Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2007, Classroom Teacher

The purpose of this study was to survey core content teachers' (CCTs) perceptions of working with children with disabilities in the subject areas of English, math, science and social studies in two school districts (referred to as school district 1 and 2). The survey consisted of 3 subscales: internal, external and social and were formatted in a Likert-type scale. The research questions in this study are: 1.) Do CCTs feel prepared to teach students with disabilities across districts and buildings based on the internal subscale? 2.) Do schools prepare CCTs to teach students with disabilities across districts and buildings based on the external subscale? 3.) Do CCTs see social improvements in students with disabilities across districts and buildings based on the social subscale? 4.) Does subject taught by the CCT have an overall effect on how inclusion is perceived based on the internal and external subscales? 5.) Do age, gender, degree awarded and district influence the way CCTs perceive inclusion based on the external subscale. With a significance level = .05, the perceptions of CCTs regarding how their school districts prepare them to teach students with disabilities are influenced by gender (p-value = .0149) and marginally by school district (p-value = .0804). Degree, age or building types did not have important influences on these perceptions. No other significant results were observed.

Committee: Patricia Renick (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2001, Education : Special Education

This study investigated the effectiveness of peg- and keyword mnemonics as delivered by a software program, Memory Math, on the accuracy and fluency of basic multiplication facts of students with learning and cognitive disabilities who demonstrated significant deficits in math. Six children, in grades 3 to 6, participated in this study that was conducted in an urban district of moderate size in the Midwest. A multiple baseline design across subjects was used to analyze the effects of the Memory Math intervention. The mnemonic procedures were based on research by Mastropieri and Scruggs (1999) and computers provided instruction. The experimental procedure consisted of four phases: baseline, intervention, maintenance, and follow-up. Two dependent variables, percentage of problems completed correctly and duration of time on task, were recorded for all students using computer-based assessment. Concurrent generalization measures were employed to evaluate the effect of transferring computer performance to paper/pencil tasks. Following the intervention, every student demonstrated increased mean performance on paper/pencil measures of basic multiplication facts. Four of six students demonstrated a level of performance indicative of mastery (>85%). The retention of treatment effects was demonstrated by maintenance and follow-up measurements (two weeks and one month respectively) after intervention. The results of this study support other research on the effectiveness of mnemonic strategies to increase students' ability to acquire, retain, and retrieve information. It also supported the usefulness of technology to deliver strategy instruction to students with learning and cognitive disabilities. The study, however, did not result in increased fluency as measured by duration of time on task. Theoretical implications of the present study focused on the robustness of mnemonics strategies and computer-assisted instruction with supplemental classroom review. Practically, the study (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Joseph E. Zins (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2001, Education : Special Education

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if there were differences in the interaction styles of mothers and children. The children selected belonged to three distinct groups: typically developing children, children who were at risk, and special needs children who had an identified disability. The Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training (NCAST) scales were developed in the late 1970's by Kathryn Barnard and her colleagues at the University of Washington School of Nursing. At that time, there was no observational assessment tool that could be used effectively by practitioners to determine which caregiver-child dyads had interaction styles which placed them at risk for future problems. The goal of the NCAST researchers was to identify dyads as early as possible, so that intervention programs could begin for the child during infancy. Data for this study were collected through the administration of the NCAST Teaching Scale by a sole examiner who had been certified by the NCAST research team. There were 45 dyads that included a mother and a child from birth through three years of age. The subjects were seen in both home and clinical settings in the Cincinnati area. The mother was asked to choose an activity that she believed was novel for her child. She then was observed as she taught the activity to the child. The examiner observed the interaction and scored the 72- item protocol. The results of the study indicated that there was a difference in interaction styles of the dyads. However the difference was in the interaction style of the mothers alone. The NCAST detected no differences among the three groups of children, even though they had been specifically selected for their differences in ability levels. The mothers of the at risk children scored lower than the mothers of typical and special needs children. The demographics of the mothers of typical and special needs children made them more similar on measures of age, SES, and educational level, which was (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Lawrence J. Johnson (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2001, Education : Special Education

