Calls for equity in education for historically marginalized student groups, including students with disabilities, are continuous and long-standing, as access to high-quality education remains elusive for far too many students. As part of a larger study, I conducted this ethnographic case study involving two first-grade students, one who was…

This dissertation was designed as a phenomenological qualitative study grounded in Contact Theory to investigate Early College high school students' perceptions of a multi-year mentoring program. The Early College students were paired with elementary students with varying special needs in a self-contained classroom throughout 3 years in various…

The main purpose of the study was to characterize gender patterns regarding ways of thinking and learning among 242 fifth- and sixth-grade young gifted students in Israel. A written questionnaire was developed to assess ways of thinking as either connected (empathic) or separate (critical, detached). Findings showed that boys consistently rated…

Implementation of social skills deemed appropriate for use in school is important for student success. Students with emotional and behavioral disorders often fail to use these social skills, requiring intervention to facilitate their use. Results related to social skills interventions have been mixed; one suggested reason for this is the lack of…

Nearly one in five New York City public school children is diagnosed with a disability, making them eligible to receive special education services. These students are diverse in terms of their skills, abilities, and background characteristics. Historically, students with disabilities have had less access to learning opportunities and lower…

Teaching students to enjoy reading is important in middle level education; however, middle school students with emotional behavioral disabilities (EBD) frequently struggle with reading skills and frequently display motivational deficits during reading instruction. The purpose of this study was to examine if the presence/absence of a classroom pet…

This retrospective qualitative study was designed to investigate perceptions of the learning experiences of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)-talented male students who were in a self-contained, single-gender, gifted program in a selective high school in Taiwan. Twenty-four graduates of the high school's gifted program…

Background: This study investigates the models of elementary content specialization (ECS) in elementary mathematics and science and the affordances and constraints related to ECS--both generally and in relation to specific models. Elementary content specialists are defined as full-time classroom teachers who are responsible for content instruction…

Previous research on reading perceptions and strategy use involving narrative texts among students attending schools for the deaf provides some information on comprehension strategies used. None of these studies, however, involved students using speech to communicate or receiving instruction in the general education. This study extends that…

The purpose of this study was to determine preservice teachers' beliefs about the curriculum content and skills that should be available and taught during high school, and the contextual variables (experiences, locations, individuals) that promote access to the high school curriculum. Participants included 79 secondary and 21 special education…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of cover, copy, and compare (CCC) procedures on spelling performance with two students. The participants were two elementary students enrolled in a self-contained behavior intervention classroom. A multiple baseline design across participants was employed to evaluate the effects of CCC…

This study examined whether a self-contained gifted classroom meets the needs of its learners. Considering the existing and desired aspects, as perceived by students, teachers, and parents, it offers a unique lens forming a holistic in-depth view of the self-contained classroom. Forty-two participants took part in this study: 20 students, 15…

The effects of Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) and generalization instruction with 3 second and third grade students with severe emotional/behavioral disorders, in one self-contained classroom were examined. The effects of the intervention on multiple measures of story writing were examined at baseline, postinstruction and maintenance.…

This study explores the impact of classroom placement on students' self-determination, perception of social support from teachers and classmates, and student-teacher relationships. Participants included 51 middle school and high school students receiving special education services under the ID (intellectual disabilities) category, along with 12…

The present research study was conducted to explore how structured Spanish instruction (30 minutes, twice a week, for a semester) impacts the level of class participation and on-task behavior and the reading fluency rate of a group of self-contained, special needs, elementary school children (grades K-5). Data for this mixed methodology study were…