LEARNING DISABILITIES PROGRAMS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Students with learning disabilities (LD) from selected Midwest colleges and universities participated in a study to determine the differences between LD programs at community colleges and four-year institutions; the level of satisfaction with college LD programming; and the services most important to students. Focus groups were held at five institutions including two community colleges, two independent institutions, and one public university. Focus group participants included male and female students aged 16 to 56 years and enrolled in freshmen through graduate levels. The literature suggests that the focus of LD programs and the types of services vary between two-year and four-year institutions due to differences in missions and the characteristics of the students served. However, results from the data in the present study reveal that the types of LD services offered among the institutions participating in the research were quite similar, but the quality of services varied. Students at the large public university had difficulty getting note takers, books on tape and tutors, and obtaining adequate assistance from LD staff. Participants from the smaller community colleges and private colleges and universities considered the smallness of their institutions to be a benefit. The LD program was easily accessible and LD staff were always available. Although the participants in the study who had received LD services in high school believed the services at their college or university were comparable or better, existing programs need to be evaluated to identify services in need of improvement.     

Differences in transitional needs of high school students with and without learning disabilities

Studies investigating the post-high-school vocational status of individuals with disabilities have frequently found that these individuals are more likely to be unemployed, underemployed, or employed part-time, when compared to nondisabled peers. Transition programs are needed for adolescents with disabilities to facilitate their vocational success. The current study surveyed 80 high school students with learning disabilities (LD) and 80 nondisabled (NLD) peers to determine their transitional needs. Results indicated that (a) more students with LD than NLD students are involved in transition programs; (b) career goals were established by the majority of both groups; (c) parents provided most of the assistance in making career decisions; and (d) twice as many NLD students as students with LD wanted to go to college, while twice as many students with LD as NLD students wanted to enter the job market. More students with LD than NLD students were aware of vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, but the number was still below 50%. The majority of the information about VR services came from the school.     

Depression among students with learning disabilities: assessing the risk

Researchers have found that students with learning disabilities (LD) obtain statistically higher scores on measures of depression than their peers without LD. However, what is not known is whether students with LD display greater levels of clinical depression than their peers without LD. If they do, then special education services should address this area of concern. If they do not, then the current mental health system may be adequate to treat children and adolescents with depression regardless of whether they have concomitant LD. The purpose of this study was to meta-analyze the data-based literature and quantify mean differences in depression measure scores and levels of clinical depression between students with and without LD.     

Outreach and support for Australian university students with learning disabilities

Abstract

Although students with learning disabilities (LD) are increasing in Australian universities (Smith, Carroll, & Elkins, 1999), limited data is available about this group and the services available to them. This paper reports the results of a 1996 survey of university outreach, transition and orientation programs to attract potential students with LD and assist them in adjusting to higher education study. The availability of generic and specialist support services and accommodations was also investigated.

Universities promote awareness of disability support services widely in outreach to prospective students and at application and/or enrolment, although students with LD are seldom specifically targeted. Formal programs to assist students from equity groups or students with disabilities to consider tertiary study are most frequently directed at high school students; only one quarter of the universities had outreach programs which might include adults with LD. Most universities offer a comprehensive range of support to students with LD through both generic and disability services. Approaches to the documentation of diagnostic assessment and the establishment of need for accommodation are however variable, and raise issues of equity which are of concern to disability support staff.     

Relationships with teachers and bonds with school: Social emotional adjustment correlates for children with and without disabilities

