Examining the implementation of two co‐teaching models: team teaching and station teaching

In Turkey, the number of students in mainstream education is increasing, and a support service does not exist even though mainstreaming has been implemented for many years. Therefore, within this system, many students with special needs are failing. Thus, there is a need for evidence‐based research projects concerning the ways of supporting these students such as the co‐teaching approach. In the research detailed in this article, the participants were one regular education teacher and the researcher as special education teacher. The design of the study was action research. Data collection techniques were a checklist, documents (lesson plans, students’ products), researcher journal, actual recordings of co‐planning and reflection meetings and instructions. The findings were demonstrated based on the co‐planning meetings, teaching practices and reflection meetings. Concerning the challenging issues of implementation, support services should certainly be provided in the mainstream classes, and additional research is needed to systematically examine the impacts of teachers taking time to undertake common planning and/or discussing student performance.     

GUIDANCE: Development of a guidance programme for students with special educational needs in Kenya: a study on personal orientation

In this article, Franciscah Wamocho, lecturer and chairperson, Geoffrey Karugu, senior lecturer, both in the Department of Special Education, and Augustine Nwoye, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, all from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, argue that people with disabilities are likely to need the support of counselling services. The study reported here sought to collect baseline data that could be used in designing a comprehensive guidance programme for students with disabilities in secondary phase special schools and vocational rehabilitation training centres in Kenya. A personal orientation inventory was employed to measure values and behaviours among 229 students with visual impairments, hearing impairments and physical disabilities. The results reveal that the students with special educational needs may be non‐self‐actualising. The trend suggests that students with special needs may be living in the past or future with a lot of regrets and negative sentiments. Taking account of insights derived from Maslow's theory of self‐actualisation and other related literature, the findings of this study appear to reinforce the need for a guidance and counselling programme to be developed for students with special educational needs in Kenya. This study reveals the direction that such a programme could take if it is to be of benefit to a Kenyan clientele with special educational needs.     

Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on the Perception of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction among Special Education Students

Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have been increasingly implemented in schools to foster better emotional regulation skills for students with special education needs such as learning disabilities (LDs). This pilot study aimed to evaluate the impact of a MBI on the need satisfaction of elementary students with severe LDs. A prospective quasi-experimental design involving one group and two time points was employed. A sample of 14 elementary school students from a severe LDs special education class participated in this project. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were conducted and revealed a significant reduction in need satisfaction, with a large effect size (η² = .35). Contrary to our hypothesis, the MBI appeared to be negatively related to need satisfaction among participants. These results indicate that MBIs could be linked with better self-evaluation skills in students with severe LDs, which, in turn, may change (or increase the accuracy of) the perception that children have of their own need satisfaction.     

Difficulties associated with the coding and categorization of students with emotional and behavioural disabilities in Alberta

In Canada, there is a recent trend toward non-categorization of services of students with emotional and behavioural disabilities (EBD). Yet in Alberta, the coding of students with EBD provides opportunities to diagnose students' learning difficulties but is hindered in this process, in large part, by being tied into special needs funding. Current coding and subsequent funding practices favour a medical model approach that provides opportunity to over- and misidentify students for higher funding levels. Though this is likely done with good intentions to get services otherwise denied, it may have led to a perverse situation of the practice of ‘coding for dollars’ for these students. In this article we discuss the Alberta EBD coding and funding model using administrative data as well as conclusion remarks from a seminar participated in by different stakeholders. Recommendations for policy changes will be addressed.     

Establishing documentary production support for 21st century campuses

As a response to the growing trend of academic assignments that involve some type of video production, this paper advocates that campuses need to provide instructional as well as technical support for such projects. Universities invest in writing centers to help cultivate writing skills because they understand that providing the latest word processing programs doesn’t ensure students become better writers. Similarly, students with flip/cell video cameras and editing software are not likely to produce quality projects without guidance and thus need a similar network of support for these 21st century forms of communication. This paper presents a model for offering documentary services to entire campus communities - including technology, technique, and pedagogical considerations that lead to educational film productions with strong academic content and integrity.     

