Learning Disabilities and the Virtual College Campus: a Grounded Theory of Accessibility

Syracuse University SURFACE Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation - Dissertations School of Education 5-2012 Learning Disabilities and the Virtual College Campus: A Grounded Theory of Accessibility Nancy Lee Hollins Syracuse University Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/idde_etd Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Hollins, Nancy Lee, "Learning Disabilities and the Virtual College Campus: A Grounded Theory of Accessibility" (2012). Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation - Dissertations. 55. https://surface.syr.edu/idde_etd/55 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Education at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation - Dissertations by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract Two trends currently impacting higher education intersect in this study: (1) students with learning disabilities are enrolling in colleges and universities in increasing numbers, and (2) colleges and universities are increasingly relying on the web to provide services to students. This reliance on the “virtual campus” comes without apparent consideration of accessibility issues that may be experienced by students with learning disabilities. This study explored the experiences of 16 college students, self-identified as having learning disabilities, as they interacted with the virtual campus of one college. Consistent with the social model of disability, this study initially focused on the features of the virtual campus that were both helpful and not helpful to the informants as they performed eight tasks considered typical of those expected of a college student. Using a grounded theory methodology, the model that evolved from this data indicated that to understand the informants’ experiences, consideration had to be given also to what the informants brought to the experience, including their active choice and use of helpful strategies. The results of this study suggest that web accessibility as currently conceived is too limiting. A “one-size-fits-all” approach to universal access is unrealistic as users of the virtual campus bring varied strengths and capabilities as well as varied impairments to their interaction with web-based services. While colleges and universities are encouraged to follow current usability and accessibility principles, attention should also be given to the construction of a web-human interface that can be individualized to meet a user’s specific needs. LEARNING DISABILITIES AND THE VIRTUAL COLLEGE CAMPUS: A GROUNDED THEORY OF ACCESSIBILITY By Nancy L. Hollins B.S. University of Minnesota, 1973 M.S. Syracuse University, 1988 Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Instructional Design, Development, and Evaluation. Syracuse University May 2012 Copyright © Nancy Hollins 2012 All Rights Reserved Acknowledgments This dissertation is the culmination of 25 years of on-again, off-again work as life’s happenings interfered with its completion. I wish to acknowledge my family and co- workers who kept the faith that this dissertation would one day be a reality. I wish to acknowledge the I.D.D.E. faculty who patiently extended their hands to me over those years. I wish to acknowledge my oral defense committee, Dr. Beth Prieve, chair, Dr. Stephen Kuusisto and Dr. Dalia Rodriguez, whose thoughtful questions and comments were appreciated. I wish to acknowledge my committee members, Dr. Beth Ferri and Dr. Wendy Harbour who provided the guidance that I needed. Finally, I wish to acknowledge my Chair, Dr. Alan Foley, who was the individual that provided the challenge and push I needed. I can honestly say that this dissertation would not have been completed without his support and encouragement. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I: Introduction College Students with Disabilities …………………………………... 1 Increasing Reliance on Web-Based Services ………………………... 3 Accessibility and Usability …………………………...……………… 5 Need for this Study …...…………………….…………………..……. 8 Conceptual Framework …………….………………………………… 9 Overview of the Study ……………………….……………………… 11 Research Question ….………………………………………………… 16 Summary ………..………………………………………………......... 18 Organization of this Report ……..…………………………………….. 19 Chapter II: Literature Review Introduction …………………………………………………………. 21 Virtual Campus ……………………………………………………… 23 Disability Studies and the Social Model of Disability ……………… 24 History and Definition of Learning Disabilities ……………….…… 27 College Students with Learning Disabilities ………………………… 29 Usability and Accessibility ………………………………………… 31 Grounded Theory Methodology …………………………………… 40 Conclusion ………………………………………………………….. 49 v Chapter III: Methodology Introduction …………………………………………………………. 