Demand for highly effective, qualified teachers grew as legislation such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) raised the requirements for teachers and paraprofessionals. One suggestion for meeting this demand for teachers who can bring about the required classroom outcomes is to encourage paraprofessionals to become certified teachers—with the expectation that paraprofessionals' prior experience in the school environment will make them likely to excel as teachers. This study examined whether Brigham Young University Special Education teacher candidates with paraprofessional experience differed from candidates without paraprofessional experience in terms of performance scores during a mentored teaching practicum. The teaching skills of classroom and behavior management, teacher competency and knowledge, and professionalism and organization were measured through the scores earned by 37 candidates on their behavior management plans, math and reading lesson plans, and professionalism evaluations. Results indicated no significant difference between candidates with and without prior paraprofessional experience. However, a significant difference was found between the scores in the areas of reading and math lesson plans of the students who were and were not paraprofessionals prior to entering the program. The variance in the scores of the paraprofessionals was significant, meaning some students with paraprofessional background scored low and others scored high in these two areas.

In community-based peer education models, it is necessary to understand the relationship between learning, context and paraprofessional identity construction. Social relations are important in community education program implementation (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007); impacting power structure within communities and organizations (Cervero & Wilson, 1994, 2006; Forester, 1989). This study explored the conceptual and practical role of experience in a paraprofessional educator model and focused on the situated, contextual experiences of paraprofessionals in the communities they work and live as unique, challenging, and potentially positive for learning outcomes. Schön's narrative dialogue of reflection (1983) proved to be the essential missing piece in working with community educators toward successful development and autonomy. In-depth qualitative interviews with 19 paraprofessional community-based peer educators with a state level family nutrition program contributed to findings relevant to how social context, critical reflection, and identity development influence an understanding of experience and the ability to impact knowledge and behavior change in clients. Individual interviews and focus groups allowed narrative exploration of topics as they evolved throughout the study; giving voice to paraprofessional program assistants in a way not previously done. The findings of this study provide insight necessary for the assessment of new conceptualizations of practice for paraprofessional models in expanding community impact and highlight the need for assessment of contemporary program delivery in a way that fosters the continual development of lay educators through reflective practice. Recommendations are made for a reassessment of historically significant program models in order to embrace paraprofessionals as more broadly defined socially mediated and socially situated influential practitioners. / Ph. D.

Improving educational outcomes involves many variables, including identifying effective interventions and ensuring that they are effectively implemented in schools. Within a "response to intervention" model, treatment integrity of academic interventions has become increasingly important. However, recent research has suggested that ensuring treatment integrity by instructional staff may require intensive coaching, including daily or weekly performance feedback. This system may be unsustainable in typical schools because of limited resources for supervision. Some studies have found that treatment integrity can be achieved with intense prior training that includes extensive practice followed by feedback in the training setting. Fluency-based instruction has the advantage of providing multiple practice opportunities in a relatively short amount of time. A fluency training package for paraprofessionals using the Corrective Reading: Decoding curriculum was evaluated in a multiple baseline design across individuals. The primary dependent variables included paraprofessionals' presentation rate and praise rate. Additional dependent variables included paraprofessionals' accuracy in presenting error correction procedures, ratio of positive to negative comments, students' on-task behavior, and word reading accuracy. Participants included five paraprofessionals delivering supplemental reading instruction to students in small groups, and one student from each of the paraprofessionals' groups. We provided five hours of fluency training to paraprofessionals over five days in a group setting. Following fluency training we observed paraprofessionals during a maintenance phase. Paraprofessionals generally increased their presentation rates, praise rates, and percentage of accurate error correction steps with fluency training. Three paraprofessionals with variable positive-to-negative comments ratios decreased this variability during fluency training. We subsequently provided performance feedback if a paraprofessionals' presentation rate or praise rate did not maintain at criterion levels. Four of the five paraprofessionals required performance feedback on at least one skill. Performance feedback had mixed effects on paraprofessionals' skills. Most students maintained adequate word reading accuracy throughout the study, with no clear effects when interventions for paraprofessionals were introduced and withdrawn. Students' on-task behavior was variable throughout the study, with decreases in variability for three students corresponding with fluency training for paraprofessionals.