Effects of job-embedded professional development on inclusion of students with disabilities in content area classrooms: results of a three-year study

During the mid-1990s, members of the global education community issued the Salamanca Statement that described inclusive schools as effective educational environments that also combat discrimination. Since that time, considerable progress has been made in moving students with disabilities from separate placements to inclusive settings. In the USA, nearly 10% of the school-aged population needs special education services and of that group, 96% are educated in general education classrooms 80% of the time. Placement of such large numbers of students with disabilities has increased the diversity of the student body and the complexity of teaching of core curriculum. For teachers and students to be successful, teachers need on-going professional development. This paper explores the efficacy of a Job-Embedded Professional Development (JEPD) model in six schools (urban, suburban and rural) that had made a commitment towards including all students with significant disabilities in general education core curriculum. Results are discussed for the six schools as well as for students identified as displaying behaviour disorders, autism or intellectual disabilities.     

Using chipendale in the classroom

One of the most common complaints among criminal justice educators is that students have very poor writing and research skills. In particular, educators cite that students’ papers are poorly organized, are replete with grammar and spelling errors, are missing key elements in their discussions, and are often plagiarized. Despite the need for research and writing classes, very few social science faculty members teach writing‐intensive courses because of the amount of time such a course requires. Accordingly, this paper presents a model criminal justice writing class that outlines specific teaching methods to overcome the most common problems found in criminal justice writing and research.     

A RESPONSE TO UNCERTAINTY: THE INCREASED UTILIZATION OF PART‐TIME INSTRUCTORS IN AMERICAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Financial uncertainty and projections of changing enrollment patterns of students are forcing community colleges into positions of maximum flexibility. As a result, they continue a trend of increased reliance on part‐time instructors to deliver their services. This trend is noted by full‐time faculty as cause for alarm. Allegations of poorer quality instruction provided by part‐time instructors cannot be documented. However, it is clear that part‐time employee practices in the areas of selection, orientation, evaluation, and development need dramatic improvement. Implications of this research point to the need for college administrators to reexamine management procedures with regard to part‐time faculty.     

Cognitive Modeling: A Means for Achieving Prevention in School-Based Consultation

The shift in educational placement of children with disabilities into an integrated approach continues to gain momentum. One strategy for implementing this integrated partnership is the use of general education prereferral intervention techniques. This study specifically examined the longitudinal impact of collaborative consultation as a prereferral intervention on referral accuracy to special education. Several data collection forms were used to provide an accurate count of the number of children in the school populations who were referred for special education assessment and who were found to verify for special education services. Referral accuracy was determined by taking a ratio of the number of students assessed to the number of students verified. Results indicated a significant increase in referral accuracy when the collaborative consultation model was implemented as a prereferral strategy. Implications and suggestions for further research are offered.     

Sex,School, and Society

Accurate teacher judgment of students' reading ability is critical for identification of students in need of intervention. Little research is available that examines the accuracy of teachers' judgments in identifying students at risk for early reading difficulty as students begin school. Findings of this study indicate that teachers are fairly accurate in their judgments, but the fact that reading ability provides the foundation for academic success suggests the need for a high degree of accuracy in their judgments of students' reading ability.     

Type 1 diabetes mellitus case decisions: Health‐related service considerations for school psychologists

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic illness that can impact learning and often requires medical management in the school setting. School psychologists must therefore be knowledgeable of special service eligibility criteria associated with T1DM, the health‐related services often required of such students, and what health‐related services schools are obliged to provide. Although federal regulations speak to special service eligibility criteria to consider for children with T1DM, such codes do not outline what health services schools are expected to provide. One way to glean this information is by examining published case decisions involving diabetes health‐related services in the schools. Themes and examples in five decision categories provide vital information for school psychologists regarding school service planning for T1DM. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Use of superheroes social skills with middle school‐age students with autism spectrum disorder

The current study evaluated use of the Superheroes Social Skills program as a means of increasing social skill accuracy in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Participants included four Caucasian male students that were eligible for special education services within the autism category. Social skills training was presented twice weekly for 9 weeks. The results demonstrated that implementation of the intervention improved social skill accuracy within the training setting as indicated by visual analysis and nonoverlap of all pairs. Additionally, improvements in social skill accuracy during probes conducted within the classroom with typically developing peers was observed. Despite improvements in social skill accuracy in both settings, sociometric status of participants demonstrated little change from baseline to postintervention.     

An Exploratory Study of Teachers’ and Students’ Use of Multi‐modal Representations of Concepts in Primary Science

As part of a long‐term research study to enhance science learning, this paper reports on an exploratory study aimed at identifying initial beliefs and practices of a group of teachers and students (Years 4–6) in Australia when the students engaged with multiple representations of the same science concepts. There is growing recognition in science education research that students need to understand and link different representational modes, such as graphic and verbal modes, in learning to think and act scientifically. This exploratory study used a multi‐site case‐study approach employing qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings indicated that while teachers used various modes to engage students and assess learning, they were not systematic in their focus on student integration and translation across modes. The study found that various factors affected students’ understanding of different modes, and that students who recognised relationships between modes demonstrated better conceptual understandings than students who lacked this knowledge.     

