Concordia University St. Paul DigitalCommons@CSP Concordia University Portland Graduate CUP Ed. Dissertations Research Summer 6-22-2019 Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study Kimberly S. Baker Concordia University - Portland, kimbaker1700@gmail.com Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.edu/cup_commons_grad_edd Part of the Special Education and Teaching Commons Recommended Citation Baker, K.
Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study (Thesis, Concordia University, St. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.edu/cup_commons_grad_edd/352 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Concordia University Portland Graduate Research at DigitalCommons@CSP. It has been accepted for inclusion in CUP Ed. Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@CSP.
For more information, please contact digitalcommons@csp. Concordia University - Portland CU Commons Ed. Dissertations Graduate Theses & Dissertations Summer 6-22-2019 Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study Kimberly S. Baker Concordia University - Portland Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.edu/edudissertations Part of the Special Education and Teaching Commons CU Commons Citation Baker, Kimberly S., "Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study" (2019).edu/edudissertations/329 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Theses & Dissertations at CU Commons.
It has been accepted for inclusion in Ed. Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CU Commons. For more information, please contact libraryadmin@cu-portland. Concordia University–Portland College of Education Doctorate of Education Program WE, THE UNDERSIGNED MEMBERS OF THE DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CERTIFY THAT WE HAVE READ AND APPROVE THE DISSERTATION OF Kimberly Sue Baker CANDIDATE FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Brandy Kamm, Ed., Faculty Chair Dissertation Committee Peggy Dupey, Ph., Content Specialist Robert Voelkel, Ed., Content Reader Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study Kimberly Sue Baker Concordia University–Portland College of Education Dissertation submitted to the Teachers of the College of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership Brandy Kamm, Ph., Faculty Chair Dissertation Committee Peggy Dupey, Ph., Content Specialist Robert Voelkel, Ed.D, Content Reader Concordia University–Portland 2019 Abstract Learning is a challenge for any child, especially a child with a learning disability.
With a focus on best practices and teaching techniques, this qualitative case study will examine the perceptions of individuals at a public charter school dedicated to students with learning disabilities. The study takes place at a public charter school located in Florida. I will gather data by conducting seven interviews of the participants within this study. Participants included four teachers, two support staff, and one administrator at the specific school.
I found four themes during the coding process and analysis. These themes include collaborative partnerships, professional development, support, and challenges. The majority of those interviewed feel strongly about collaborative partnerships and professional development. These two themes warrant future collaborative partnerships and professional development opportunities for teachers and support staff at the school.
Teachers requested support in teaching techniques and best practices. The constant change of federal and state laws requires support staff and teachers to stay on top of things when educating students in this diverse population. This challenge and having enough time to educate students will always be evident with this population. Keywords: educational laws, charter schools, disabilities, best practices, graduation rates, teaching techniques.
ii Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my husband, Phil, and our daughter, Leighan, who stood by me throughout this process with the late nights of homework and time away from family. Although this was a long journey, I feel it was worth it. I am thankful to my sister, Denise, who kept encouraging me to hang in there because the finish line is near. I am truly blessed to have an understanding family.
I want to say a special thank you to each of you as you assisted during my journey within education. iii Acknowledgements I am grateful to have been given this opportunity to further my education. Even though I wanted to give up some times, Dr. Brandy Kamm kept urging me to keep going.
I thank God for your dedication to helping students to learn. To my dissertation committee, Dr. Brandy Kamm, Dr. Robert Voelkel, and Dr.
Peggy Dupey, thank you for keeping me on track and the kind words and suggestions given to get me to the end of this journey. Each one of you are unique in your own way and it is that uniqueness that helps students succeed. iv Table of Contents Abstract. iv List of Tables.
ix List of Figures. 1 Introduction of Problem. 1 Background, Content, and History. 2 Statement of the Problem.
4 Purpose of the Study. 8 Rationale, Relevance, and Significance of the Study. 8 Definition of Terms. 9 Assumptions, Delimitations, and Limitations.
13 Chapter 2: Literature Review. 15 Introduction to Literature Review. 21 Review of Research Literature and Methodological Literature. 23 History of special education laws.
30 v Universal design of learning. 35 Review of Research Literature and Methodological Research. Error! Bookmark not defined. Review of Methodological Issues.
38 Synthesis of Research Findings. 43 Critique of Previous Research. 51 Introduction to Methodology. 52 Purpose and Design of Study.
52 Research Population and Sampling Method. 555 Identification of Attributes. 61 Conflict of interest assessment. 62 vi Ethical assurance.
644 Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Results. 655 Description of the Sample. 677 Research Methodology and Analysis. 688 Summary of Findings.