Hispanic students make up 12% of the enrollment in Utah elementary and secondary schools but only 3.4% of the enrollment at Utah's colleges and universities, according to Alemán and Rorrer (2006). The intervention Latinos in Action (LIA) seeks to increase high school completion and college graduation rates among emergent bilingual Latinos by involving them as paraprofessional literacy tutors for younger Spanish-speaking students. This dissertation, written in article-ready style, reports on two studies of the program. Study 1, a survey of 128 high school students, found that those involved in the service and literacy program scored higher than their bilingual Latino peers who were not involved on two dimensions of high school engagement: level of education desired and feelings that school contributed to increased self-understanding. Study 2, a coding analysis of 200 LIA student journals, demonstrated a high level of reflectivity across three emerging themes: satisfaction with the tutee's progress, growth in leadership and social skills, and increased drive for school success. Implications for educators and program administrators are discussed. Although intended for separate publication, the studies inform each other in important ways. For example, the qualitative finding in Study 1 that LIA students more than their non-LIA peers view school as important to their self-understanding correlates with the qualitative finding in Study 2 that 80% of LIA journal writers employed self-reflective language to describe experiences in LIA—indicating perhaps that elements of the program prompt the kind of thinking and communication that enhances understanding of self. Similarly, the new confidence and determination to succeed in school expressed by LIA journal writers supports the Study 1 finding that LIA students target higher levels of post-secondary education than do their non-LIA peers. Specific journal entries provide a window into how that growth in ambition comes to be. Within the hybrid dissertation format, Appendix A provides a literature review linking both studies. Appendix B gives detailed coding methods for Study 2. Appendix C combines the findings of both studies in a general discussion.

Previous research has found paraeducators do not receive adequate training (Giangreco,Broer, & Edelman, 2002), and are often infrequently evaluated –yearly or less often (Mueller, 2002; Morgan, Ashbaker, & Young, 2001). Little is known about principals' practices relative to paraeducator training, and evaluation. To investigate these topics, a survey was distributed to principals that worked in a large suburban/rural school district in the western United States. Fifty-eight participants completed surveys at a district principals meeting. The results of the study indicated a large majority of principals (78.95% for Title 1 paraeducators, 86.21% for special education paraeducators, and 75.86 for others) hired the paraeducators in their school and most principals (88.89% for Title 1 paraeducators, 86.21% for special education paraeducators, and 60.34% for other paraeducators) were aware of district policies regarding the hiring and/or employment of paraeducators. In contrast, the majority of principals were not aware of individual school policies pertaining to paraeducator hiring and employment. The majority of principals did not indicate that they were responsible for rating paraeducator performance. Furthermore, the majority of principals did not perform paraeducator observations, hold evaluative conferences, or link the results of paraeducator evaluation to professional development.

The problem of this study was the identification of ways and means of reducing paraprofessional turnover in mental health and mental retardation facilities. The high turnover rate of mental health and mental retardation paraprofessionals has major implications for the quality and cost of client services. Several researchers have suggested that adequately trained supervisors can influence the turnover rate among employees as well as their motivation and production. A six-month study of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation released in March, 1980 by a blue ribbon audit team blamed bad management practices, not low pay and poor working conditions, for the high rate of employee turnover. However, few studies have investigated the effect of supervisory training on turnover and researchers have called for additional studies in the area. The purpose of this study was to employ two specific intervention techniques with supervisory personnel in order to determine their effectiveness in reducing the rate of paraprofessional employee turnover in mental health and mental retardation facilities.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of teaching functional assessment skills to three Prekindergarten teachers and their teaching assistants. The effects were measured by examining the behavior of the teachers and assistants, as well as the behaviors of the students; before, during and after the delivery of three, two-hour functional assessment classes. The teaching staff videotaped themselves and their students during a regular class time, predetermined by the researcher and each teacher prior to the onset of baseline data collection, over an approximate nine-week period. The video was taken in twelve-minute segments every day. Later, the video was coded for specific behaviors. Although there were gains in appropriate intervention strategies from teachers and assistants during the intervention phase, the interventions generally peaked a week or two after the classes ended and gradually declined. Teacher skills were retained however, as most ratios of appropriate interventions maintained at higher rates than baseline. Relationships between student behavior and correct teacher interventions were established and maintained. The intervention resulted in changes in staff behavior, but results did not sustain at high levels over time. The realization that escape maintained some student behavior, and teaching skills to "test" for function, were likely the most important concepts for many of the participants. Further research should include adding a behavior coach to assist in shaping the teaching staffs' emerging skills and to provide a sounding board when developing specific student interventions.