A Feasibility Study of a Full Integration Model Developed for a Group of Students Classified as Mildly Intellectually Disabled

The feasibility of a functional full‐time integration model was examined by comparing the academic and social achievement of two groups of 13 students with mild intellectual disabilities who had been randomly allocated to either age‐appropriate mainstream classes or to a segregated special class. Both groups of students had previously attended special classes in a support unit catering for students with mild intellectual disabilities and had been taught by two special education teachers. During the experimental phase, one teacher remained in the unit while the other acted as a resource teacher for both integrated students with disabilities and regular low progress students in mainstream classes to which the students with disabilities had been allocated. After a 16 week intervention, the results indicated that the integrated students improved significantly more than their segregated counterparts on measures of decoding and mathematics as well as in time spent playing with regular peers. Furthermore, in one regular classroom where the resource teacher had established a mastery learning/cooperative group procedure, both regular students and those with disabilities improved significantly more in academic skills than a parallel group in a traditionally organized classroom. While it is recognised that teacher effects cannot be partialled out in such an intervention, the implications of these results for extending special education services into the mainstream rather than isolating them within special classes are discussed.     

The Implications of Inclusive Schooling for School Libraries

School library provision for students with disabilities was evaluated in a four year study completed in 1999. The study focussed on the relationship between library and special education staff, and the effect this had on access to library services and the acquisition of information literacy by students with disabilities. Empirical data reflecting the current level of service provision in two Australian states was collected in a survey. This data was complemented by observations and interviews with special education and library staff and students in 15 case study schools. The research showed that as the number of students with disabilities enrolled in mainstream schools was increasing, school librarians had to be aware of the needs of these students, in order to provide them with adequate library services. Although examples of good practice were found, there is need for improvement in service delivery for these students. Much of this could be achieved by enhanced communication and cooperation between school librarians and special education teachers.     

Continuity in special education placements: Are reevaluations really necessary?

A 3-year catch-up prospective study of 654 rural special education students was conducted to determine what proportion had a change in classification and/or programming. Information was gathered through a record review of all handicapped students from preschool through secondary school. Change was found to be more common than is generally perceived: 38.2% of the students had a classification change (21.9% by termination and 16.3% by reclassification). Changes in the type of program occurred for 33.1%, and changes in frequency of services occurred for 71.2% of the students in classroom programs. Rates of changes varied significantly between classifications. The relatively high rates of change stress the need for thorough reevaluation services.     

高校特殊困难毕业生就业心理分析与对策研究

特殊困难毕业生就业应受到社会各界的关注,政府、社会、高校、学生本人、家长应共同努力。就高校而言,既要把特殊困难毕业生就业问题作为工作重点,建构特殊政策,提出特殊要求,提供特别指导和服务,也要更多关注特殊学生的共性和个性,给予他们更多的理解、支持和鼓励。     

Economic Recession and Inequality in Education: Children needing special services in focus

This study examines equality in education during a national recession when the supply of special services has decreased. Who gets selected for the scanty services? The need for and the availability of special services (remedial instruction, special education and psychological counselling) were studied with reference to students' social, family and personal factors. The sample included 906 sixth-graders from southern Finland and the study was carried out by means of questionnaires to students and teachers. A considerable gap was found between need and supply of special services. The need for services was widely related to the background factors. The selection process was biased against boys in remedial instruction, internalising children in psychological counselling, and it favoured students with more resources: those achieving well, being motivated and having a higher socio-economic status. The study reveals one possible pathway aggravating inequality in education.     

Interactive Teaming (book)

The constraints and complexity entailed in the provision of comprehensive special education services at a school site argue for the importance of using whole schools as a unit of analysis in special education efficacy research. The case studies summarized in this special issue represent an important step forward in understanding how schools that support positive academic outcomes for all students are configured. All studies found support for the importance of collaboration (although the forms varied by school). Other common themes were peer support, shared responsibility for student learning, administrative support for collaboration, and informal communication mechanisms that supplemented more formal contacts between general and special education. The case studies can serve as a stimulus for further debate about how to define exemplary outcomes in special education and the critical dimensions for characterizing schools' services to students with disabilities. They also provide directions for future research in understanding the processes that contribute to positive outcomes for students in special education.