A case study of perspectives pertaining to academic accommodations for postsecondary students with learning disabilities

Increasing numbers of students with learning disabilities (LD) are entering into postsecondary education and seeking accommodations through the university’s disability service office. The academic success of students with LD is contingent on the provision of accommodations by instructors, which allows for an equal educational opportunity. To investigate the use of academic accommodations by postsecondary students with LD, the perspectives of postsecondary students with LD and instructors were obtained pertaining to the practice of using accommodations, the utility of accommodations, facilitators and barriers to the use of accommodations, and how an understanding of disability law contributes to the use of accommodations. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, using a single university as a case study, the present study triangulated data from three sources: (a) the university’s disabilities service office student database, disaggregated for students with LD; (b) the university’s disabilities service office student and instructor surveys, disaggregated for students with LD and instructors who met inclusion criteria; and (c) interviews with students with LD and instructors. Data analysis revealed that perceptions and attitudes held by post secondary students with LD and instructors as well as peers without disabilities influences the ability of students with LD to use accommodations. Finding also indicated that increased self-advocacy and knowledge of disability law have the potential to positively impact the practice of accommodations. Furthermore, disability service procedures and instructors’ willingness and ability to accommodate students have the potential to facilitate or hinder the use of accommodations by students with LD. Implications for practitioners, future research, and limitations are discussed.Special Educatio

The effects of systemic ableism on those with a visual impairment : a theoretical perspective

This theoretical investigation examines the link between systemic ableism towards those with visual impairment and whether it elicits symptoms of Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the visually impaired. For the purpose of this thesis ableism will be defined as, –often makes the world unwelcoming and inaccessible for people with disabilities_С_ (Hehir, 2007, p.10). Meaning, barriers exist (Madriga, 2007) for those with a visual impairment. An example of a barrier for those with a visual impairment is the desire to want those with a visual impairment to read regular print instead of large print or Braille (Hehir, 2007). Society maybe be responsible for these barriers but, may not be aware of it (Madriga, 2007). Visual impairment is defined as a range beginning with a visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in the better eye to full loss of sight (The Department of Veterans Affairs, 2001). The two theories selected to appreciate my research question are Multicultural theory and Trauma theory. These two theories create a theoretical lens which provided understanding of individuals with visual impairment as an oppressed minority vulnerable to trauma. Multicultural theory allows for examining oppression from a cultural perspective. Trauma theory allows for examining the effects of ableism through the trauma lens. Throughout my studies and introductions to various theories, I consider these two theories to best exemplify and meet my research needs. Finally, as a participant observer I consider these two theories to provide a relevant theoretical perceptive to further understand whether systemic ableism elicits symptoms of PTSD

Dyscalculia in higher education

This research study provides an insight into the experiences of dyscalculic students in higher education (HE). It explores the nature of dyscalculia from the student perspective, adopting a theoretical framework of the social model of disability combined with socio-cultural theory. This study was not aimed at understanding the neurological reasons for dyscalculia, but focussed on the social effects of being dyscalculic and how society can help support dyscalculic students within an HE context. The study s primary data collection method was 14 semi-structured interviews with officially identified dyscalculic students who were currently, or had been recently, studying in higher education in the UK. A participant selection method was utilised using a network of national learning support practitioners due to the limited number of participants available. A secondary data collection method involved reflective learning support sessions with two students. Data were collected across four research areas: the identification process, HE mathematics, learning support and categorisations of dyscalculia. A fifth area of fitness to practise could not be examined in any depth due to the lack of relevant participants, but the emerging data clearly pinpointed this as a significant area of political importance and identified a need for further research. A framework of five categories of dyscalculic HE student was used for data analysis. Participants who aligned with these categories tended to describe differing experiences or coping behaviours within each of the research areas. The main findings of the study were the importance of learning support practitioners in tackling mathematical anxiety, the categorisations of dyscalculic higher education students, the differing learning styles of dyscalculic and dyslexic students, and the emergence of four under-researched dyscalculic characteristics: iconicity, time perception, comprehension of the existence of numbers that are not whole and dyscalculic students understanding of non-cardinal numbers

Effects of a Bibliotherapy Based Intervention on Literacy, Behaviour and Self-efficacy of Disaffected Adolescents

