School leaders have an important role in supporting implementation of inclusive education practices in schools. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how school leaders' attitudes towards inclusive education are formed. We used the Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education Scale that was developed to measure different facets of attitudes towards…

Given today's crisis-laden context filled with educational challenges, it is critical to understand how principals express hope through their leadership to navigate these challenges. Through an extensive qualitative research study conducted in 2019-2022, I examined how 50 principals expressed and used hope in varying degrees to hinder or…

In this article, a framework for the creation of a fully inclusive and comprehensive early childhood intervention system is described. Although aspirational at this time, the potential for developmental science, intervention science, and implementation science to be integrated to maximize the effectiveness of early intervention systems is…

The social and emotional development of students is one of the important goals of inclusive education. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the multidimensional social and emotional competencies of students with special educational needs (SEN), with a focus on identifying the areas in which they achieve the highest…

As educators are becoming more aware of the mental health needs of young adults, and the impact of trauma and poverty on student learning and development, there is an increased need for different pedagogical approaches that view the student holistically in the classroom. In addition, staff and faculty are experiencing burnout in record numbers. An…

This study used the standard setting to establish cutscores for the fidelity of implementation of an evidence-based intervention, the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) designed to enhance goal-directed actions in secondary students with and without disabilities. Cutscores were then applied to fidelity data from a large,…

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offers a global blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for every person, through universal action to address social, economic, and environmental inequity and inequality (United Nations Development Programme, 2021). For educators, SDG Goal 4 aims to ensure an equitable…

With growing opportunity for students with intellectual and developmental disability to access a variety of inclusive higher education programs comes an increased need for program implementers to evaluate practices and outcomes alongside participants. This mixed-method, exploratory study examines self-determined goal setting, goal attainment, and…

The outcomes of studies on the effectiveness of special education (SE) remain unclear. There are only a few studies on the effects of SE that have used advanced methodology to minimise the influence of potential selection bias. This study examined the plausible effects of SE on students' affective and motivational outcomes using a…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how Latina K-12 school Administrators described their leadership attributes in relation to their career advancement in CO. The attribution theory served as the theoretical foundation for this study. Two research questions guided this study: (1) How do Latina K-12 administrators…

This study used standards setting to establish cutscores for the fidelity of implementation of an evidence-based intervention, the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction, designed to enhance goal-directed actions in secondary students with and without disabilities. Cutscores were then applied to a fidelity data from a large, randomized…

The aim of the study is to provide an in-depth understanding of the use of social-emotional goals in Individualized Education Program (IEP) for elementary students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH). Thus, there is a need to provide more than academic skills in school, which are related to social-emotional learning. Over the past century,…

Research has shown that teacher beliefs shape classroom dynamics, influence student performance, and drive achievement disparities, especially across racial and socioeconomic lines. However, interventions can help mitigate these beliefs and empower teachers to raise expectations for all students, creating growth-focused, inclusive environments.…

This article considers the potential ways for coaching and mentoring practices in higher education to support the development of learner autonomy, a key espoused aim of university education. I argue that coaching and mentoring can foster self-regulated learning, critical thinking, and goal-setting among students, empowering them to take greater…

Within the five chapters of this dissertation, the overall theme was to examine student goal setting when engaged in the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) in inclusive, secondary, academic content, general education classrooms over multiple years. Chapter 1 provides an overview of self-determination, goal setting, and the…