This study examines the problem of underachievement among gifted high school students. Low achievers were compared to high and moderate achievers on their motivation, self-regulation, and attitudes toward their school and teachers. Participants were all highly able students from grades 10 and 11 in an academically selective gifted high school in Australia (n=197). Teachers were asked to rank the students into high, moderate, and low achievers in terms of their performance in two subjects English and Mathematics. Participants were asked to respond to two surveys that measured their personality characteristics. The results indicate that math achievement and not language achievement may be used with confidence to classify gifted students; high achiever had higher mean scores than moderate and low achievers on all study variables; intrinsic motivation then extrinsic motivation had the highest correlation with math achievement and can be used to differentiate males and females performance. ... [more]

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Educators often use mnemonic strategies as a prime method to help children who struggle with writing. This study analyzed 12 fourth-grade students’ stories during their participation in one of three groups. The first group learned the Ask, Reflect, Text (ART) mnemonic strategy with art media in the pre-writing/planning phase. The second group used Think-Talk-Text (T3) to verbalize aloud their story ideas before encoding text. The control group participated only in general education classroom instruction. The results indicated significant differences between the ART and T3 groups for story content; T3 also was significant different for story quality. The effect size scores indicated that ART students performed better with story content and number of words written. T3 students had the largest effect size for story quality. ... [more]

Behaviors characteristic of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often interfere with students' and their classmates’ learning, and interventions targeting these behaviors may be particularly important in schools. This article reviews studies in which researchers manipulated environmental stimulation during task presentation with school-age students displaying symptoms of ADHD. Using optimal stimulation theory (Zentall, 1975; Leuba, 1955) as a theoretical framework, studies were examined to determine the tasks, intensity, dependent variables, and stimulation topography. Results indicated that the impact of visual stimulation on academic tasks has been the most frequently examined phenomenon in studies meeting inclusion criteria. Stimulation typically improved academic productivity and reduced nonacademic activity; novel stimuli produced initial effects that attenuated during sessions. Implications for intervention and future research directions are suggested. ... [more]

Evidence-based Practice Guidelines for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and Literacy and Learning are derived from an inductive analysis of qualitative data collected in field research. FASD is the umbrella term for a spectrum of neurocognitive and physical disabilities caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol. Data from a sample of N=150 was collected using sharing circles with Aboriginal elders and community members; conversational interviews with parents and their children with FASD; and interviews and focus groups with professionals who support children with FASD and their families. Special protocols were followed in collaboratively planning and participating in research involving Aboriginal communities. Aboriginal research methodologies utilized are situated among emerging, multi-disciplinary, qualitative research methodologies suitable for understanding the complexity of natural phenomena such as FASD. The goal of dissemination is to further translation of research findings regarding evidence-based guidelines for FASD to the clinical or practice levels, across disciplines and sectors, as well as across the life cycle, in order to prevent adverse life outcomes.... [more]

The documentation of pupils in Swedish schools is extensive and a documentation culture has come to characterize the schools in recent years. In the context of decentralization and changing governance, focus has increasingly been directed towards assessment, follow-up and evaluation of pupils’ learning and social development. This article examines the Individual Educational Plans (hereafter IEP) used for pupils with special educational needs in Swedish compulsory schools from the perspective of text analyses based on discourse theory. The aim of this study is to shed light on how pupils are constructed in the school’s documentation. The study examines how these IEPs are used as a pedagogical technique for new ways of governing in order to impose self-regulation, individual responsibility and social control.The documents, which comprise the empirical material in this article, are gathered from 14 different schools and consist of documents for a total of 136 pupils with special educational needs. ... [more]

The postsecondary experiences of adults diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) were examined in this qualitative research. Tinto’s Student Integration Model (SIM) (1975, 1997) provided the theoretical framework that guided the study. Tinto posits that the interplay of background characteristics, academic integration, and social integration affect persistence in postsecondary education. The participants included four adults with FASD (3 males and 1 female) and their parents. In-depth interviews were conducted with the adults with FASD and their parents responded to open-ended questions in an online survey. Only one of the adults completed a postsecondary program. It was found that the background characteristic factor, and specifically having FASD, affected academic and social integration. Suggestions for revisions to the SIM are proposed, recommendations for postsecondary course instructors and academic counselors are made, and factors to consider when selecting a postsecondary program for an individual with FASD are described... [more]

The purpose of this study is to ascertain Botswana physical education (PE) student teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of children with disabilities in the general education classrooms and also to identify their concerns and perceived skill needs with regards to inclusion. A two-part questionnaire consisting of background variables and attitudes using the ATIES Scale was completed by 96 PE student teachers from the University of Botswana. Data on the concerns, and perceived skill needs were collected through interviews and analysed descriptively. Statistic descriptive, t-tests and ANOVA were employed to analyse the quantitative data. The results of the study have shown that PE pre-service student teachers have moderately positive attitudes towards inclusion. Participants were also more concerned about the lack of knowledge and skills required for inclusion and that resources and pedagogical knowledge on inclusion were perceived as the required skills for the success of inclusion in Botswana. ... [more]

