Browsing by Subject "Special education teachers"
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Item A study to identify cognitive frames accessed by special education administrators under conditions of required change(Texas Tech University, 2000-12) Shipley, Steven DaleEducational decisions by school administrators inevitably shape the lives of all students. With the passage of IDEA, the decisions made by special education administrators have been primarily concerned with how to implement the changes required by this legislation. How these required changes are implemented can impact significantly on the effectiveness of that implementation with a probable reduction of litigation and excessive costs. Organization theory and leadership theory inform the subject of school administration. This study grew from the research by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal describing the management decision-making process through the use of the cognitive frames approach. In this model, an instructional leader views situations from different perspectives depending on the unique characteristics of the particular situation. Their research describes how through the use of reflective analysis of each situation, the instructional leader can find clarity and meaning amid the confusion of organizational life (Bolman & Deal, 1997). They have found that everyone has preferred frames through which they (1) gather information, (2) make judgments, (3) guide behavior and, (4) explain behavior (1991). The four cognitive frames are the Structural Human Resource, Political, and Symbolic. This study was designed to examine whether special education administrators when faced with required change access a cognitive frame inferred by the required change or access their preferred frame. The following research questions were addressed: • Based on the data, do special education administrators "reframe" their perspectives to fit a given situation? • Do the results vary significantly based on gender? • Do the results vary significantly based on rural or urban location? • Do the results vary significantly based on the size of the district? Statistical analyses include chi-square analysis to determine the correlation between the two instruments and multivariate analysis of variance to examine the existence of statistically significant mean differences among the demographic data. Analysis of the data revealed that in conditions of required change, special education administrators do employ frames other than their preferred frame. This finding was contrary to the findings of Bolman and Deal. However, the alternate frames they did access were not the one(s) inferred by the required change. Implications for fixture research and application include staff development for special education administrators in the utilization of appropriate frames, particularly in conditions of required change and research into the cognitive processes that would lead special education administrators to switch from their preferred frame to other more appropriate frames in conditions of required change.Item IEP team's knowledge about student characteristics, legislation, AT devices and AT services on considering assistive technology in the IEP development for 3rd to 5th grade students with learning disabilities in reading and writing(2007-12) Ko, Hui-ching, 1973-; Bryant, Diane PedrottyAcross grade levels, students with learning disabilities (LD) experience challenges with aspects of their academic learning in terms of reading and writing. In many cases, these challenges can be addressed by utilizing assistive technology (AT) applications as a potential solution. According to the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2004, AT should be "considered" in the development of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) to meet the requirement of providing a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) and to assist students in accessing the general education curriculum. The law requires IEP teams to consider AT to determine whether AT devices and services are necessary; therefore, IEP team members play an important role for considering AT and how AT should be specified in the IEP (Golden, 1998). The IEP team members include school administrators, teachers, and professionals who are responsible for developing, reviewing, and revising the IEP for students with disabilities. Thus, the IEP team members should have essential knowledge to inform AT decisionmaking (Bowser, 2003). The Technology and Media Division (TAM) of the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) lists standards and teacher competencies regarding knowledge and skills of AT for practitioners and related professionals to follow. The standards include obtaining knowledge about AT legal foundations, students' characteristics, instructional content, technology applications, and related services for providing technology. In order to know whether IEP team members possess knowledge for considering AT for students with LD, the purpose of this study was to examine IEP team members' knowledge regarding characteristics of students with LD, AT legislation, AT devices, and AT services for considering assistive technology in the IEP development for 3rd grade to 5th grade students who have been identified as having learning disabilities in reading and writing. Participants (N=1050) including school administrators, general education teachers, special education teachers, diagnosticians, and speech/language pathologists from three school districts in a southern state were surveyed. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the data. The results showed that participants were somewhat knowledgeable about the characteristics of students with LD, AT legislation, AT devices, and AT services when considering AT in the IEP development. Training in terms of quality and quantity was suggested by researchers to provide IEP team members who are serving students with LD better preparing for considering AT in the IEP team meetings. Future research should focus on conducting a similar study with different IEP team members and with different disability groups rather than just learning disability.Item Modifying pre-service teachers' attitudes toward the handicapped by use of simulation activities(Texas Tech University, 1988-05) Kelley, Patricia AnnNot availableItem Special education teachers’ perceptions of substance abuse issues and related classroom pedagogy : a national survey(2010-12) Ndande, Mary Wanjiku; Vaughn, Sharon, 1952-; Velasquez, Mary; Bryant, Diane; Rieth, Herb; Svinicki, MarillaThis study employed a survey design. 5,000 special education teachers were sampled across the nation to determine their perceptions of knowledge of substance abuse, and instructional and behavioral management skills to address students with disabilities who are abusing substances. The following research questions were addressed: (a) What are special education teachers’ perceptions of substance abuse intake among their students; (b) What are special education teachers’ perceptions of their knowledge of different substance abuse areas; (c) What are special education teachers’ perceptions of their classroom knowledge in addressing instructional and behavioral management issues of special education students abusing substances; (d) Are there differences in the teachers’ perceptions of their substance abuse knowledge and related classroom pedagogy skills across: (i) school levels kindergarten/elementary, middle, high school), (ii) school locations (rural, urban, suburban), and (iii) teacher disability assignment (as determined by their students’ primary disability). Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) repeated measures, and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the data. The results revealed that although special educators perceive their students abuse substances, they think it is only by a small percentage of students. Significant differences were noted in the teachers’ perception of knowledge in the six substance abuse areas assessed. Significant differences of the teachers’ perceptions of knowledge were also noted across school locations and teacher disability assignments. Future studies should focus on conducting more extensive research in this limited area of study.