In this investigation, fifth‐ and sixth‐grade children (N= 289) completed a measure to assess aspects of their relationships with teachers and bonds with schools. Children and teachers also completed measures related to children's social and emotional adjustment. Analyses of responses to these measures indicated that students with disabilities had greater dissatisfaction with their relationships with teachers, poorer bonds with school, and perceived higher school danger than did students without disabilities. Comparisons involving students who were receiving services for emotional disturbance (ED), learning disabilities (LD), mild mental retardation (MMR), other health impairments (OHI), and no disabilities indicated that students with ED and students with MMR had poorer affiliation with teachers and greater dissatisfaction with teachers than students without disabilities. Students with ED also had poorer bonds with school than did students without disabilities. Students with LD and students with MMR had significantly higher ratings of perceived school danger than did students without disabilities. Results of correlational analyses indicated that student‐teacher relationship and school bonding variables were associated with social and emotional adjustment variables for students with and without disabilities. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A self-advocacy plan for high school students with learning disabilities: a comparative case study analysis of students', teachers', and parents' perceptions of program effects

This qualitative study examined immediate perceived effects of a self-advocacy plan for students with learning disabilities (LD) in a 4-year comprehensive high school. The study's design was based on information-processing theory and qualitative research techniques, such as participant/observation and interviews. Subjects were 15 ninth- and tenth-grade students with LD, their parents, and their resource teachers. Participants responded to standardized open-ended interview questions upon completing the first step of the Self-Advocacy Plan. The study suggests that the Self-Advocacy Plan is an effective program increasing students' awareness of the vocational and academic services they qualify for, clarifying their perceptions of their roles as learners and individuals with LD, increasing their understanding of LD as a condition that has certain general characteristics, and developing their awareness of career and educational opportunities. The study provides suggestions for future self-advocacy research and for special educators who wish to design programs for students with LD incorporating the concepts of psychosocial development of the individual, information-processing theory, and self-advocacy.     

Higher education provision for students with disabilities in Cyprus

Internationally, the number of students with disabilities entering higher education institutions is on the rise. Research estimates that 8–10% of students attending higher education are registered with disability, with learning difficulties being the most commonly reported disability. Widening participation in higher education has been supported by legislative changes, inclusive education practices, the use of ICT and accessible facilities and programs and, ultimately, an increasing belief among students with disabilities that higher education maximizes their opportunities for employment and independent living. Within the Cypriot context, research on disability, access and provision in higher education is limited. This study was a part of a large-scale study (PERSEAS) funded by the EU. From the original sample, 15 students attending private higher education institutions in Cyprus reported disability (i.e., sensory impairment, dyslexia, physical disabilities) and were selected for focus group discussions. Also, interviews and focus groups were conducted with the Headmasters and teachers, respectively, in 10 private higher education institutions. This study yielded interesting results regarding the current state of provision (e.g., concessions for exams and assignments, infrastructure, teaching modification, counseling services) as well as issues of social inclusion, equality of opportunity and entitlement to education.     

Characteristic behaviors of students with LD who have teacher-identified math weaknesses

Mathematics learning disabilities (LD) have gained increased attention over the last decade from both researchers and practitioners. A large percentage of students receiving learning disability services experience difficulties with mathematics, but little research has examined the specific mathematics behaviors of students with LD who have teacher-identified math weaknesses. This study examines the literature on mathematics LD and identifies specific behaviors from that body of research for the purpose of determining the extent to which those behaviors are observed in students with LD. Data are presented from observations of 391 special education professionals on 1724 students with LD, 870 of whom had identified math weaknesses and 854 of whom did not. Our results validate the existing literature and provide implications for teachers, researchers, and others interested in studying mathematics LD.     

University faculty attitudes and knowledge about learning disabilities

ABSTRACT

Adults with learning disabilities (LD) constitute one of the fastest growing populations of students attending institutions of higher education. Faculty members play an important role in the adjustment and success of these students. The current study investigated the perceptions towards LD of faculty members at a public university in Israel. Specifically, the study examined the level of contact, attitudes, knowledge, and training of faculty members with respect to students with LD. The results demonstrated that faculty members overall had a significant amount of contact with and held positive attitudes towards students with LD. However, it appeared that faculty members would benefit from information regarding the current definition of LD, related legislation about LD and other disabilities, and training and support services for LD. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.     