The purpose of this investigation was to determine parental and early intervention professionals' perceptions of the benefits and drawbacks to home-based and center-based early intervention programs. This study was concerned with how parents and professionals thought that the Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) process, parent/professional partnership, and communication process all had an impact on the type of service delivery they were receiving or providing. The goal was to elicit aspects or characteristics of early intervention programs that were more effective in either a home-based or center-based program model. Data for this study were collected through interviews with parents of children receiving either home-based or center-based early intervention services and early interventionists providing either home-based or center-based services. Administrators of several early intervention programs in the Cincinnati area were also interviewed to provide insight into the responses given by both the parents and professionals, and to provide a framework for each program's philosophy on family-centered early intervention. The early intervention programs involved in this study were from seven different counties in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area. The results of this study indicated that the majority of families interviewed were generally pleased with the overall services they were receiving. However, the location that the family receives services or the professional provides services seems to be a significant factor in how these perceptions and attitudes are different. The role of the participants did not seem to have as much of an impact on the results of the interview data collected and analyzed. In other words, the setting (home-based or center-based) made more of a significant difference in how participants responded than the role (parent or early interventionist). In the future, the challenge for early intervention professionals is to give the decision-ma (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: DR. LAWRENCE JOHNSON (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2001, Education : Special Education

The purpose of this study was to compare perceptions of parental involvement of families who have children with special needs and families who have children without special needs from preschool through grade three. A survey of families with regard to parent involvement was conducted in Ohio. Responses from a sub-sample of 781 families who did not have children with special needs and 145 families who had children with special needs was analyzed. In general, few significant differences were found between the perceptions of parents of children with and without special needs. The differences found were related to the importance of family support and learning at home. In addition, differences in how well schools initiated and implemented parent involvement were found in volunteering and decision making dimensions. Specifically, parents of children with special needs placed more importance on receiving information about community services and discussing hopes and future plans for their children than did parents of children without special needs felt the schools did a significantly better job of inviting parents into the classroom to help. In addition, although both groups of parents rated serving on decision making committees low, parents whose children did not have special needs rated this dimension more satisfactory. No other areas within the six dimensions for both the importance of parent involvement and how well schools initiated and implemented parent involvement were found significantly different between the two groups of parents. Overall, parents perceived the schools as being moderately receptive to parental involvement.

Committee: Dr. Lawrence Johnson (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2000, Education : Special Education

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the interactional discourse of mothers with Urban Appalachian backgrounds and their preschool children as they read books. The mother/child dyads were videotaped interacting in a play session, in which books might be shared, in a room in the children's preschool building. Qualitative research methods were employed to describe and analyze the reading interactional discourse, verbal and nonverbal, shown in the videotapes of the 14 mother-child dyads who shared books. Microanalysis of the videotaped interaction sessions revealed three main divisions of each interaction: Getting Into the Book, Reading the Book, and Getting Out of the Book. Four main styles of reading interactional discourse emerged through further analysis: (1) Reading Only, (2) Reading and Discussing Topics on the Page, (3) Reading and Discussing Topics off the Page, and (4) Reading, Discussing Topics On and Off the Page, While Playing With Toys. An utlier style emerged, No Reading/Labeling of Pictures. Further analysis revealed subcategories of behaviors which served to more richly describe these interactions. The results of this study which have been revealed thus far suggest that there is a wide range of reading interactional discourse demonstrated by these Urban Appalachian mothers and children. As there has been limited data collected from this particular population, professionals have had a limited knowledge base with which to work effectively with Urban Appalachian parents and children. Some implications which are discussed are how using the information on the diverse reading interactional discourse styles of these Urban Appalachian mothers and their preschool children may assist professionals in the development of appropriate interventions and programs to meet the literacy needs of these unique families, because they come to the programs with their own reading interaction discourse style, similar to other low SES populations, as well as mid (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Richard Kretschmer Jr. (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Education : Special Education

