This qualitative study investigates the knowledge, perceptions, and adoption factors of special education teachers and support specialists regarding video modeling (VM) as a vocational intervention for high school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Grounded in Rogers' theory of innovation diffusion, the research explores their…

This study explored how adopting an empathy education framework and strategies for teacher empathy modeling and student-centered learning experiences cultivates more empathy in middle school classrooms. This study extended the work of Snead et al. (2016) entitled "Challenge Course Work around Teaching Empathy in the Classroom."…

The purpose of this study was to assess the usage of video modeling in the high school setting in order to prepare students with Autism to be job ready upon leaving high school. This researcher examined the information provided through the interviews of those with Autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder was a lifetime processing diagnosis with no cure…

Immersive virtual reality as a tool in the middle-school classroom is a promising avenue to aid in cognitively challenging tasks requiring access to visual processes. As these tools become ever present in society, the expectation of school districts to include them into classroom curricula has become challenging, as there is inconsistent data…

Video-based modeling is an evidence-based practice for teaching social and communication skills, functional and daily living skills, and some academic skills to students with autism spectrum disorder. The efficacy of video-based modeling, however, has not yet been established for STEM skills related to science, technology, or engineering. Drawing…

Individuals with intellectual disabilities are underemployed when compared to their non-disabled peers. This employment gap has major implications for teachers working with students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The federal government has mandated that educators work to increase beneficial post-school outcomes, including…

This study uses components of action and self-study research to examine the design and enactment of modeling tasks with the goal of developing student modeling abilities. The author, a secondary mathematics teacher, first closely examined the curriculum design and instructional decisions she made as she prepared for a unit on mathematical modeling…

The dissertation, with a collected papers approach, focused on evaluating the implementation of MI curriculum in high school Biology I classes in south Florida. The dissertation included the development and validation of the Biology Identity and Persistence Survey (BIPS), the connection of instructors' teaching practices with students' biology…

Suspension from school removes students from the educational environment and interferes with school progress by decreasing prospects of gaining academic and social skills. Suspension also negatively affects school attendance and is an indicator of future disciplinary problems. To address problem behaviors that can lead to school suspensions,…

The aim of this study was to examine the application of video modeling on mobile technology to increase efficiency in the classroom for students identified with intellectual disabilities. Specially, this study sought to identify if video modeling on mobile technology could decrease adult prompting for students with intellectual disabilities during…

The study examined the effects of teaching presentation skills and post-school options to three high school students with developmental disabilities. While previous research has indicated students with learning disabilities can learn both academic and life skills within the same activity (Collins, Hager, & Galloway, 2011; Falkenstine, Collins,…

Struggling adolescent readers are distinct from others in two important ways: (1) They are "adolescents"; and (2) they have a "history" of struggle with reading. Good pedagogy prescribes that effective programs "meet students where they are." For middle-school students, this means meeting them in adolescence.…

The purpose of this case study was to analyze highly effective math teachers in a middle school in Tennessee and describe the methodologies utilized in their middle grades classrooms. This case study was an instrumental single case study within a bounded system. Effective math teachers employ certain methodologies consistently in their classrooms…

Sixty percent of America's teachers choose traditional baccalaureate programs while the remaining choose one of several alternative pathways. While certification/training is certainly important to preparing effective teachers, other research indicates that teacher efficacy serves as the foundation of teacher behaviors and classroom practice. The…

The current study examined the effects of Rethink Autism's web-based video modeling program on the behavior of paraeducators as it relates to discrete trial teaching and on student performance of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a special education school environment. In addition, a cost analysis was conducted to assess the cost of…