Social effects of integrated classrooms and resource room/regular class placements on elementary students with learning disabilities

The social status of elementary students with learning disabilities (LD) served by the Integrated Classroom Model (ICM) was compared to the social status of elementary students with learning disabilities served in a regular class with resource room support. The ICM serves elementary special education and non-special-education students (1:2) together as one class. The comparison group was composed of students with learning disabilities who received special education services outside of their regular classroom for a portion of their school day. Social status was determined by assessing interpersonal relationships among students, using a peer rating method. The results of analyses of various dimensions suggest that while special education students in both programs have significantly lower social status on average than their non-special-education peers, the children in the ICM have a better opportunity to blend successfully into the classroom than the children who go out to a resource room.     

Educational Support for Saudi Students with Learning Disabilities in Higher Education

Disability laws in Saudi Arabia mandate that higher education institutions provide support for special needs learners in order to ensure educational opportunities equivalent to opportunities for their nondisabled peers. These institutions experience challenges, however, in providing the necessary support to undergraduate and postgraduate students with learning disabilities (LDs). We conducted an exploratory study to assess educational support requirements and affordances for undergraduate and postgraduate students with LDs attending institutions of higher education in Saudi Arabia. We completed semistructured interviews with 22 special needs learners diagnosed with a LD (16 undergraduate and six postgraduate). The findings suggest that additional support services are needed for undergraduate and postgraduate students with LDs attending Saudi institutions of higher education.     

Students classified as LD who petitioned for or fulfilled the college foreign language requirement-are they different? A replication study

This replication study compared 86 petition students who received course substitutions for the college foreign language (FL) requirement with 40 nonpetition students who fulfilled the FL requirement by passing FL courses on cognitive and academic achievement measures and graduating grade point average. The results showed significant differences between the two groups, favoring the nonpetition group on one measure, the American College Testing (ACT) score, when IQ was used as a covariate; however, no significant group differences remained when ACT score was used as a covariate. More than half of the 126 petition and nonpetition students did not meet a minimum criterion for classification as learning disabled (LD), and more than half of both groups (54% and 63%, respectively) were not classified as LD before enrolling in college. Sixty percent of the petition students either had not taken an FL course in college or had achieved only grades of withdrawal before petitioning for substitution of the FL requirement. Implications addressed include petition students' persistence in fulfilling the FL requirement, students' use of instructional accommodations and services, criteria used to classify students as LD, use of the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT), and why some students classified as LD pass FL courses and other students classified as LD do not.     

Social Attributions of Students With Learning Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine the social attributions of students with learning disabilities (LD) compared to those of nonlearning-disabled (NLD) low- achieving (LA) and average-achieving (AA) students. Ninety-two subjects partici- pated in the study; 32 students with LD and two matched control groups that consisted of 29 LA and 33 AA students. The results indicated that students with LD were likely to exhibit different social attribution patterns than did their NLD peers. They displayed a greater tendency to use external factors in explaining their social successes and failures, while attributing their successes to internal factors, than did LA and AA students. LA and AA students, conversely, were more likely to use interactional explanations of social events.     

Lexical access in college students with learning disabilities: an electrophysiological and performance-based investigation

The purpose of this study was to compare the semantic processing abilities of college students with learning disabilities (LD) to those of their peers without learning disabilities (NLD) who were matched for age, gender, and intelligence. Participants were compared on results from the Test of Adolescent/Adult Word Finding (TAWF) and from event-related potential (N400) sampling to the processing of semantically incongruous sentences. The LD and NLD groups did not significantly differ in accuracy on the TAWF; however, students with LD demonstrated a significantly greater number of delayed responses. The LD group's N400 responses were significantly delayed at the Pz electrode site. Effect size indicators also revealed somewhat reduced amplitudes at Fz and Cz locations. The significant delays of the students with LD on standardized testing and on N400 suggest an inefficiency in the semantic processing of these individuals, in both automatic and attention-based aspects of lexical access.     

