<p> To explore the correlation between teacher frustration tolerance and discipline incidents among general and special education students, 38 teachers were asked to complete two surveys; 18 teachers responded. Teachers completed the Munich Personality Test with its measure of general frustration tolerance, plus a survey designed for this study of frustration tolerance for special education students. Results demonstrated negative correlations between teachers' general frustration tolerance and numbers of student discipline incidents among both general and special education children. Results indicated that teachers' frustration tolerance for special education students was highly correlated with student discipline incidents among special education students, suggesting that frustration tolerance for special education children is a separate construct from general frustration tolerance, and this it may be successfully measured by the instrument developed for this study. Results also indicated that teachers found specific disabilities to be more frustrating than others and that frustration tolerance of certain disabilities may predict numbers of discipline incidents for these children. Nevertheless, the direction of the correlation was the inverse of what was expected, with teachers having the greatest frustration tolerance for special education students also evidencing the greatest numbers of discipline incidents among these students. Among several explanations considered, it is suggested that the school administrator in the facility where this study occurred was aware of teachers' with high levels of frustration tolerance for special education students and thus assigned the most difficult students to these teachers, leading these teachers to have the greatest number of associated discipline incidents among special education students. Nevertheless, the ability to measure frustration tolerance specific to special education students can be a useful metric in teacher selection and student placement within other contexts where teachers' frustration tolerance is not well known to administrators. With this metric, school administrators may be better able to design behavior plans and train teachers to teach special education students successfully.</p>

<p> This study was designed to explore four primary research questions. Why do schools and districts adopt PBIS? Which stakeholders were included in the decision-making process to adopt PBIS? Do these adoption dynamics influence PBIS Tier 2 implementation? With PBIS Tier 2 implementation fidelity as a desirable outcome, what are the relevant facilitators, constraints, and obstacles? </p><p> These main research questions and additional sub-questions derived from a gap in the literature. Five related priorities have not received sufficient attention: (a) PBIS adoption dynamics in schools and districts, (b) Roles and responsibilities of teachers and pupil personnel professionals such as school psychologist, (c) District office and the roles of district leaders as units of analysis, (d) PBIS Tier 2 implementation benchmarks for schools, and (d) Relevant knowledge about PBIS' institutionalization and sustainability. </p><p> Guided by a conceptual framework for organizational readiness (AVICTORY model) this study proceeded with a multi-site case study design, using multiple methods. A purpose sample was employed, involving two elementary schools in one school district. This study included three units of analysis: Two elementary schools and district office. </p><p> This study's comparative results yielded multiple analytic generalizations such as: (a) Implementation phases directly or indirectly influence the other phases. (b) Adoption and implementation hinge on organizational capacity and individual/team competence. (b) Leaders' diffusion of PBIS is necessary, but insufficient to achieve implementation fidelity for both PBIS Tiers. (c) Short-term PBIS Tier 1 implementation fidelity does not guarantee long-term institutionalization. (d) Implementation fidelity and institutionalization depend on workforce competency and stability. Future research should improve this study's AVICTORY Tier 2 surveys with particular reference to an important need. Do the survey results provide formative data to facilitate PBIS Tier 2 implementation fidelity? Finally, future research should include observational studies of how PBIS is interpreted and operationalized in all settings, especially by teachers in classroom settings.</p>

<p> <b>Purpose:</b> The purpose of the study was to identify the most challenging and frequently occurring types of student behavioral problems that paraprofessionals in the K-12 public school setting encounter. In addition, the purpose of the study included identifying the most effective ways to prepare special education paraprofessionals to manage the most challenging and frequently occurring student behaviors through effective professional development practices. </p><p> <b>Methodology:</b> The mixed methods study primarily involved collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data through on-line surveys of paraprofessionals, special education teachers, and school principals. Phenomenology and grounded theory elements served as the descriptive study&rsquo;s theoretical foundations. A policy Delphi method used an expert panel that represented a diverse group of public school districts in Riverside County, California. </p><p> <b>Findings:</b> Analysis of data revealed the 12 most challenging student behavior types, including eight most frequently occurring student behaviors in the k-12 school setting. Key topics and effective professional development delivery methods for special education paraprofessionals in the area of managing challenging behaviors were identified. </p><p> <b>Conclusions:</b> As a result of the study and review of prior research, an outline of suggested professional development activities was developed. Effective training delivery methods involving the principles of andragogy were also identified. </p><p> <b>Recommendations:</b> Schools and districts must (1) include paraprofessionals&rsquo;, teachers&rsquo;, and principals&rsquo; input when developing professional development activities for special education paraprofessionals; (2) focus the behavioral training for paraprofessionals on the most challenging and frequently occurring student behaviors in the k-12 school setting; (3) apply principles of andragogy when providing professional development to paraprofessionals; (4) make a shift from one-day training events to on-going, systematic, research-based, consistent, relevant training that involves practice time, meaningful feedback, modeling, and activities aiming at the higher level thinking skills identified in Bloom&rsquo;s taxonomy.</p>

<p> The use of positive reinforcement in acquisition programming is a hallmark of Applied Behavior Analysis; however, the Precision Teaching literature reveals a lack of reporting on the use of reinforcement. The present study utilized a groups design and single case analyses to investigate the effect of programming systematic tangible reinforcement on acquisition performance, retention and endurance of academic skills with 10 typically developing students ranging from 5-7 years of age. Results indicate that for both control and experimental participants, an increase in accuracy on both See/Say sight words and math problems occurred; however, the experimental group performed better on See/Say sight words and both groups performed the same with See/Say math problems. </p>

