success of the process. Paramount implications for the systems and subsystems involved in the inclusive education process, clinical practice of Speech-Language Pathology and for the advancement of theory and research are discussed. A valuable proposed inclusive education process for the learner with Down Syndrome in the South African context is set out.

This survey research systematically collects Information on the long term effects of Irlen tinted lenses, from a specific diagnosed scotopic sensitive population. The survey used is based on Whiting's survey (1988), with variations and extensions made to increase information attained. Although the main focus of the survey is reading and related academic skills, other areas presenting new directions for further research, have also been included. 306 diagnosed scotopic sensitive Individuals, who had been using prescribed Irlen tinted lenses for a minimum of six months, were surveyed. 82.8 percent of the respondents indicated that they (or their child) had experienced great benefits from wearing Irlen tinted lenses. 70.1 percent Indicated that the greatest benefit had been in the area of reading. Cross-tabulations were made with length of time wearing the lenses, gender, and whether the respondent was filling in the questionnaire for themselves or for their child. The results of this descriptive research support Whiting's (1988), earlier findings. A review of the available literature and the Implications of these findings are discussed.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Dallas, 2006. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-102).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 161-178). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

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Children living in foster care are a particularly vulnerable group of children that are at high-risk for experiencing a multitude of difficulties, including poor academic performance and achievement. Although the academic underachievement of foster children has been well-documented for decades, very few attempts have been made to address the problem. This thesis is the second study to come out of the RESPs for Kids in Care research project, which represents one of three known randomized controlled trials aimed at providing an academic intervention to foster children with a view of improving their basic skills, increasing their chances of graduating from high school and enrolling in post-secondary education. Sixty-four foster children (aged 6 to 13 years), recruited from nine Children’s Aid Societies in Ontario, Canada, participated in the project and received an individualized direct-instruction tutoring intervention that was delivered by their foster parent(s). The unique contribution of the current study was its investigation of differential gender effects of the tutoring amongst the foster boys and girls, and whether there were any mental health and social-relational spillover effects. A mixed-method approach was used to explore these differential effects and the main hypothesis of the project, that the foster children in the experimental group would demonstrate greater gains in reading and math than the children in the control group, between pre-test and post-test, regardless of gender. The results were promising: the foster children in the experimental group demonstrated significant gains in their basic reading and math skills after receiving the foster-parent delivered one-on-one tutoring; there were differential gender effects across the academic and mental health results; and there was partial support for the notion that an academic tutoring intervention does elicit spill-over effects into the mental health and social-developmental domains of foster children’s lives. Results and implications were discussed.