This thesis examines the effects of a Bibliotherapy based intervention on literacy, behaviour, and self-efficacy of disaffected adolescents. This exploratory study sought to understand how the intervention was experienced by disaffected adolescents (RQ1/RQ2) and whether it revealed any changes in their responses to the texts (RQ3). It contributes to the existing knowledge and literature by demonstrating how Bibliotherapy, implemented in an educational context, can be a useful tool in designing an intervention for disaffected students at the secondary level by linking emotional development to development in literacy and overall learning. To begin, the purpose and study aims were to develop an intervention based on the principles of Bibliotherapy in order to address the challenges of literacy and behaviour among disaffected adolescents; to evaluate the various outcomes, which may influence the design or effective implementation of the programme; to revise and make changes based on the evaluation to produce a usable programme. From this, the study aimed to answer the following research questions: how useful is Bibliotherapy and/or its principles as a tool in designing a literacy programme for re-engaging disaffected adolescents? What is the perspective of the students in undertaking the programme in means of the process involved? What changes follow this programme in regards to the improvement of literacy and enhancement of attitude and interest in reading amongst disaffected adolescents? This study used a longitudinal mixed methods approach, taking place over three cohorts (school terms), and involving thirty two Year 9 students from five secondary schools in the United Kingdom. The design and evaluation of the Bibliotherapy intervention was underpinned by both a concurrent triangulation model and action research. The evaluation of the programme involved the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data; therefore, a pragmatic stance to the research was adopted that was positioned as mixed-methods. Qualitative data was analysed using a thematic approach and merged to complement the Quantitative findings offering a more thorough and valid interpretation. The qualitative analysis revealed four overarching themes from the participation in the programme: positive developments in Power Over Learning, Emotional Intelligence, Peer Impact to Learning, and New Reader Identities. The quantitative findings, for the most part, did not reveal any statistically significant changes in reading, self-efficacy, or behaviour; however, there were isolated cases among individual cohorts where the findings did reveal significant changes in fluency, reading, reading difficulty perception, behaviour, and with personal resiliency such as increased optimism, tolerance, and adaptability. This study supports findings from earlier studies suggesting that disaffected adolescents at secondary school levels can benefit from reading and behavioural intervention. It offers new knowledge regarding the effectiveness and use of Bibliotherapy as a tool to design an intervention for re-engagement, social and emotional growth through peer support, development of a deeper understanding of self, and reinforcement of reading skills necessary to achieve literacy

A Qualitative Functional Analysis of Academic Procrastination among Irish Undergraduate Students

Academic procrastination involves the needless postponement of academic tasks at the expense of one’s academic goals. Informed by the principles of Acceptance Commitment Therapy, this study explored students’ experiences of academic procrastination in an Irish undergraduate sample. Over two studies, semi structured interviews were used to explore the common scenarios in which students tended to procrastinate, and also the scenarios which by contrast tended to motivate relatively immediate academic engagement. Study 1 involved interviewing twelve participants who had been recruited from online lectures. After noting the potential for self-selection bias in this recruitment strategy, study 2 specifically recruited seven participants in person who were engaging in academic procrastination at the time that they were recruited (i.e., recruited from an on campus recreational room where they were spending substantial time procrastinating their academic coursework). Findings highlighted an important new conceptual distinction between deliberately rationalised forms of academic procrastination (i.e., stories used to rationalise delaying academic work) and more impulsive forms of procrastination involving distraction. The observed interplay between these two types of procrastination not only explains how undergraduate students can become trapped in vicious and systematic cycles of procrastination; but these findings also highlight various ways in which one might interrupt such cycles, and indeed systematically replace them with virtuous cycles of academic engagement. As such, these findings have potentially important implications for the efficient deployment of university resources for both reducing rationalized forms of academic procrastination, and designing learning environments to reduce distraction

Participatory action research with adults with mental retardation : Oh my God. Look out world.