Special Education in a 4‐Year Response to Intervention (RtI) Environment: Characteristics of Students with Learning Disability and Grade of Identification

This 4‐year longitudinal research was designed to study special education determinations of students who participated in Tier 2 intervention in a Response to Intervention (RtI) model focused on reading across Grades 1–4. We compared identification rates for learning disabilities (LD) and student characteristics of 381 students the year prior to implementation with 377 students in the RtI environment. Across schools, 38–60 percent of students were English language learners (ELL). Key outcomes by Grade 4 for students with LD who had participated in a model of RtI were relatively greater reading impairment with effect sizes ranging from 0.64 to 0.82, and more equitable representation across ELL and native English speakers than in the cohort prior to RtI implementation. Notably, one‐third of the students identified for special services as LD in these schools were not identified until 4th grade.     

A cross-sectional study of mathematics achievement, estimation skills, and academic self-perception in students of varying ability

This study investigated students' mathematics achievement, estimation ability, use of estimation strategies, and academic self-perception. Students with learning disabilities (LD), average achievers, and intellectually gifted students (N = 135) in fourth, sixth, and eighth grade participated in the study. They were assessed to determine their mathematics achievement, ability to estimate discrete quantities, knowledge and use of estimation strategies, and perception of academic competence. The results indicated that the students with LD performed significantly lower than their peers on the math achievement measures, as expected, but viewed themselves to be as academically competent as the average achievers did. Students with LD and average achievers scored significantly lower than gifted students on all estimation measures, but they differed significantly from one another only on the estimation strategy use measure. Interestingly, even gifted students did not seem to have a well-developed understanding of estimation and, like the other students, did poorly on the first estimation measure. The accuracy of their estimates seemed to improve, however, when students were asked open-ended questions about the strategies they used to arrive at their estimates. Although students with LD did not differ from average achievers in their estimation accuracy, they used significantly fewer effective estimation strategies. Implications for instruction are discussed.     

ENHANCING RECRUITMENT SUCCESS FOR TWO-YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS OF COLOR

The increasing proportion of students of color enrolled in secondary institutions makes the issue of their recruitment into postsecondary institutions an increasingly important concern in higher education. Data from a national survey of chief student affairs officers (CSAOs) on recruitment barriers and strategies for students of color were merged with 1995 National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Fall Enrollment Survey data. A regression analysis was conducted to identify significant predictors of the percentage of students of color at 562 two-year colleges. The percentage of students of color was used as a proxy measure of aninstitution's success inrecruiting students ofcolor.Demographic and institutional characteristics that emerged as predictors included (a) having a CSAO of color and(b) being an urban institution.Recruitment strategies that entered as predictors included (a) having recruitment materials in students' native languages, (b) working with minority high schools in the design of curricula, (c) having individuals of color as members of the board of trustees, and (d) participating in dual-enrollment programs with minority high schools. The percentages of faculty members and administrators of color and the amount of contact that CSAOs have with students of color emerged as the strongest predictors. The study found that two-year colleges reap the benefit of faculty-student and faculty-teacher interactions in the form of greater institutional success in increasing their percentages of students of color. Policy makers, administrators, and faculty members can use the results of this study to promote equity by designing and implementing more successful recruitment policies and practices for two-year college students of color.     

Life adjustments of college freshmen with and without learning disabilities

This paper reports the results of a study comparing college freshmen with learning disabilities (LD) and freshmen with no learning disabilities (NLD). Four data collections over one academic year were completed on a total of 72 students (LDn=39; NLDn=33). Results of the study indicated differences between groups in their initial choice of living accommodations and in the changes made over the year: the overall trend was for students with LD to become more dependent on their families, while students with NLD were becoming less dependent on their families. With regard to academics, students with LD reported spending significantly less time in study and course preparation, as well as greater pessimism about success in coursework. Despite their pessimism, the actual GPA attainment of students with LD was similar to that of NLD peers. Whereas both groups initially predicted it would be easy to adjust to the academic and social nature of college, students with learning disabilities ultimately reported being dissatisfied with the social climate on campus. No differences were found between LD and NLD students regarding their motivation for attending college, or their plans for final degree attainment.