Access Type

Open Access Dissertation

Date of Award

January 2014

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Department

Special Education

First Advisor

Gerald Oglan

Abstract

WHAT ARE THE SIMILIARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF READING INSTRUCTION OF FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES TAUGHT IN A CO-TAUGHT CLASSROOM, A RESOURCE CLASSROOM AND A SINGLE-TEACHER TAUGHT CLASSROOM?

By

DOREEN AVENALL

September 2014

Advisor: Dr. Gerald Oglan

Major: Special Education

Degree: Doctor of Education

With the reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) in 2004, more demands are being placed on schools to provide special education services within the general education classroom. The law states that students with disabilities should only be removed from their general education classroom when the nature and severity of the disability is such that instruction in the regular education classroom can not be achieved satisfactorily, even with the use of supplementary aids and services (Waldron & McLeskey, 1998). IDEA also states that students with disabilities will be provided with instruction that meets the student's own specific needs, which will be made available at no cost to parents. (IDEA, 2004). In 1975, when special education services were first mandated, schools began to implement programs in which students with learning disabilities in need of specialized instruction were generally "taken out" of their general education classrooms. Students were then provided specialized instruction mostly in a small group setting in a resource room, which was taught by a teacher who was certified in special education. The purpose of these programs was to provide students with disabilities an intensive, individualized program of instruction in the deficit area (Moody, Vaughn, Hughes. & Fischer, 2000). However, more and more school districts are utilizing inclusive general education settings to provide the necessary support to these students. Two types of inclusive general education settings are a co-taught classroom and a single-teacher taught classroom.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reading instruction and the perceptions of three fourth grade students with learning disabilities in a co-taught classroom, a resource room or a single-teacher taught classroom as well as their teachers. The focus was on the perceived and observed differences and similarities between each of the three classroom settings. Qualitative research methods were utilized in this study to collect data. These methods included classroom observations, student interviews, teacher interviews, field notes, and audio tapes. Research questions guided the study and the data was analyzed and reported on consistent with qualitative studies.

This study suggests that students with learning disabilities who receive reading instruction in a resource room, a co-taught classroom, or a single-teach taught classroom all perceived themselves as good readers. These students also believed that purpose of reading is to read at higher levels. The students also felt like their teachers supported their reading skills in numerous ways. This study also suggests that the general educations teachers view their reading instruction that they provide to students with learning disabilities much the same as they view instruction for the general education students. The special education teacher who co-taught in the general education room was more likely to provide individualized instruction on a daily basis, as she met with her students with learning disabilities every day in the general education classroom. The resource room teacher viewed the direct instruction in the resource room for her students with learning disabilities as imperative. Many similarities and differences between the general education special education classroom settings were uncovered in this study.

Download

Share

COinS