This dissertation is a participatory action research project with adults with mental retardation who reside in Louisville, Kentucky. It explores some of the history and ideologies that frequently have hindered persons with mental retardation from being regarded by others as unique individuals with various abilities. It investigates dynamics of social ostracism and the resultant silence, inclusive of the social work profession\u27s relative absence in the field of mental retardation. Furthermore, it explores various aspects of research with persons with disabilities, and with persons with mental retardation in particular. While there have been multiple studies about persons with mental retardation, very few actually include their voices. This dissertation attempts to offer a corrective to this and offers persons with mental retardation a vehicle for their opinions, actions, and voices. A participatory action research design and methodology is offered involving two phases of the study. The first phase involves interviewing 25 adults relative to their personal concerns of things they would like to see changed in their lives. These interviews reveal that the adults\u27 concerns are as varied as the individuals themselves. The second phase focuses on a ten-month process in which nine persons from the original 25 agree to commit to a group experience in which they decide upon a common issue, their structure, and other group needs. They then work together on how best to address the issue, enact their plan, and communally reflect upon the experience. This group decides to focus on the paratransit system in Louisville and through a process of hard work and commitment, decide to invite the director of the system to attend to their group meeting as the focus of their action. The director attends their group, answering their questions and engaging in an extended conversation about their concerns. The dissertation includes a session-by-session reporting on the group gatherings, in addition to insights gained through facilitator\u27s peer supervision experience. It concludes with reflections on the applicability of PAR in social work practice settings and future research needs

English teachers’ choices and beliefs about literature in the Norwegian upper secondary classroom

This doctoral dissertation presents a mixed methods study discussing the what, how, and why of literature in the upper secondary English classroom in Norway. More specifically, the study examines which literary texts English teachers view as suitable and/or select for classroom use, and which beliefs about literature influence their choices. The empirical data that the analysis builds on have been collected using both quantitative and qualitative methods, namely a questionnaire and interviews. The current Knowledge Promotion curriculum does not specify which text types, authors, and/or titles students should read. This means that teachers today have great freedom in choosing literature for their classrooms. This study finds that several factors influence teachers’ choices, including which study programs teachers work with, which literary texts are present in textbooks, which literature is used in examinations and earlier curricula, and which countries the literary texts originate in. Furthermore, teachers’ choices and beliefs about literature are linked to their text selection processes: teachers can be teacher-oriented, student-oriented, or collegially oriented as they make decisions about which literature their students should read. Based on these findings, I argue that teacher beliefs about students, teachers, and subject matter serve as filters when teachers select literary texts for their classroom. Embedded in this project is a case study focusing on teachers’ assessments of contemporary dystopian literature for young adults. It addresses issues of didactic relevance in a popular literary genre, exemplified by four novels. The findings show that dystopian literature is seen as being particularly apt for helping students understand contemporary culture and society and become more environmentally aware, and they have potential in terms of several aims of the core curriculum, especially Bildung. The case study sheds further light on how teachers decide whether a literary text that is new to them might be suitable for the classroom, and exemplifies in more detail teachers’ beliefs and selection processes.publishedVersio

The personal and social impact of non-accredited music education in prison: a transformative mixed methods approach to research in custodial settings

In recent years there has been a shift in the focus of prison education, from treatment interventions and learning that centres around employability skills building, to opportunities that support personal and social development, with the aim to position education in custodial settings as a structure that supports processes of desistance. Against this background, I set out to explore the impact of my new, non-accredited music course on learners in prison, framing music-making activity in prisons within the context of social and criminal justice. I was interested in understanding why impact is or isn’t experienced in my classroom, whether it’s a direct result of the music, or if instead impact is a response to the pedagogical style to teaching music that I implement. A transformative mixed methods research approach was adopted in order to practice cultural competence, uncover multiple perspectives, build trusting relationships with the participants and address the diverse needs of the prison population. Data was collected from one cohort of learners on a four-week music course (n=6) at HMP/YOI Portland, using methods based on learning activities that are a normal part of the music course, thereby ensuring ecological validity. Data analysis was conducted using grounded theory guidelines to sharpen the thematic analysis of qualitative data, ensuring a close relationship with the data and critical self-reflection of my privileged positionality as a white, free woman. Based on concepts of Convict Criminology, interviews with two classroom peer mentors were also collected. The peer mentors were positioned as ‘insider’ research commenters in this study, situated to give a broader analysis of the research topics, to establish routes to the representation of authentic narratives of learners in prison. This research found that music-making activities in prison can have a positive impact on participants' mood, self-confidence and motivation, leading to positive; changes in personal and social development; and shifts in self-evaluation and lower-order self-concept. There was strong evidence that impact was experienced by the participants, not as a result of the music alone, but because the pedagogy created the conditions for a space that contrasted the wider prison environment. Recommendations for practice are made, including the need for a pedagogy for prison education which recognises the value of social learning experiences and ensures that within the contrasting wider prison environment, spaces can be created that support positive mood states, alternative social reinforcement and the development of autonomy supportive relationships