The aim of this study was to increase the instructional effectiveness and efficiency of educators working with students with autism through systematic small group instruction. Using a multiple baseline design, the study assessed the effects of an intervention package for teaching students with autism to follow verbal directions in a small group setting. The intervention package incorporated a least-to-most prompting system, reinforcement strategies, systematic teaching, and visual directions. Participants included three fifth grade students with autism. Outcomes varied by student and across directions. The treatment package is described in detail. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Committee: Dr. Anne Bauer (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2006, Education : Special Education

This study investigated the effect of Natural Aided Language Stimulation (NALS) on requesting objects and actions in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). NALS used picture symbols that were highlighted (pointed out) while a message was spoken (naming choices available). Three children, diagnosed with ASD, who attended a preschool classroom for children with disabilities in an urban school district and who lacked the speech and language skills to make an appropriate and understandable request, participated. Background data were gathered through tape-recorded interviews with participants' parents and teacher to gain information on communication skills and picture language boards were made. A training video was made for the teacher to learn the NALS procedure and use of prompts to elicit responses and to recognize an appropriate response during requesting routines. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to analyze the effects of NALS intervention. The independent variable was the use of NALS during a requesting routine within the classroom. The dependent variable was the change in communication behavior on the part of the participants. Four routines were recorded each day. A data point represented two days or eight responses. Baseline data were recorded without the use of NALS and, after a clear trend was established, intervention data were gathered with NALS in place. Follow-up data were gathered in the same way as intervention data to show maintenance in the procedure as well as in the children's responses. Spontaneous communication was also recorded during the study. Results showed that the NALS intervention was effective for all participants. Summary tables and figures illustrated that the children's appropriate responses increased over the course of the study and that the participants responded primarily by pointing to the pictures on the language boards or pointing to and verbalizing the choices. Data also showed a decrease in (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Joseph Zins (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2004, Education : Special Education

This study investigated the comprehension of four forms of negation in children with and without psychiatric disorders. The study involved the use of short scenarios involving four of the forms of negation in English; prohibition, nonexistence, rejection and denial. The participants in this study were two groups of ten children between the ages of 9.5 to 12.6 years of age. The first group was children with emotional/behavioral problems, who were labeled by their home school districts as Severely Emotionally Disturbed. The other group was a matched control group from another area school without the label Severely Emotionally Disturbed. The participants meet individually with the researcher and were read 32 short scenarios (5-6 lines each) and asked two yes/no questions after each story. The yes/no questions asked if the subject of the story wanted something (motivation) and if they got something (outcome). When first examining the results, it does not appear as if there is a noteworthy difference in a child with psychiatric disorders and one without in their ability to understand negation as defined in this study. The overall percent correct was 96.2% with 94.8% for the group with psychiatric disorders and 97.5% for the control group. The average number of mistakes per participant was 3.3 verses 1.6 for the control group. When the individual results of each form of negation are further analysised, a different picture begins to develop. In rejection, prohibition and nonexistence, the overall scores do not appear to differ greatly between the two groups, but the actually number of participants responding incorrectly does. Consistently in these three forms, the group with psychiatric disorders had greater numbers of participants scoring incorrectly on one or more questions. This was especially true for the negation form of nonexistence. This discrepancy was also apparent in questions regarding the subject's motives (want) especially in instances where the subject's moti (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Richard Kretschmer (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2003, Education : Special Education

This study examined the use of Responsive Classroom strategies to promote the social inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Qualitative research methods were employed to collect and analyze the data. The data were collected over the course of three months within two public elementary classrooms where two students identified as having ASD were enrolled. Both students attended the same suburban elementary school. Their classroom teachers were chosen because of their unique training and implementation of Responsive Classroom techniques. Within both classrooms students participated in five aspects of a Responsive Classroom: morning meeting, classroom organization, rules and logical consequences, guided discovery, and academic assessment. As an outgrowth of the structure in the classroom, the targeted students and their typical peers began to incorporate physical and verbal strategies that were conducive to social inclusion of the students with ASD. Strategies to support students with ASD generally fall into two broad categories of adult-mediated and peer-mediated approaches of intervention. The Responsive Classroom methodology incorporates the strengths of both approaches to offer students a learning environment that scaffolds students' language usage and allows for generalization of skills across school settings. Implications for future research are discussed.

