College of Education

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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations..

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    THE ROLE OF SELF-DETERMINATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE, STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, AND ENVISIONING A CAREER/LIFE GOAL OR FUTURE FOR STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN A BEST PRACTICES TRANSITION INTERVENTION
    (2012) Ferguson, Terri Kay; Fabian, Ellen; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Self-determination has been identified as a major predictive factor for positive postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of self-determination in productive student engagement, perceived quality of life, and the ability to envision a career/life goal or future for students with multiple disabilities participating in a promising practices transition intervention. Results indicated significant results in the areas of student engagement and quality of life indicating the importance of self-determination on these factors. The results indicated a negative correlation between two of the self-determination subscales and envisioning a career/life goal which was an interesting and contradictory finding to the existing literature. Implications and recommendations are discussed.
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    The Effects of a Systematic Training Package on Secondary Special Education Teachers to Teach Self-Determination Skills to Students with High Incidence Disabilites
    (2011) Bond, Marcy Beth; Kohl, Frances L.; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    There has been increased interest in and concern about the level of self-determination with which secondary students with disabilities leave high school. While educators acknowledge the importance of teaching such skills, researchers have documented a lack of self-determination instruction occurring in the secondary school setting. When teaching self-determination skills to students with disabilities, two barriers most frequently cited by educators are they feel unprepared to teach self-determination skills and they are unsure how to prepare students to be active participants in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process which determines a student's future. The purpose of this study was to determine whether secondary special education teachers could provide self-determination instruction to students with high incidence disabilities having been given systematic training opportunities. A multiple probe single subject design across three special education teachers was used. Teachers were systemically trained on the ChoiceMaker's Self-Directed IEP Curriculum™. Direct observation of self-determination instructional procedures were conducted across baseline, intervention, and maintenance conditions for three teachers during self-contained secondary special education classroom settings. The results of the study confirmed the author's hypothesis that secondary special education teachers can effectively use the ChoiceMaker's Self-Direct IEP Curriculum™ to teach self-determination skills to students of high incidence disabilities after receiving systematic training. Furthermore, IEP committee members, including the students, parents, general educators, special educators, and administrators noted an increase in active student involvement and self-determined behavior at IEP meetings. The results contribute to the self-determination knowledge base addressing teachers' preparation and confidence in teaching self-determination skills to students with high incidence disabilities.
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    Starting Our Day the Room 119 Way: A Qualitative Study of an Elementary Classroom Community and its Alternative to Traditional Morning Work
    (2009) Domire, Aimee; Selden, Steven; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This study explores the experiences of multicultural, Title I second-grade students as they experience a daily "Soft Landing," the time and space set aside for the first thirty minutes each morning for students to make choices about what activities to engage in. The portraiture methodology as outlined by Lawrence-Lightfoot and Davis (1997) establishes the framework for this narrative inquiry. I address four questions: What is "Soft Landing;" How do students choose to use their "Soft Landing" time and how do these choices change over time; What does "Soft Landing" mean to students; What have I learned about myself as a teacher during "Soft Landing?" By observing and interviewing nine second-grade students over three months, I learn that when children are in charge of their own learning and thinking, they actually know how to structure their academic lives without waiting for someone else to do it for them.