Remedial and Special Education

This article describes procedures recently employed for the quantitative synthesis of single-subject research literature in special education. First, the need for objective, systematic review procedures is discussed. Second, previous approaches for quantitative evaluation of outcomes of single-case research designs are reviewed. Third, procedures employed by the present authors are outlined using examples from recent synthesis efforts. Finally, implications for future reviews of single-subject research are described.

This study examined the engagement of students with learning disabilities and emotional disturbance and the relation of this engagement to school completion. Participants were parent-identified students with learning disabilities (LD) and emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) and comparison groups of average-achieving peers and students without disabilities who dropped out or stayed in school. Comparisons of the engagement of students with LD or EBD and average-achieving peers showed significant differences (but small in terms of effect sizes) and indicated that students with LD or EBD reported less desirable engagement than their average-achieving peers. After accounting for achievement test scores, grade retention, and socioeconomic status, student engagement variables were significant predictors of school dropout and completion for students with LD or EBD and students without disabilities. Implications of these results in terms of the construct of student engagement and school dropout and future directions for research are discussed.

Các bậc phụ huynh, chuyên gia và nhà nghiên cứu đã bày tỏ lo ngại về việc sắp xếp phù hợp nhất cho trẻ em chậm phát triển trí tuệ. Để làm rõ hiệu quả của việc hòa nhập, 36 nghiên cứu đã được xem xét liên quan đến thành tựu học tập và xã hội của trẻ em trong độ tuổi đến trường bị chậm phát triển trí tuệ. Kết quả cho thấy, trẻ em trong các lớp học giáo dục chính quy không đạt được mức độ chấp nhận xã hội cao như các bạn cùng trang lứa phát triển bình thường. Khi so sánh trẻ em chậm phát triển trí tuệ trong các lớp học giáo dục chính quy và giáo dục đặc biệt, học sinh hòa nhập thể hiện sự tiến bộ tốt hơn so với các học sinh cùng loại bị tách biệt khi đo lường thành tích học tập và năng lực xã hội. Các biến số khác cũng được thảo luận có thể ảnh hưởng đến kết quả của trẻ em, và các khuyến nghị liên quan cũng được đưa ra cho nghiên cứu trong tương lai.

This study examined the relationship between self-determination and perceived quality of life for youth and young adults with chronic conditions and disabilities over time. A total of 34 individuals completed the Life Satisfaction Index—Adolescents and the Arc’s Self-Determination Scale at study baseline and again 1 year later. Controlling for perceived quality of life at baseline and other relevant health and demographic variables, linear regression analysis was performed to examine the longitudinal relationship between self-determination and perceived quality of life. Self-determination was significantly associated with two subdomains of quality of life over time. Those individuals with higher self-determination at baseline reported higher perceptions of satisfaction with both personal development and personal fulfillment 1 year later. Findings suggest that there may be a relationship between self-determination and specific subdomains of perceived quality of life for youth and young adults with chronic conditions and disabilities that extends over time. Studies using larger international samples followed over a longer period of time are required to substantiate these findings.

Structured interviews were conducted with elementary school principals, general educators (k-6), and special educators at different levels of inclusive educational programming to determine perceptions toward inclusive education for learners with severe disabilities. Comments from the 27 participants were categorized according to the main questions asked during the interviews, with similar comments aggregated per category. Comparisons made by professional role and level of implementation regarding inclusive education revealed several concurring statements as well as some discrepancies. Differences in perception of inclusive education for students with severe disabilities across professional role and level of implementation of respondents are described. Implications for future research and inclusive educational practices are discussed.

Adolescence, the tumultuous period from dependent childhood to independent or interdependent adulthood, is a critical time for the development and expression of self-determination. An instructional emphasis and support system for self-determination is particularly important for youth with disabilities. Adolescent development, embracing identity exploration and learned independence in youth, leads to self-awareness, one of the building blocks for self-determination. Successful transition to adulthood, fostered by one's ability to set and reach goals through decision making, is a necessary outcome of self-determination. Students' participation in their educational plans provides an important vehicle for the development and expression of self-determination in students with and without disabilities. A model for self-determination is presented that incorporates components of the skills and knowledge necessary for adolescents to realize their identities. Interventions aimed at promoting self-determination in youth, including curricular interventions, instructional strategies, and delivery settings, are discussed.

This article reports two related studies. In the first study, concern and rejection ratings of 14 inclusive teachers toward 26 students with disabilities were correlated with teacher—student interactions. Partial correlations, controlling for severity of disability, indicated that instructional-academic interactions corresponded significantly with teachers’ concern ratings and noninstructional-behavioral interactions corresponded significantly with teachers’ rejection ratings. In the second study, the authors compared teachers’ concern and rejection ratings of students with learning disabilities ( n = 77), cognitive disabilities ( n = 44), attention-deficit disorder ( n = 20), behavioral disorders ( n = 19), and no disabilities ( n = 1,153) in 65 inclusive classes using ANOVAs and Scheffe post hoc tests. Students in all disability categories received significantly higher concern ratings than nondisabled students, students with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders received significantly higher rejection ratings than nondisabled students, and students with behavioral disorders received significantly higher rejection ratings than students with cognitive disabilities.