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The growing interest in gender issues and female employment has generated a number of studies and the library and information profession has not been excluded from this interest in promoting female equity in employment. This study investigates the career patterns of female librarians in six public university libraries in Ghana in order to establish the enhancers and inhibitors they experience in their career progression. The study adopted the multi-method approach, which entailed the use of two self-administered questionnaires for 128 professional and paraprofessional library staff respectively, which formed one group of the population studied and a semi-structured interview schedule developed for three female University library Heads, who formed the second group of the study population to address research questions in this study. Each of the professional and paraprofessional librarians completed the questionnaire on their own and their responses were then used to form essential components of one research project. Quantitative data gathered was analysed to report on descriptive characteristics of respondents, while qualitative data, from open ended questions, in the questionnaires, and responses from interviews with the female University Library Heads were analysed using the narrative analysis technique to present profile of respondents and their career histories. The findings reveal females in the study were unable to meet requirements for promotion in their various public university libraries, which has resulted in very slow progress in their careers and even in some cases stagnated careers. The few successful female librarians who made it to top positions did so relatively late in their careers. The study established that societal expectations of females, age, family responsibilities-career conflict, failure to publish, not being able to pursue higher academic programmes, inability to participate in professional enhancement and professional activities are some inhibitors to the progress of female librarians. The study concludes by recommending that the pioneer female University Librarians should serve as role models and mentors to colleague female librarians, and that there should be career development support, for females, from the Ghana Library Association and African Library and Information Association to help overcome barriers to advancement in university libraries. / Information Science / D.Litt. et. Phil (Information Science) / 020.82

The growing interest in gender issues and female employment has generated a number of studies and the library and information profession has not been excluded from this interest in promoting female equity in employment. This study investigates the career patterns of female librarians in six public university libraries in Ghana in order to establish the enhancers and inhibitors they experience in their career progression. The study adopted the multi-method approach, which entailed the use of two self-administered questionnaires for 128 professional and paraprofessional library staff respectively, which formed one group of the population studied and a semi-structured interview schedule developed for three female University library Heads, who formed the second group of the study population to address research questions in this study. Each of the professional and paraprofessional librarians completed the questionnaire on their own and their responses were then used to form essential components of one research project. Quantitative data gathered was analysed to report on descriptive characteristics of respondents, while qualitative data, from open ended questions, in the questionnaires, and responses from interviews with the female University Library Heads were analysed using the narrative analysis technique to present profile of respondents and their career histories. The findings reveal females in the study were unable to meet requirements for promotion in their various public university libraries, which has resulted in very slow progress in their careers and even in some cases stagnated careers. The few successful female librarians who made it to top positions did so relatively late in their careers. The study established that societal expectations of females, age, family responsibilities-career conflict, failure to publish, not being able to pursue higher academic programmes, inability to participate in professional enhancement and professional activities are some inhibitors to the progress of female librarians. The study concludes by recommending that the pioneer female University Librarians should serve as role models and mentors to colleague female librarians, and that there should be career development support, for females, from the Ghana Library Association and African Library and Information Association to help overcome barriers to advancement in university libraries. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)