Hospitalized adolescents experience significant needs beyond medical treatment. They require emotional support for anxiety and stress, educational support for learning, and social support to reduce isolation. This qualitative study explored the use of mobile technologies to connect students to their schools, classmates, and families in an effort to reduce their isolation and disrupted schooling experiences. We conducted in-depth interviews with 18 hospitalized adolescents aged 12 to 18, 29 teachers, and four parents about the affordances of mobile technologies. We found that mobile technology use in a hospital school was critical to engage adolescents in learning and keep them up-to-date with schoolwork. Mobile technologies should be available and accessible in hospital for adolescent patients for the purpose of meeting their learning, communication, and well-being needs. In particular, mobile technology should be used as a therapeutic tool to overcome hospitalized adolescents’ social isolation and improve their well-being.
In this literature review, the effects of computer-mediated instruction on the learning of students with mild and moderate disabilities are synthesized from 1996 onward that extends our previously published synthesis for the period 1987-1995. Empirically based findings are reviewed and discussed in the basic skills areas of reading, writing, and mathematics, as well as in the content areas of social studies and science. Results are interpreted and discussed regarding traditional teaching methodologies in special education as well as changes in the instructional ecology and expectations for students created by the inclusion movement and reforms in general education. Limitations found in the reviewed studies are described and future directions for research in special education technology for students with high incidence disabilities are identified.During the last two decades, special educators have adapted and evaluated computer-mediated instruction (CMI) to assist students with disabilities. Early research efforts focused primarily on the benefits of computer software for the mildly handicapped and adaptive devices for those with physical and sensory 201
Concept maps are commonly used in a variety of educational settings as a learning aid or instructional tool. Additionally, their potential as a research tool has been recognized. This article defines features of concept maps, describes the use of pre- and postconcept maps as a research tool, and offers a protocol for employing concept maps as an effective research tool. To illustrate the viability of concept maps as a research tool, specific steps and examples are provided from a study that used concept maps to investigate the conceptual change of pre-service and in-service teachers after participation in special and general education courses using multimedia case-based instruction. Support for concept maps as a research tool to evaluate learning and growth in knowledge are provided with specific procedures for creating a concept map quality scoring system.
Children and youth who are hospitalized for a short or long term become socially isolated from their family, school and classmates. As their isolation increases, so does their vulnerability as a result of disrupted schooling. Research studies suggest different ways of using technologies to overcome this isolation and support children during this critical time of their lives. With technology for children in hospitals becoming increasingly commonplace, evaluating how it is used and its impact on children's learning and well-being is necessary. In this paper, we systematically evaluated existing research on use of technologies for communication, support and educational purposes and its contribution to the well-being of hospitalized children. A rigorous selection process yielded 14 research articles meeting the following criteria: empirical studies, using technologies for network of support, targeting hospitalized children and adolescents and targeting learning or social and emotional well-being in the last decade. This review indicates that the use of technologies with children and youth in hospitals generally increased their potential for learning and improved connectivity with school. Our findings revealed that implementing digital pedagogies and creating online communities were helpful but underutilized features in the research.
Under the most recent national mandates, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) and the newly reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), schools must bring virtually all students to the proficient level on state content tests within the next decade. Schools are expected to meet this challenge by employing only highly qualified teachers who are well trained to use evidence-based practices beginning next year. Serious concerns have been voiced by a variety of stakeholders about the impact of these mandates on rural schools as well as about their implications for special education services. Various stakeholders in rural areas across the country were surveyed to examine the perceived impact of the NCLBA mandates for highly qualified teachers and annual yearly progress and inform the debate on policies and practices associated with their implementation in rural schools. Results indicated that a majority of participants believed that NCLBA would have a negative impact on rural schools and that rural schools would have difficulty meeting the accountability and quality provisions of the Act in the area of special education.
This article presents the results of a qualitative study investigating the usability and perceived effectiveness of StrategyTools™, an electronic performance system support designed for secondary students with mild disabilities to use independently in classroom and home situations. The StrategyTools software contains 39 computerized research-based strategy tools to support learning, behavior, and transition in high school and beyond. Two special education teachers each used the software with their high school students for one semester. Interviews were subsequently conducted with the two teachers and four students with behavior disorders who used the software. Interview responses were analyzed inductively for themes related to benefits, concerns, and usability. Design features of the software, the systems to support use of the software, and results of the qualitative analysis are reported. Recommendations for future research and suggestions for use of the StrategyTools software and support system are provided.
Current legislative mandates for schools to bring all students to the proficient level on state content standards by 2014 have been both commended and criticized by stakeholders across the nation. Schools are expected to meet this challenge by employing only highly qualified teachers who are well versed in content and the use of evidence-based practices. They must document adequate yearly progress toward proficiency for all students, including those with disabilities. Most groups praise the accountability that accompanies these mandates; however, concerns have been voiced by some educators about their impact on rural schools as well as their implications for special education services. Various stakeholders in rural areas across the country were surveyed to examine the perceived impact of the NCLBA mandates for highly qualified teachers and adequate yearly progress. Qualitative research methods were used to analyze responses to open-ended questions asking participants to expand on special education issues related to qualifications of highly qualified teachers, documentation of adequate yearly progress and other general concerns. Some common themes emerged related to the unique circumstances of rural schools as well as the potential impact of NCLBA on rural special educators and special education programs.
Interactive, multimedia cases with technology supports present new ways of teaching and learning in teacher education. In this mixed-methods, naturalistic study, the authors investigate how and what participants learn from multimedia cases and, in particular, how instructional implementation affects learning outcomes from multimedia cases. Multimedia cases with technology supports were implemented in 20 different higher education courses with varying University of Missouri—Columbia instructional modes involving 251 pre-service and practicing teacher education students from four different universities. Results indicate that how multimedia cases are integrated into courses makes a difference in case-based learning outcomes and that these differences are evidenced in both quantitative and qualitative data. Overall, significant learning occurred for all instructional implementation groups with one exception—limiting use of cases to context for additional course assignments was not effective. Implications for teacher education are explored.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.