View of the Literature ……………………………………………………………………..… 11
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Understanding the Educational Experiences of Individuals with Learning Disabilities: A Narrative Perspective A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Educational Studies College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio March 2018 by Samantha Marita M.A. University of Cincinnati August 2016 B.S. University of Cincinnati April 2014 Committee Chair: Casey Hord, Ph.D. i Abstract Students with learning disabilities are the largest population of students receiving special education services and accommodations in schools. There is a large body of research on the academic needs of these students and potential interventions to support them in the classroom. But, there is substantially less research on the overall educational experiences of students with learning disabilities. In addition, there is a need for research that gives voice to individuals with learning disabilities to add to the conversation about how to support students with learning disabilities in achieving academic and personal success. The purposes of this study were to better understand the educational experiences of individuals with learning disabilities, give voice to their perspectives, and inform practice. An oral history narrative methodology was utilized to gain the stories and perspectives of five college students with learning disabilities. Findings included restoried narratives from the perspectives of the participants and general themes that emerged from thematic analysis of the data. Themes that emerged included: strength is gained from disability, teacher understanding can change educational experience, social implications surround disability, support from outside of school plays a role in life and success, educational policies may not be the best fit for every student, and disability stigma has changed. Discussion of these findings centers on the role of first-person perspectives for better understanding the experiences of individual with learning disabilities. Recommendations for practice are discussed including the need for teachers to maintain high expectations for students with learning disabilities and the importance of developing personal understanding of their students. Recommendations for research include further investigation of the findings of this study in larger projects as well as continued emphasis on the potential of research that gives voice to individuals with learning disabilities to reduce stigma and promote better understanding. ii iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor and committee chair, Dr. Casey Hord, for all the opportunities he provided me during my time at the University of Cincinnati as well as everything he taught me. I would not be here without your confidence in me. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Anna DeJarnette and Dr. Song Ju for their support, guidance, and expertise during each step of my doctoral program. I appreciate the time all three of you have taken to mentor me and improve my research. I would like to thank the University of Cincinnati Graduate School for funding through the Dean’s Fellowship that supported my final year of doctoral work and made my dissertation possible. I would like to thank the study participants for their willingness to share their stories and perspectives with me. I am tremendously grateful for the commitment each of you showed toward my project and am inspired by your dedication to improving the experiences of others with learning disabilities. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their immeasurable support in everything I do. Thank you for always encouraging and believing in me. iv Table of Contents Abstract ……………………………………………………………………………………..…… ii Acknowledgements …………………..…………………………………………...……….……. iv Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………......………..... v List of Tables ………………………………………………………………………………...… vii Introduction …………………...……………………….………………………………………… 1 Review of the Literature ……………………………………………………………………..… 11 Method ………………………………………………………………………….……………… 24 Research Procedures …………………………………………………………………… 25 Recruiting and Participants ………………………………………………..…… 25 Setting ……………………………………………………………..…………… 29 Interview Procedures ………………...………………………………………… 30 Data Collection ………………………………………………………………………… 32 Interview Questions ………………………………….………………………… 34 Data Analysis …………………………………………………………………...……… 35 Validity ………………………………………………………………………………… 37 Ethical Considerations …………………………………………………………….…… 39 Findings ……………………………………………………………………………………...… 40 Ella’s Narrative ………………………………………………………………………… 40 Gwen’s Narrative ………………………………………………………….…………… 49 Jess’s Narrative ………………………………………………………………………… 59 Nick’s Narrative ……………………………………………………………...………… 67 Reid’s Narrative ……………………………………………………………...………… 76 v Thematic Analysis Findings …………………………………………………………… 85 Strength is Gained from Disability …………………………………..………… 85 Teacher Understanding Can Change Educational Experience ………………… 86 Social Implications Surround Disability ……………………………………..… 93 Support from Outside of School Plays a Role in Life and Success ……….…… 95 Education Policies May Not Be the Best Fit for Every Student ………..……… 97 Disability Stigma Has Changed ……………………..………………...……… 100 Discussion ………………………………………………………………………………..…… 107 Limitations ……………………………………………………………………………. 115 Implications for Practice ……………………………………………………..……….. 117 Implications for Research …………………………………………………….………. 118 References …………………………………………………………………………………..… 121 Appendices ……………………………………………………………………………….…… 130 vi List of Tables Table 1: Summary of Previous First-Person Literature from Individuals with Learning Disabilities …………………………………………………………………………….……….. 19 Table 2: Types of Interview Each Week by Participant ………………………………….……. 30 Table 3: Weekly Interview Topics ……………………………………………………….…….. 33 vii Understanding the Educational Experiences of Individuals with Learning Disabilities: A Narrative Perspective Current legislation has called for stronger accountability for students with disabilities in the classroom. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), and the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA; preceded by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) all protect the educational rights of students with disabilities. Under these pieces of legislation, students with disabilities are given access to general education curriculum and the supports and accommodations necessary to be academically successful and prepared for post-secondary opportunities (ESSA, 2015; IDEA, 2004). One of the 13 disability categories included under IDEA is specific learning disability. This disability category is defined as: A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. (IDEA, 2004; Ohio Department of Education, 2017) During the 2015-2016 school year, 4.6% of school-aged children received special education services for specific learning disabilities under IDEA, making learning disabilities the largest disability category for students (Cortiella & Horowitz, 2014; U.S. Department of Education, 2017). This does not include students with learning disabilities receiving accommodations under 1 Section 504 or students with unidentified learning disabilities. It has been estimated that between 5-8% of all school-aged students have a learning disability (Geary, 2004). Background on Learning Disabilities Learning disabilities are a heterogeneous group of neurologically-based differences that impact individuals’ cognitive processing, learning, and other life functions (Franz, Ascherman, & Shaftel, 2017; National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities [NJCLD], 2011). These differences often impact an individual’s academic performance in one or more areas including: listening comprehension, verbal expression, basic reading skills, reading fluency, reading comprehension, written expression, mathematical computation, and mathematical problem solving (Franz et al., 2017; IDEA, 2004). The level of severity of difficulties can vary widely by individual (NJCLD, 2011). Currently, there is little understanding of why these differences occur, but great strides have been made to better understand the challenges individuals with learning disabilities face and to support them to be successful students and members of society (Cortiella & Horowitz, 2014; Franz et al., 2017). While the term learning disabilities covers a variety of individual disabilities, the most common subtypes impact students’ reading abilities, mathematics abilities, and written expression. IDEA (2004) specifically names dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia as specific learning disability subtypes. Additionally, broader categories, such as reading learning disability, or other disorders, such as auditory processing disorder, visual processing disorder, and nonverbal learning disabilities, are often considered learning disabilities as well (for more detailed information on the subtypes of learning disabilities, see Cortiella & Horowitz, 2014). Learning disabilities can occur alongside other diagnoses including