<p> Highly successful online educators are believed to have a perceived sense of subjective well-being in connection to the education they give to their students. The research question for this study was: what is the perceived subjective well-being for highly successful online educators? This generic qualitative research study used sampling that was purposive and a thematic probe of the data. The study included eight exceptional individuals who described their feelings of what it meant to be highly successful as online educators. A rich narrative of the experiences of the participants offers original insights that supplements a better understanding of how they associated with and taught learners. This research study acknowledged those experiences that are collective and exceptional among the participants. Conclusions from the analysis included online educators who are highly successful have a positive sense of subjective well-being in their jobs. There were four major themes found: satisfaction, creativity, motivation and appreciation. It is the goal of this research study that highly successful online educators will continue to engage and collaborate with their students and this provides the basis for both exceptional learning and teaching experiences alike. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> subjective well-being, highly successful educators, satisfaction, creativity, motivation and appreciation.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Lehigh University, 2009. / Adviser: Edward S. Shapiro.

<p> Early intensive behavior intervention programs are designed to educate children diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Programs provide one-to-one instruction in highly structured learning environments, eventually moving students into less restrictive placements. General education classrooms are the placement of choice for most students with ASD. The popularity of these programs has made large gains in the last decade due to the documented success of students receiving services. The United States Surgeon General and the National Academy of Sciences Research Council provided additional support for these programs through their endorsement. However, little research exists to demonstrate if the gains made in early intervention programs are sustained over time. A cross case analysis using qualitative methods was used to examine the perceptions and experiences of parents whose children received early intensive behavior intervention services. Data were collected through participant interviews and document analysis. Findings revealed that all students had maintained their placements in general education classrooms and two students were no longer receiving Special Education services. Students had established support networks and friendships with peers.</p>

<p> In the complexity and idiosyncrasies of everyday human activity, social scientists seek patterns--first to describe, then to explain the organization of thought and action. In a natural history museum, a setting of complex activity, video-based research addresses fundamental questions: How do children use museum exhibits? How do they make sense of experience when confronted with a rich array of resources, including natural objects, environments, models, digital and mechanical interactives, static and moving images, text and sound? How does design constrain and afford different forms of engagement and meaning-making? Theories of cognition--as embodied, situated, and distributed--informed methods of analysis focused on multimodal interaction. A detailed behavioral coding scheme, applied to video of six multilingual fourth-grade children, highlights when they look, touch, talk, and gesture with exhibits. Quantitative analyses focus on behavioral frequencies and sequences. Qualitative analyses describe the forms and cognitive functions of the children's multimodal engagements. In this cognitive ecosystem, the diversity, abundance, and distribution of modes of interaction permit inferences about the role of the environment, consequences of design and the potential for learning. Children's self-directed explorations of the museum clustered around themes: objects, action, and representation. The children's activity embodied inquiry. They asked, explicitly and implicitly, What is it? What can I do? What does it mean? Children used multiple sensorimotor and expressive modalities for different functions, and they distributed and integrated cognitive labor across modalities and individuals. When children manipulated objects in the museum--opportunities for interaction that they actively sought--they achieved feats of cognitive complexity. They tested cause-and-effect relations in the physical world, created layers of narrative interpretation, and filled conceptual gaps in exhibits with their own expressions of meaning. Guided by children's behavioral and cognitive inclinations, museums and schools can, and should, create environments for meaningful exploration, imagination and expression.</p>

<p> For decades, scholars have searched for ways to more effectively teach and practice instructional design. A variety of strategies have been employed to address the ambiguity in and challenges of the field. Much of the focus in the education of instructional designers has been on teaching students how best to use the many models developed for the field (Rowling, 1992). These efforts, while meant to help the new instructional designer succeed, have often been stifled by the ever-changing landscape of what instructional designers are asked to do in their roles after graduation (Kenny, Zhang, Schwier, &amp; Campbell, 2005). Other research centers around the ways students can fuse their new instructional design knowledge with practical activities. </p><p> While many scholars have begun to focus on alternative methods for preparing instructional designers and improving instructional design processes, instructional designers themselves have been neglected. We teach instructional designers about the profession before we have truly understood the professional. From a teaching standpoint, this approach contradicts the very foundation of instructional design education: that of recognizing that the learners/users are at the center of instructional design (Cennamo &amp; Kalk, 2004). The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine instructional designers during design by engaging them in structured reflection as (a.) a way to better understand instructional designers in the design space and (b.) a technique for instructional designers to improve their design. Seven designers were asked to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences over six weeks while engaged in a design project. </p><p> This study used various data collection methods including reflection journals, interviews, and surveys. The Self-Reflection Insight Scale (SRIS) and REFLECT rubric were utilized to measure reflection abilities, and grounded theory was employed to conceptualize the data (Strauss &amp; Corbin, 1990), while concentrating on discovery and the development of theory (Charmaz, 1983). </p><p> Results showed that each designer is unique; designers rely on distinctive designer precedents; designers perceive reflection to positively impact their design products; designers' depth of reflection waxes and wanes; and designers reflect more deeply when provided with feedback.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Lehigh University, 2007. / Adviser: George J. DuPaul.