Committee: Dr. Richard R. Kretschmer, Jr. (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2002, Education : Special Education

The theory proposed by Bowlby (1951), Ainsworth (1978) and others, usually called "Attachment Theory" evolved from the psycho-analytic interpretation of the primary relationship that develops between the mother and the child during the first three years of life (Cassidy, 1999). A postmodern analysis of this theory reveals that it supports the status quo, and reinforces stereotypical maternal roles that discriminate against family, women and mothers who do not meet the theories narrow maternal, familial expectations. In turn, this reinforcement of the dominant discourse in concert with the market economy creates a paradigm that fails to consider many ecological and environmental variables in the development of attachment relationships. These shortcomings create the popular notion of the primacy of childhood and the singular importance of the mother/infant dyadic relationship. A new, ecological model of attachment is needed that will accurately and equitably describe the important but not deterministic mother/ infant relationship.

Committee: Dr. Anne M. Bauer (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Educational Services and Research

The study investigated whether phonological awareness instruction, based on Phonological Awareness Training for Reading (Torgesen & Bryant, 1994), was effective in improving the phoneme-blending, phoneme-segmentation, and word reading skills of preschool children at-risk for reading disabilities. Three preschool children at-risk for reading disabilities participated in this study and were pulled out during classroom free play time. They received fifteen minutes of instruction five days a week. A native English speaker served as the interventionist and implemented the instruction on one-on-one basis. Multiple probes across subjects design was used to analyze the effects of the instruction on phoneme segmentation fluency (PSF) and nonsense word fluency (NWF) of the participants as measured by Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills (DIBELS). Pretest and posttest measures and daily Curriculum-Base Instruction (CBM) also provided data for student progress. Results of DIBELS indicated that phonological awareness instruction was effective to improve PSF for all participants. Although phonological awareness instruction did not show functional relation with NWF because one participant failed to show improvement, two participants did made progress. Pretest and posttest measures as well as CBM also have implications on student progress. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed.

Committee: Ralph Gardner (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Physical Activity and Educational Services

Children and youth with disabilities, especially those with mental, emotional, and learning disabilities often demonstrate deficits in social competence (Cartledge & Milburn, 1978; Gresham, Sungai, & Horner, 2001). Within a school environment, these deficits are commonly observed in physical education and sport settings (Buchanan, 2001; Hellison, 2003; Bloom & Smith, 1996). Yet, little has been done to enhance the social skills of children with disabilities (especially those with emotional or behavioral disorders) in physical education and sport settings. According to social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) behaviors are learned and thus, direct instruction can be employed to teach appropriate social behaviors. Therefore, purpose of this study was to examine the effect of social skill instruction (within the context of social learning theory) on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of peer related social behaviors of students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) during competitive sports/games activities. A multiple baseline across participants design was used. The experiment specifically addressed the effect of social skill instruction on the number of appropriate and inappropriate sport/games behaviors during physical education. The instruction was based on a Sports and Games Behaviors Curriculum that was developed and validated. Six students (4 males and 2 females) ages 10 through 17 and attending two alternative education school programs designed to serve children and youth with EBD participated in this study. Results of this study demonstrated that social skill instruction was an effective strategy to develop appropriate sport and game behaviors and decrease inappropriate ones for students with EBD in physical education. However, there was limited support for generalization. Social validity results demonstrated that parents and teachers support the curriculum as implemented to develop appropriate sport and game behaviors. Although further inv (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David Porretta (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Physical Activity and Educational Services

