Rate of Graduation Among Students With Histories of Specific Lang

University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2004 Rate of Graduation Among Students With Histories of Specific Language Impairment Amy Jean Hadley University of Central Florida Part of the Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of STARS For more information, please contact STARS@ucf.edu STARS Citation Hadley, Amy Jean, "Rate of Graduation Among Students With Histories of Specific Language Impairment" (2004) Electronic Theses and Dissertations 6121 https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/6121 RATE OF GRADUATION AMONG STUDENTS WITH HISTORIES OF SPECIFIC LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT by AMY J HADLEY B.A State University of New York College at New Paltz, 1983 M.S.Ed State University of New York College at New Paltz, 1984 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Department of Graduate Studies and Research in the College of Education at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2004 Major Professor: Larry C Holt ABSTRACT The rate of graduation among students with histories of specific language impairment (SLI) was investigating by comparing the target population to matched, nondisabled peers Data regarding the graduation outcomes for 176 matched pairs of students, over a five-year period, were analyzed to determine if a significant difference in achievement of a high school diploma was observable between the two groups of students In addition, the study addressed the variables of socioeconomic status and attendance rate as related to graduation rate For students with histories of specific language impairment, model of service delivery was also examined with regard to graduation rate Finally, the relationship between the number of years a student was enrolled in language therapy and achievement of a high school diploma was explored The Chi-square test for goodness of fit was utilized to compare the graduation and dropout rates of students with histories of SLI to state department of education normative data Analysis of the data suggested that significantly more students with histories of SLI left school, however, a significantly higher than expected number also received a high school diploma The Chisquare test for independence was used to compare the graduation rates of students with histories of SLI to the rates of their nondisabled peers A significant difference was observed between the two groups of students with dropout rate being significantly lower for nondisabled peers The variables of socioeconomic status and attendance rate did not yield significant results as related to graduation outcomes for the students in this study For students with histories of SLI, model of ii service delivery and number of years that the student received services were each weakly correlated to graduation outcome The results presented in the current study offer implications for appropriate service delivery to adolescents with histories of SLI Recommendations for reducing high school dropout among students with histories of SLI were discussed iii To Marko and Mario May you always experience the thrill of learning something new iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project was completed under the guidance of my dissertation committee who spent many hours providing support and inspiration I wish to thank Dr Larry Holt, committee chair for his constant encouragement In addition, I thank Dr Jennifer Deets, Dr Rebecca Hines, and Dr Charlotte Harvey for their support and for their sincere interests in students with academic and social challenges Finally, I wish to thank Dr Gil Hutchcraft for inspiring me in the field of educational research and for seeing the premise for this dissertation through from its inception four years ago v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background and Significance Statement of the Purpose Questions of the Study Definition of Terms Assumptions and Limitations Methodology Research Design Population Instruments Data Collection CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE 10 Specific Language Impairment 10 Academic Implications of Specific Language Impairment 11 Public School Service Delivery to Secondary Age Students with Language Impairments 13 Service provision 13 Reductions in service at the secondary level 15 vi Delayed cognition and ongoing language deficits 16 High School Graduation and Students with Disabilities 17 State and National Trends 17 Diploma Options 22 Socioeconomic Implications 23 School Attendance and Academic Success 24 A Need for Functional Outcome Measures 25 Summary 26 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY 28 Research Design 28 Subjects 28 Procedures 31 Instruments 31 Data Collection 31 Variables 34 Data Analysis 34 CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF DATA 36 Results as Related to Research Questions 36 Question One 36 Question Two 40 Question Three 41 Question Four 42 vii Question Five 45 CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS, DISCUSSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 46 Summary of Findings 46 Discussion 47 Graduation Rate 47 Model of Service Delivery 49 Number of Years Services Were Received 51 Clinical Implications 52 Recommendations for Future Research 55 Conclusion 56 APPENDIX A DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION 58 APPENDIX B IRB APPROVAL FORM 64 LIST OF REFERENCES 67 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Number of Students Age 14 and Older Exiting Special Education Programs for Students with Speech or Language Impairments 19 Table State of Florida Public School Graduation and Dropout Rates: Students with Disabilities 20 Table Collier County Public School Graduation and Dropout Rates: Students with Disabilities 21 Table Collier County Students: Demographic Information 30 Table Graduation Rates of Students with Histories of SLI as Compared to District Means 38 Table Graduation Rates of Students with Histories of SLI: Active and Inactive 39 Table Graduation Rates of Students with Histories of SLI: Active in Therapy 39 Table Graduation Rates of Students with Histories of SLI: Inactive in Therapy 40 Table Graduation Rates of Nondisabled Peers 40 Table 10 Percentage of Students with Histories of SLI and Graduation Outcomes According to Service Delivery Model 43 Table A.11 Students With Histories of Specific Language Impairment (SLI) Per Each Academic Year 59 Table A.12 Students with Histories of Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and Nondisabled Peers 60 ix Table A.13 Students in the Study Representing Various Ethnic Backgrounds Ethnicity Number of students Percentage of students in study Caucasian 134 38.1% Hispanic 128 36.4% 90 25.6% African American or Haitian Table A.14 Students in the Study According to Socioeconomic Status (SES) SES Number of students Percentage of 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County Students: Demographic Information 30 Table Graduation Rates of Students with Histories of SLI as Compared to District Means 38 Table Graduation Rates of Students with Histories of. .. compare the graduation rates of students with histories of SLI to the rates of their nondisabled peers A significant difference was observed between the two groups of students with dropout rate being