The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the influences on special education teachers' decisions about literacy for their students with severe disabilities. With the use of multiple case study and grounded theory methodologies, four middle and high school special education teachers were purposefully selected to participate in interviews and videotaped observations. Transcripts and videos were analyzed in concert with documents, such as individualized education programs and teaching materials, using constant comparative analysis.Four key influences were identified that guided literacy decisions: (a) contexts; (b) beliefs about students, teaching, and learning; (c) expectations; and (d) self-efficacy. These four components form the basis for a preliminary theoretical framework of teacher decision making about literacy for students with severe disabilities.
This study investigated special education teachers' perceptions of the benefits, barriers, and components of community-based vocational instruction (CBVI). Participants included special education teachers (N 68) from randomly selected high schools in Illinois who had experience delivering vocational curriculum to students with disabilities. Data collection occurred via a survey. Special education teachers perceived CBVI to result in numerous benefits for students with disabilities. Limited resources, requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, and student issues were identified as barriers to implementation. Incongruence existed between teachers' ratings of the importance and use of the components of CBVI. Years of teaching experience, types of students with disabilities served, size of school, and experience with CBVI affected teachers' perceptions of CBVI.
Case study methodology was used in combination with a participatory action research (PAR) approach to examine the process of redesigning one high school science course to incorporate the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and to promote access to the general curriculum. The participants included one general education teacher and two special education teachers. Two sections of the course were targeted for redesign. Each section included students with disabilities (mild, severe) and without disabilities. The redesign process involved changes to the course in the areas of curriculum, instructional delivery/organization of learning environments, student participation, materials, and assessment. Data were collected across one school year through documents, interviews, and focus groups and were analyzed qualitatively using a constant comparative method. DESCRIPTORS: participatory action research, universal design for learning, general education curriculum Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1997, 2004) require schools to provide services that enable all students with disabilities to participate and progress in the general curriculum. The law does not define where access should be provided or who is qualified to provide access (Dymond & Orelove, 2001). One potential option is for students to obtain access in the high school general education classroom. Dymond, Renzaglia, Gilson, and Slagor (in press) found that 96% of the general and special educators at one high school believed students with significant cognitive disabilities (SCD) should access the general curriculum in general education classrooms whereas only 56% believed access should occur in a special education
The term “access to the general curriculum” is widely used in the field of special education, yet little is known about how practitioners are interpreting the term for high school students with significant cognitive disabilities (SCD). In this study, general and special educators in one high school were interviewed to determine their definition of access for students with SCD. General educators most frequently defined access as receiving the same curriculum and materials as students without disabilities in the general education classroom with support from a special educator or paraprofessional. In contrast, most special educators defined access as access to an adapted curriculum that is relevant to the student's life and meets the student's individual needs.
The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perspectives on the appropriate skills and settings for literacy instruction, the factors influencing their decisions about literacy instruction, and the barriers to literacy instruction in general education classrooms. A sample of special education teachers (n = 69) of students taking the Illinois Alternate Assessment were surveyed, and results were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results indicate that teachers prefer to provide life-skills-linked literacy instruction in special education classrooms and consider student characteristics and features of the general education curriculum when making these decisions. Also, the setting had a significant effect on teachers' rankings of preferred literacy skills to teach. Teachers may not understand how to adapt literacy content or how access to literacy instruction in a variety of contexts may benefit their students with severe disabilities.
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