Verbal repertoires are often taught using transfer of stimulus control. Basic research suggests that stimulus blocking may occur during transfer of stimulus control. Stimulus blocking may impede the acquisition of new verbal operants by blocking a new stimulus from acquiring stimulus control. An alternative strategy is to teach verbal operants under multiple sources of control and then fade out additional sources of control. Teaching with multiple sources of control could prevent the occurrence of stimulus blocking. This study assessed the efficiency of teaching mand, tact, and echoic operants using transfer of stimulus control via Simultaneous Presentation and using multiple control. Five children with developmental disabilities participated. The results suggest that three participants acquired the target operants with fewer teaching trials using multiple control and two participants acquired the target operants with fewer teaching trials using transfer of stimulus control. These data provide preliminary support for the occurrence of stimulus blocking during transfer of stimulus control across verbal operants and may suggest benefits to using multiple control to establish verbal repertoires.

Committee: Nancy Neef (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Physical Activity and Educational Services

This study investigated the effectiveness of a supplemental early reading intervention package on the segmentation, blending and oral reading fluency skills of 23 urban first-grade students, including English Language Learners (ELLs), who continued to be at reading risk after receiving intensive phonological awareness training the previous year in kindergarten (i.e., ERI-Treatment Group). Additionally, the study examined the growth rates of 15 first-grade students, who reached benchmark status at the end of the previous year's kindergarten intervention (i.e., ERI-Comparison Group), as well as the growth rates of 23 first-grade comparison students, identified the previous year in kindergarten with few or no markers of reading risk (i.e., Comparison Group). Six instructional assistants received a six-hour training package to deliver the intervention to the ERI-Treatment Group across three urban high poverty schools. Pre- and posttest standardized measures (WJ-III; CTOPP) and tri-weekly progress monitoring data were collected to evaluate student progress. Supplemental intervention was delivered 4-5 times per week for 20 to 30 minutes each session over a period of 57 to 88 sessions. Treatment integrity checks were collected frequently during random school visits. Measures of social validity were collected to evaluate direct consumers' satisfaction about the goals, procedures and outcomes of the treatment. Data were analyzed with regression models, contrasts, and repeated measures mixed-effects modeling. Results showed that the ERI-Treatment group made substantial gains in phonological awareness and alphabetic understanding skills. Fewer gains were found in oral reading fluency and comprehension, especially for ELLs. The ERI-Comparison Group not only maintained treatment gains from the previous year's intervention, but also performed comparably to the levels of their initially higher performing peers (Comparison Group). These findings highlight the importance of intensiv (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gwendolyn Cartledge (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Physical Activity and Educational Services

This study examined the effects of a Computer-Assisted Tutoring System (CATS) on the accuracy, speed, maintenance, and generalization of time-telling skills with elementary school students with behavior disorders. The tutoring program was adapted based on the peer-tutoring model created by Cooke, Heron, and Heward (1983). The peer tutoring folders were replaced by the computer and specially designed software, created by the researcher, was used. This study was a systematic replication of a master thesis study completed by McKain (2004).

Committee: Ralph Gardner (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Physical Activity and Educational Services

The study investigated the effectiveness of a supplemental early reading intervention program on the phonemic awareness and alphabetic principle skills of students identified as being at-risk for reading failure. Six instructional assistants and two graduate students in special education provided small-group instruction for 61 at-risk Kindergarten students across three elementary schools. Thirty-two Kindergarten students from the three schools served as controls. Participants were selected based on low scores on the beginning- and middle-of-year benchmark assessments as measured by the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills (DIBELS). Scores on the letter-word identification and word attack subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement-III (WJ-III) were used to verify risk status. Total instructional time varied across instructional assistants. Student participants received between 6.85 and 13.70 hours of instruction across 16 weeks of intervention. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the effects of participation in instruction, total instructional time, and level of treatment quality on the letter-word identification and word attack subtests of the WJ-III.