51 Grounded Theory Design ……………………………………………. 53 Informants …………………………………………………………... 57 Data Collection ………………………………………………………. 59 Data Management …………………………………………………… 65 Limitations …………..……………………………………………… 66 Conclusion …………………………………………………………… 68 Chapter IV: Informants Introduction …………………..………………………………………. 70 Demographic Characteristics of Informants ………………..………… 70 Informants’ Learning Disabilities in Their Own Words ………..……. 71 Themes Noted in the Self-Descriptions ……………...………………... 83 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………... 86 Chapter V: Analysis of Task Performance Introduction …………………………………….………………………. 88 Codes Related to the Task ………………………………………….…… 90 Codes Related to the Performance of the Informants ………………..….. 96 Research Questions ………………………….…………………………… 98 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………… 99 vi Chapter VI: The Virtual Campus- Helpful and Not Helpful Features Introduction ………………………………………………………….. 101 General Format of a Webpage on the EFU Virtual Campus..………. 101 Features of the Virtual Campus ……………………………………… 103 Webpage Appearance ……………...…………………………….….. 105 Structure of the Webpage ……………………….……………………. 109 Navigational Devices ……………………………………………….... 111 Input Elements ……………………..…………………………………. 114 Language ………………………………………………………………. 116 Availability of Help Features ……………..…………………………… 118 Summary ……………………………………………………………….. 119 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………… 123 Chapter VII: The Informants- Factors Impacting Performance Introduction ………….………………………………………………….. 125 Learning Differences ..……….………………………………………….. 126 Emotional Responses ………..………………………………………….. 135 Strategies for Success ………..………………………………………….. 137 Help Seeking ……………..……………………………………………… 140 Technological Savvy and Expectations ……………….………………… 143 Familiarity …………………..…………………………………………… 145 Conclusion …………….………………………………………………… 147 vii Chapter VIII: Summary, Discussion, and Implications Summary ……..……………………………………………………….. 151 Discussion ……….……………………………………………………. 160 Proposed Hypotheses for Future Research …………..……………….. 165 Implications ………………………..………………………………….. 168 Appendices Appendix A: Recruitment Email ………..…………………………….. 173 Appendix B: Informed Consent Form …………..…………………….. 174 Appendix C: Sample Transcription of Initial Session ………..……….. 177 Appendix D: Storyboard ………….…………………………………… 183 Appendix E: Flowchart Record ………….……………………………. 187 References ……………... ……………………………………………… 189 viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIVE MATERIALS Figure 1 Representation of EFU Webpage Layout ………………… 13 Figure 2 Example of a Storyboard ………………………………… 66 Figure 3 Example of a Flowchart …………………………………. 67 Figure 4 Process of Doing Business …….……………….…….…… 92 Figure 5 Representation of EFU Webpage Layout ………………… 102 Table 1 Four Stages of a Grounded Theory Study ………………. 15 Table 2 WCAG 1.0 Priority Levels ……….……………………... 37 Table 3 Modified Four-Stage Grounded Theory Design ………… 56 Table 4 Initial Interview Questions ………………………….…… 60 Table 5 Questions Preceding Think-Aloud Sessions …………....... 61 Table 6 Tasks for the Think-Aloud Sessions ………………….….. 63 Table 7 Questions Following Think-Aloud Sessions ……............... 64 Table 8 Gender and Age of Informants …………………………..... 71 Table 9 Academic Major of Informants ………………………….... 72 Table 10 Year in College of Informants ……………………..…….... 72 Table 11 Initials Used When Assigning Pseudonyms to Informants … 75 Table 12 Tasks for the Think-Aloud Sessions ………………….......... 91 Table 13 Successful and Not Successful Performance When Doing Business…………… ……………………………………..…... 99 ix Table 14 Sub-Categories of Codes Related to Features of the Virtual Campus ………………………………………… 104 Table 15 Finding Place : Helpful and Not Helpful Features …..…….. 121 Table 16 Finding Information : Helpful and Not Helpful Features …... 122 Table 17 Doing : Helpful and Not Helpful Features ………………….. 122 x Chapter I Introduction In this study, I explore the experiences of college students with learning disabilities as they interact with the online services provided by a college. This study is timely in that two trends currently impacting higher education intersect in this student- web interaction: (1) an increasing number of students with learning disabilities are enrolling in postsecondary education, and (2) colleges and universities are increasing their reliance on the web for provision of student services. College Students with Learning Disabilities Students with learning disabilities are enrolling in colleges and universities at an increasing rate (DaDeppo, 2009; Heiman & Precel, 2003). In 1988, one-percent of college freshmen at four-year institutions were identified as having a learning disability. This number grew to 2.4 percent by 2000 (Henderson, 2001) and

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