Browsing by Subject "Learning disabled children--Education"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Comparing students with mathematics learning disabilities and students with low mathematics achievement in solving mathematics word problems
    (2007) Hartman, Paula Ann, 1953-; Bryant, Diane Pedrotty
    This study identified factors related to solving mathematical word problems and then examined the differences in characteristics between students with low achievement in mathematics who were likely to have a learning disability and students with low achievement in mathematics who were unlikely to have a learning disability. Factoral analysis identified two significant factors: abstract thinking and long term retrieval from memory. Results indicated qualitative differences between sixth grade students with achievement in mathematics at or below the 25th percentile with indications of learning disabilities (MLD) and students with achievement in mathematics at or below the 25th percentile without an indication of a learning disability (Low Math/NLD). The Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Inventory, which measures intrinsic processing disorders indicative of learning disabilities, was used to differentiate between students with MLD (n = 13) and students with Low Math/NLD (n = 16). The Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement, Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Fourth Edition, and the Informal Mathematics Assessment (IFA) were used to compare the two groups. In contrast to students with MLD, students with Low Math/NLD had a higher mathematical performance and had more difficulties with math fluency. When solving mathematics word problems on the IFA, a test composed of word problems, student interview, and error analysis, students with Low Math/NLD had more correct answers, more computational errors, and fewer translation errors than students with MLD did. Students with MLD had conceptual difficulties in the areas of analyzing, reasoning, and abstract thinking.
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    IEP team's knowledge about student characteristics, legislation, AT devices and AT services on considering assistive technology in the IEP development for 3rd to 5th grade students with learning disabilities in reading and writing
    (2007-12) Ko, Hui-ching, 1973-; Bryant, Diane Pedrotty
    Across grade levels, students with learning disabilities (LD) experience challenges with aspects of their academic learning in terms of reading and writing. In many cases, these challenges can be addressed by utilizing assistive technology (AT) applications as a potential solution. According to the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2004, AT should be "considered" in the development of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) to meet the requirement of providing a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) and to assist students in accessing the general education curriculum. The law requires IEP teams to consider AT to determine whether AT devices and services are necessary; therefore, IEP team members play an important role for considering AT and how AT should be specified in the IEP (Golden, 1998). The IEP team members include school administrators, teachers, and professionals who are responsible for developing, reviewing, and revising the IEP for students with disabilities. Thus, the IEP team members should have essential knowledge to inform AT decisionmaking (Bowser, 2003). The Technology and Media Division (TAM) of the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) lists standards and teacher competencies regarding knowledge and skills of AT for practitioners and related professionals to follow. The standards include obtaining knowledge about AT legal foundations, students' characteristics, instructional content, technology applications, and related services for providing technology. In order to know whether IEP team members possess knowledge for considering AT for students with LD, the purpose of this study was to examine IEP team members' knowledge regarding characteristics of students with LD, AT legislation, AT devices, and AT services for considering assistive technology in the IEP development for 3rd grade to 5th grade students who have been identified as having learning disabilities in reading and writing. Participants (N=1050) including school administrators, general education teachers, special education teachers, diagnosticians, and speech/language pathologists from three school districts in a southern state were surveyed. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the data. The results showed that participants were somewhat knowledgeable about the characteristics of students with LD, AT legislation, AT devices, and AT services when considering AT in the IEP development. Training in terms of quality and quantity was suggested by researchers to provide IEP team members who are serving students with LD better preparing for considering AT in the IEP team meetings. Future research should focus on conducting a similar study with different IEP team members and with different disability groups rather than just learning disability.
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    The impact of multimedia anchored instruction on the motivation to learn of students with and without learning disabilities placed in inclusive middle school language arts classes
    (2007-12) Heo, Yusung, 1972-; Rieth, Herbert J.
    The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of multimedia anchored instruction in language arts on the motivation to learn and academic achievement of students with and without learning disabilities (LD) enrolled in a seventh-grade general education classroom setting. Anchored instruction incorporated research-based instructional components including the multimedia video anchors, authentic tasks and learning activities, promoted discussion and communication when working as a group, integration of technology and effective learning strategies, and students' chances to control own learning activities. The study was conducted in seventh-grade inclusive classrooms. Two teachers and 80 randomly selected students including 28 students with LD participated in the study. A quasi-experimental comparison-group design was utilized, experimental classes received the anchored intervention, and comparison classes received non-anchored instruction. Measures included two self-report questionnaire scores as well as two academic achievement test scores. Results indicated that students in anchored instruction group made significant gains of peer learning, interestingness, and less work avoidance than non-anchored instruction group. In addition, the results of within-group analysis demonstrated that the anchored instruction students' scores of task value, peer learning, subjective competence, interestingness, and performance orientation changed significantly after completing the anchored instruction. Moreover, students with LD who received the anchored instruction improved their motivation to learn and academic achievement to a level similar to students without LD. The overall results of this study suggest that anchored instruction is an effective instructional approach that integrates technologies into the classroom learning as a medium for enhancing students' motivation to learn and academic achievement.
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    Interactions between teachers and students with learning disabilities in general education classrooms
    (2004) Boardman, Alison Gould; Schallert, Diane L.
    Traditionally, research on students with disabilities has focused on an individual difference model. More recently however, to elucidate the conditions and contexts under which students develop academically and socially, researchers have begun to call for models of study that employ a sociocultural theory perspective. Sociocultural theory is based on the notion that children learn through participation in social contexts. Accordingly, the type and amount of contact - most importantly the “talk” - that takes place between the teacher and the student seems to have strong implications for academic and social success at school. This relationship is particularly important for students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to contribute to an understanding of the interactions between general education teachers and students with learning disabilities as they relate to participation in the learning community of the general education classroom. Qualitative methods were used to guide the observations and analyses of four fifth-grade teachers and three target students in each classroom, one student with a learning disability, one low-achieving student, and one average-achieving student, over a two-month period. Data collection included discourse analysis of interactions between teachers and target students, interviews with teachers, and teachers’ selfreflections throughout the study. Results indicated that teachers had a higher rate of interactions with students with LD than with other target student groups. However, despite the amount of time that teachers spent talking to students with LD, the quality of most interactions, in terms of their ability to increase learning, was judged to be low. In addition, while teachers reported that they learned more about the target students and became more attuned to their individual needs during a trial intervention, classroom observations and analysis of classroom talk demonstrated that teachers did not change either the quantity or quality of interactions with students with LD. A model for understanding the teacher negotiation of LD students’ integration into the learning environment was developed and supported by the following themes: teacher beliefs, classroom practice, student response, and teacher perception of student success. The value of teacher-student interactions in terms of both student outcomes and teacher motivation to work with students who struggle to succeed are discussed.
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