Committee: Gwendolyn Cartledge (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Physical Activity and Educational Services

Research is needed to identify effective and efficient instructional methods for teaching receptive language skills to children with autism. Six preschoolers, ages 3-6 years, diagnosed with autism participated in two experiments on the effects of simple or complex instructional language on the children's acquisition and generalization of receptive language tasks. Each session in Experiment I consisted of 10 discrete discrimination training trials in which the teacher used either simplified instructional language (e.g., "pencil" for an object identification task) or complex language (e.g., "Remember, balls are fun to throw and play catch with. Can you find the one?") for each trial. The dependent variable was the number of sessions required to master an item (at least 90% correct responses for two consecutive sessions). Results of Experiment I showed all children learned receptive tasks in fewer sessions when their teachers used simple instructional language rather than complex language. In Experiment II, the teacher presented items with simple language that the child had mastered with complex language in Experiment I, and vice versa. Results of Experiment II showed that the youngest children (3 years old) were more accurate when responding to simple language for items that had been taught with complex language in Experiment I. The oldest children (6 years old) responded with 100% accuracy to complex and simple instructions. The children who were 4 years old showed no difference in responding between simple and complex instructions.

Committee: William Heward (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2005, Physical Activity and Educational Services

The current climate in American schools includes a push for the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms. In fact, federal legistlation mandates that all students with disabilities have meaningful access to the general education curriculum (IDEIA, 2004) and that students with and without disabilities be held equally accountable to the same academic standards (NCLB, 2001). Students with disabilities who stay on-task and maintain reasonable levels of academic productivity during independent work periods are more likely to achieve success in general education placements than are students who do not exhibit those behaviors. Although researchers have developed several strategies for increasing on-task behavior and productivity by students with and without disabilities, these interventions may be underused because they require additional time and resources from the regular education teacher. Teaching students how to self-manage their behavior offers one solution to this problem. This study examined the effects of video-based self-recording (VBSR) of on-task behavior on the on-task behavior and academic productivity by students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Five first-grade students at an urban charter school participated in the study. Data were collected daily in the regular education classroom during two independent activities in which students were expected to complete teacher assigned worksheets or items on the board During the VBSR condition students viewed a 4-minute videotape clip of themselves recorded the day before during independent work period in the regular classroom, at 30-second intervals circled “Yes” or “No” on a self-recording form to indicate whether or not they were on-task , and received points and prizes for increased on-task behavior. Results demonstrated increases in next day on-task behavior and productivity by all five participants in the setting in which the VBSR intervention occurred. On-task b (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: William Heward (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2005, Physical Activity and Educational Services

Motivating students to read for pleasure challenges many educators. Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) is a strategy used by many teachers to provide children with a regular opportunity to read. The classroom teacher designates a time during the day during which students can read books, magazines or newspapers for pleasure. The purpose of SSR is to give students an opportunity to practice reading and to increase their enjoyment for literature (McCracken, 1971). One of the major concerns with SSR is that students are not held accountable for what they read during the SSR period and are often engaged in other tasks besides reading. The National Reading Panel (2000) reported there is insufficient research to support the use of SSR and that it has very little effect on student achievement and fluency. The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend the research by Brame (2001) to secondary students with disabilities. This study evaluated a modified version of SSR using story fact recall quizzes, a story fact recall game, and a story fact recall game with a bonus incentive on the off-task behavior during SSR and number of story facts recalled on 5-question quizzes following SSR by secondary students with disabilities. Additionally, students' pre- and post-SSR attitudes about reading were assessed at the beginning and end of the study. Twelve 11th grade special education students enrolled in two developmental language arts classes participated in this study. Six students identified by their classroom teacher as exhibiting elevated levels of off-task behavior were targeted for observation of off-task behavior. Over the course of the study all six target students reduced their levels of off-task behavior to near zero levels. Ten of the 12 students had higher mean scores on story fact quizzes during the game condition over the quiz-only condition. Social validity data from both the classroom teacher and students indicate that a modified SSR can be beneficial to high school (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: William Heward (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Special