699 Presentation of Data and Results. 79 Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion. 80 Summary of the Results. 855 Discussion of Results.
888 Discussion of the Results in Relation to Literature. 93 Implications of the Results for Practice, Policy, and Theory. 95 Recommendations for Further Research. 101 vii Appendix A: Interview Protocol.
1198 Appendix B: Recruitment Letter. 1209 Appendix C: Email to Principal of Participating Campus. 121 Appendix D: Consent Form. 122 Appendix E: Statement of Original Work.
124 viii List of Tables Table 1. Target Policy Changes. Description of Themes. 71 ix List of Figures Figure 1.
Conceptual framework for the study. Multitier system of support. 866 x Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction of Problem Educators have struggled for decades to find the best ways to teach students with learning disabilities. Teaching techniques vary across the United States when educating these students.
This has led to varied graduation rates of students with learning disabilities. The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD, 2016) strives to eliminate the gap between knowledge and action to help educators, parents, and policymakers who are ready to design personalized learning systems that meet the needs of students with learning disabilities. The most recent educational reform is the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 and it goes hand and hand with Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Both require schools to provide accommodations that allow students with disabilities to be educated in the least restrictive environment.
There is always room for improvement in the instructional quality while educating students with learning disabilities. According to the Florida Department of Education Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (2017), many teachers in the Florida education system are not aware of proper instructional methods when teaching students with learning disabilities. Cortiella and Horowitz (2014) noted teachers who did not believe in their abilities to teach students through interventions criticized students who made errors and continued to refer students to special education due to the lack of knowledge in this special education population. The lack of knowledge on federal laws, state laws, and individual instructions’ guidelines are a problem that many individuals face in special education.
According to Cortiella and Horowitz (2014), despite the fact that millions of individuals face various learning disabilities, confusion 1 and misinformation about learning disabilities remains. Charter schools provide opportunities for parents to meet the needs of their children with learning disabilities. The public charter school used in this study is located in Florida and strives to create a high intensity, low threat therapeutic learning community to help students celebrate their special gifts. The school’s approach is about the whole child—mind, body, and soul.
This school is focused on students with learning disabilities, dedicated teachers and support staff, and committed parents (Ackerman, 2013). The community works together with the school to provide students with what they need regardless of the special challenges each child faces. This includes raising funds to support the nonprofit school to purchase supplies and other needs to educate a diverse population of students. This case study is an investigation on the perceptions of teachers, support staff, and administrators on educational services used in a specialized setting in relation to a regular classroom.
Background, Content, and History There are many organizations and offices available in the United States to assist states and institutions in doing what is best for individuals with learning disabilities. West Ed’s National Center for Systemic Improvements (NSCI) assists states in improving systems that work with children with disabilities. Department of Education (2014) launched a Result-Driven Accountability (RDA) initiative for special education. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) along with NCSI continue working together to better serve students in need.
According to OSERS, there are three components in the RDA: state performance plan, which measures results and compliance; determinations, which reflect state performance on results as well as compliance; and differentiated monitoring and support for all states, especially those that are considered low performing states. 2 With federal and state laws for an individual with disabilities, it may seem difficult for many to understand these laws and how they differ from each other. With the right instruction, guidance and support, individuals with learning disabilities can achieve many things. “Learning disabilities can take many forms, and the labels have multiplied as our knowledge and understanding of learning and attention issues have increased” (Flink, 2014, p.
Learning disabilities come in various forms and within each of these forms comes different challenges. A review of literature lays the groundwork for researching the constant changes in educational policies and best practices utilized in teaching students with learning disabilities, as it remains a challenge for educational institutions. In 1997, the United States Department of Education defined a learning disability as “a severe discrepancy between intellectual and achievement abilities” based on Section 300.8 of the Individual with Disabilities Act (IDEA, 2018). These discrepancies could take several years before signs appear in a student’s performance.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is derived from the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975) and provides special education and related services for students with disabilities up to 21 years old. This law guarantees a free appropriate public education tailored to an individual’s needs. Some states allow students to receive services until they are older, such as California, which allows students up to the age of 26 years old. According to IDEA, state and federal legislation guarantees students with disabilities to be placed in the least restrictive environment possible.
In many states, special education continues to advance and thrive in providing services to individual with disabilities. This advancement comes alongside the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) in the United States. IDEIA provides ways in 3 addressing school and parent concerns regarding the education of children. This is done by concentrating on students’ strengths and building the proper curriculum of teaching techniques to help students succeed.
Getting research-based instructional practices into the hands of educators is one of the challenges faced by many educators (ERIC Clearinghouse, 2005). According to Ackerman (2013), the National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools plans to identify barriers that special education student’s face and create a coalition to help protect students’ rights.