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), special education teachers (SETs), and occupational therapists (OTs) are all expected to encounter individuals with complex communication needs, who need for Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) (Costigan & Light, 2010). This study aimed to reveal special education student teachers’ knowledge of AAC, and its relation to their academic levels and unique- specializations. To achieve this objective, the researcher administered a ten questions test on 30 participants all of whom met the study including criteria. The means and standard deviations relevant to their responses to the test were counted and then analyzed by means of Analysis of Covariance ANCOVA. Results of ANCOVA haven't shown any statistically significant difference in the participants’ knowledge of AAC attributed to their academic levels and unique-specializations. The percentage of fully accurate responses of all participants to the ten tests’ questions was 2.66%. This result suggests an inadequacy of participants’ knowledge of AAC and a dire need for relevant education and training. Results and implications for future research and practices are discussed. ... [more]

The purpose of this case study was to determine the effectiveness of a combined intervention in remediating the social skills in a first-grader with a disorder from the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The researcher also aimed to identify the changes observed during the intervention period. The combined intervention consisted of reading personalized Social Stories that targeted specific social skills and peer mediated intervention. The intervention took place for a period of eight weeks. In order to determine the effectiveness of the intervention, the researcher compared the teachers' ratings on the Social Behaviour Assessment Inventory (SBAI) (Stephens, 1992), data gathered from the Conditional Probability Record (Steege, & Watson, 2009), and informal interviews conducted with the teachers and mother before and after intervention. The results showed that the combined intervention did improve the targeted social skills; there was an increase in target behaviours post intervention and a minimal improvement in the rating scales. Based on the results, implications and recommendations for future research were drawn. ... [more]

Video self-modeling (VSM) is a type of intervention that has been developed to assist students in viewing themselves successfully in a wide variety of domains. The present study was designed to analyze the effects of VSM on children with autism spectrum disorder in an academic setting, with specific focus on improving on-task behavior and appropriate transitions. Participants were two children who were enrolled within the functional interrelated classroom and diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Using an alternating treatment design over a 20 day time period, participants received 10 days of VSM and 10 control days in a random order. Results indicated that for the first child on-task behavior significantly increased on VSM days compared to control days and maintenance was established by the increasing of on-task behavior during the weeks of implementation. For the second child, appropriate transitions significantly increased on VSM days compared to control days but maintenance was not established. Additionally, teachers’ ratings of participants’ behavior improved from a pre-test given before the intervention to the post-test conducted at the conclusion. Practical suggestions for implementing VSM are provided, in addition to suggestions for future research. ... [more]

The aim of this study is to explore the differences in personality traits amongst adults with blindness, adults with low vision and sighted adults. Moreover, the relationship between the four scales of Eysenck’s personality questionnaire and the demographic characteristics of participants with visual impairments was examined. ?here are no statistically significant differences amongst the three groups in scales P, N and E. However, the sighted adults have a lower score on the L scale. ?he older individuals with visual impairment reveal less extraversion and greater neuroticism. Moreover, the women with visual impairments show greater neuroticism than the men with visual impairments.... [more]

This study investigated two widely-used early literacy skill's indicators in reflecting growth in first-grade language achievement skills. It compared two curriculum-based assessments of letter knowledge: Letter Naming Fluency (LNF) and Letter Sound Fluency (LSF) in the Arabic language. A sample of 125 first-grade students, 100 average readers and 25 with reading difficulties, was recruited from two public primary schools in Jordan. These students were administered both assessments 18 times, one each week, during the second half of the first grade. Students' progress for both measures was followed. Although students' LNF progress was higher than LSF, still LSF had a higher correlation with Arabic language achievement than LNF at the end of the first grade. Furthermore, students who were struggling with reading scored significantly lower on Arabic CBM LNF and LSF probes than their peers without disabilities. Implications for Arabic language learning and assessment are discussed.... [more]

This study examined the applicability of the Arabic version of the Curriculum Based Measurement Maze (CBM Maze) for Jordanian students. A sample of 150 students was recruited from two public primary schools in Jordan. The students were ranked into high, moderate, and low achievers in terms of their performance in the Arabic course. Then all of them were administered the Arabic CBM Maze probes. The students’ scores in the Arabic CBM Maze were less than the previous American studies and norms. The results indicated that the Arabic CBM Maze is a reliable, valid, and cost effective measure. In addition, the Arabic CBM Maze is a good predictor of the Arabic language Grade Point Average. Moreover, it can be concluded that the Arabic CBM Maze may be used with confidence to differentiate the students’ levels of reading achievement.... [more]

Every school system has to deal with children with Learning Disabilities (LD). However, the concepts of LD, the assessment procedures, the diagnostic criteria as well as their interpretation vary widely from country to country. What they usually seem to have in common is that general cognitive abilities, as measured by standardized IQ tests, are seen as an important aspect of the label.. In Austrian schools the diagnosis of LD is largely based on expert opinions provided by special education teachers. The diagnostic procedure is quite unregulated and open to individual interpretation. As a rule, standardized tests are not used in this connection. In the present study the characteristics of children with a diagnosis of LD are evaluated in terms of standardized testing. Thiry-seven pupils diagnosed as having LD and 136 regular school children were assessed at the end of the 5th grade in Austrian schools using standardized tests of intelligence, reading, writing and arithmetic skills and questionnaires regarding social integration in class, emotional integration in school and cultural capital of their families. Compared with a group of pupils without LD, matched for IQ and age, the LD children showed significantly worse basic arithmetic and reading skills, inferior social integration in class and lower familial cultural capital. A stepwise logistic regression analysis indicated that poor basic arithmetic and reading skills were the strongest predictors of having a diagnosis of LD. Other variables, including IQ, had significantly less weight. The results are seen as indication of the fact that precise guidelines for diagnosing LD in the school system and a transition to a system of evidence-based allocation of resources are urgently needed. ... [more]