Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities A Case Study Concordia University St Paul Concordia University St Paul DigitalCommons@CSP DigitalComm[.]
Concordia University St Paul DigitalCommons@CSP CUP Ed.D Dissertations Concordia University Portland Graduate Research Summer 6-22-2019 Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study Kimberly S Baker Concordia University - Portland, kimbaker1700@gmail.com Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/cup_commons_grad_edd Part of the Special Education and Teaching Commons Recommended Citation Baker, K S (2019) Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study (Thesis, Concordia University, St Paul) Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/cup_commons_grad_edd/352 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Concordia University Portland Graduate Research at DigitalCommons@CSP It has been accepted for inclusion in CUP Ed.D Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@CSP For more information, please contact digitalcommons@csp.edu Concordia University - Portland CU Commons Ed.D Dissertations Graduate Theses & Dissertations Summer 6-22-2019 Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study Kimberly S Baker Concordia University - Portland Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.cu-portland.edu/edudissertations Part of the Special Education and Teaching Commons CU Commons Citation Baker, Kimberly S., "Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study" (2019) Ed.D Dissertations 329 https://commons.cu-portland.edu/edudissertations/329 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Theses & Dissertations at CU Commons It has been accepted for inclusion in Ed.D Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CU Commons For more information, please contact libraryadmin@cu-portland.edu Concordia University–Portland College of Education Doctorate of Education Program WE, THE UNDERSIGNED MEMBERS OF THE DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CERTIFY THAT WE HAVE READ AND APPROVE THE DISSERTATION OF Kimberly Sue Baker CANDIDATE FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Brandy Kamm, Ed.D., Faculty Chair Dissertation Committee Peggy Dupey, Ph.D., Content Specialist Robert Voelkel, Ed.D., Content Reader Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study Kimberly Sue Baker Concordia University–Portland College of Education Dissertation submitted to the Teachers of the College of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership Brandy Kamm, Ph.D., Faculty Chair Dissertation Committee Peggy Dupey, Ph.D., Content Specialist Robert Voelkel, Ed.D, Content Reader Concordia University–Portland 2019 Abstract Learning is a challenge for any child, especially a child with a learning disability With a focus on best practices and teaching techniques, this qualitative case study will examine the perceptions of individuals at a public charter school dedicated to students with learning disabilities The study takes place at a public charter school located in Florida I will gather data by conducting seven interviews of the participants within this study Participants included four teachers, two support staff, and one administrator at the specific school I found four themes during the coding process and analysis These themes include collaborative partnerships, professional development, support, and challenges The majority of those interviewed feel strongly about collaborative partnerships and professional development These two themes warrant future collaborative partnerships and professional development opportunities for teachers and support staff at the school Teachers requested support in teaching techniques and best practices The constant change of federal and state laws requires support staff and teachers to stay on top of things when educating students in this diverse population This challenge and having enough time to educate students will always be evident with this population Keywords: educational laws, charter schools, disabilities, best practices, graduation rates, teaching techniques ii Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my husband, Phil, and our daughter, Leighan, who stood by me throughout this process with the late nights of homework and time away from family Although this was a long journey, I feel it was worth it I am thankful to my sister, Denise, who kept encouraging me to hang in there because the finish line is near I am truly blessed to have an understanding family I want to say a special thank you to each of you as you assisted during my journey within education iii Acknowledgements I am grateful to have been given this opportunity to further my education Even though I wanted to give up some times, Dr Brandy Kamm kept urging me to keep going I thank God for your dedication to helping students to learn To my dissertation committee, Dr Brandy Kamm, Dr Robert Voelkel, and Dr Peggy Dupey, thank you for keeping me on track and the kind words and suggestions given to get me to the end of this journey Each one of you are unique in your own way and it is that uniqueness that helps students succeed iv Table of Contents Abstract ii Dedication iii Acknowledgements iv List of Tables ix List of Figures x Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction of Problem Background, Content, and History Statement of the Problem Purpose of the Study Research Questions Rationale, Relevance, and Significance of the Study Definition of Terms Assumptions, Delimitations, and Limitations 12 Summary 13 Chapter 2: Literature Review 15 Introduction to Literature Review 15 Conceptual Framework 21 Review of Research Literature and Methodological Literature 23 History of special education laws 234 Charter schools 266 Teaching strategies 30 v Universal design of learning 322 Accountability 344 Graduation 35 Review of Research Literature and Methodological Research Error! Bookmark not defined Review of Methodological Issues 38 Synthesis of Research Findings 43 Critique of Previous Research 46 Summary 499 Chapter 3: Methodology 51 Introduction to Methodology 51 Research Questions 52 Purpose and Design of Study 52 Research Population and Sampling Method 533 Instrumentation 544 Data Collection 555 Identification of Attributes 566 Credibility 60 Dependability 60 Expected Findings 61 Ethical Issues 61 Conflict of interest assessment 62 Researcher’s position 62 vi Ethical assurance 633 Summary 644 Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Results 655 Introduction 655 Description of the Sample 677 Research Methodology and Analysis 688 Summary of Findings 699 Presentation of Data and Results 70 Research question 72 Research question 766 Summary 79 Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion 80 Introduction 80 Summary of the Results 81 Research Question 844 Research Question 855 Discussion of Results 888 Discussion of the Results in Relation to Literature 90 Limitations 93 Implications of the Results for Practice, Policy, and Theory 95 Recommendations for Further Research 977 Conclusion 988 References 101 vii ... https://commons.cu-portland.edu/edudissertations Part of the Special Education and Teaching Commons CU Commons Citation Baker, Kimberly S., "Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning... Content Reader Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study Kimberly Sue Baker Concordia University–Portland College of Education... Ed.D Dissertations Graduate Theses & Dissertations Summer 6-22-2019 Perceptions of Educators Regarding Specialized Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study Kimberly S Baker