Legal mandates, educational reform, and professional policy changes, have emphasized the need to promote the integration of services for students with communication impairments within the general education curriculum. However, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) continue to report the provision of primarily pull-out services with intervention content separate from the general education curriculum. SLPs report minimal use of collaboration required for evidenced-based models of service delivery--like response to intervention (RTI). Graduate training programs are challenged to provide coursework targeting competencies consistent with educational reform and professional policy efforts. Graduate students in the School of Communication Science and Disorders (SCSD) distance education master's degree program received instruction infused with experiential learning opportunities related to evidence-based practice, collaboration, problem solving models such as response to intervention, and embedding social communicative intervention in the curriculum to measure change in content knowledge and application. This study documented changes in content knowledge related to the preceding content areas, practical application of content knowledge through an action research project, and practices and perceptions related to collaboration and service delivery through questionnaires completed by graduate students and school personnel (e.g. collaborating teachers, graduate supervisors, and principals). The course led to gains in content knowledge and offered meaningful practical experiences to apply through implementation of a social communicative intervention in an elementary or secondary general education classroom. Significant change did not occur in practices related to collaboration and service delivery as supported by questionnaire results; however, some positive changes were noted in perceptions. Common themes emerged and informed results related to the selection of service delivery models and obstacles to collaboration. Overall results indicate sustained efforts may be needed to change actual behaviors in practice as future SLPs will continue to be challenged to use service delivery options compatible with including students with disabilities in general education settings. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Communication Science and Disorders in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2012. / March 13, 2012. / classroom-based services, collaboration, distance education, personnel preparation, response to intervention, speech and language therapy / Includes bibliographical references. / Juliann J. Woods, Professor Directing Dissertation; Michelle M. Kazmer, University Representative; Carol M. Connor, Committee Member; Julie A. G. Stierwalt, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_182989 |
| Contributors | Lundblom, Erin Elizabeth Gill (authoraut), Woods, Juliann J. (professor directing dissertation), Kazmer, Michelle M. (university representative), Connor, Carol M. (committee member), Stierwalt, Julie A. G. (committee member), School of Communication Science and Disorders (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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