Erica R. Kaldenberg

Science Instruction for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

This review examined classroom science instruction for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). A total of 11 group and single-subject studies were analyzed. Across all group studies, a conservatively calculated mean effect size of .471 was obtained indicating the interventions as a whole had at least a small to moderate impact on students’ with EBD achievement. Findings were further analyzed by student characteristics, intervention type, dependent measures utilized, and study variables. A significant result of these subanalyses indicates that while additional research is needed, students with EBD may benefit from inquiry approaches provided the method implemented includes enough structure to ensure student engagement. Results also suggest that mnemonic instruction is highly effective at increasing students’ with EBD knowledge and retention of science facts.

Effects of Vocabulary Instruction Using Constant Time Delay on Expository Reading of Young Adults with Intellectual Disability.

We investigated the effectiveness of using constant time delay (CTD) with young adults with intellectual disability on their vocabulary acquisition and retention, as well as expository reading comprehension. Four learners, ages 19 to 21 years, from a postsecondary education program for individuals with disabilities participated in the study. During the intervention, instructors used CTD to teach unknown vocabulary embedded in expository texts. In the context of an alternating treatments design, we found that CTD resulted in greater acquisition and retention of the vocabulary knowledge than the control condition. However, the effects of the vocabulary instruction on comprehension of the expository texts were less clear. Implications for practice are provided.

Reading Instruction in Science for Students with Learning Disabilities.

As a growing number of students with learning disabilities (LD) receive science instruction in general education settings, students with LD continue to perform significantly lower than their non-disabled peers. The shift from textbook-driven instruction to inquiry-based approaches to science learning supports students who struggle with reading. However, research continues to show that for students to fully access the science curriculum, it is critical to address effective ways to increase reading comprehension of expository science text. This meta-analysis identified 20 studies from 12 articles that evaluated the efficacy of such interventions. Effect sizes were calculated for each study. Across all studies, a mean effect size (ES) of 0.98 was obtained. Findings align with past research on reading comprehension of expository text indicating that students with LD benefit from explicit vocabulary instruction (ES = 1.25) and the use of multicomponent interventions (ES = 0.64) when reading science-related material.

Examining the Effects of Functional Assessment-Based Interventions with High School Students.

In two studies, the systematic approach to designing functional assessment-based interventions (FABIs) created by Umbreit, Ferro, Liaupsin, and Lane (2007) was used with high school students receiving special education services in self-contained classrooms reserved for students with persistent behavior problems. In Study 1, an AB design was used with a male student with high rates of off-task behavior. In Study 2, an ABAB design was used with a female student exhibiting inappropriate language. Results from both studies indicated that a multi-component FABI can decrease target behaviors for high school students. Treatment fidelity data indicated that a less complicated intervention may increase the accuracy with which interventions are implemented. Brief discussions of each study as well as an overall discussion synthesizing findings across studies are included.

Meeting the Diverse Needs of Students with EBD in Inclusive Science Classrooms.

R ecently, there has been a nationwide push to increase students’ knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. This push is due primarily to the large job growth expected in STEM-related vocations over the next 20 years (Terrell, 2007). Along with the anticipated job growth in all STEM areas, increasing students’ science content and process knowledge is also critical because, in today’s society, scientific knowledge is needed to be an informed consumer and to make everyday decisions (National Research Council [NRC], 2012). Along with the recent push to increase students’ knowledge of science, approaches to teaching science in K–12 settings are also changing dramatically. In the past, science education was criticized for focusing instruction primarily on discrete factual knowledge acquisition (NRC, 2012). This focus, however, has changed significantly as demonstrated in the recently released Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) that emphasize increasing student knowledge of the scientific process (i.e., how science is done) and deepening their understanding of core science concepts. The shift in instructional focus from discrete facts to concepts and process knowledge has resulted in major science education organizations encouraging teachers to adopt inquiry methods to teach science instead of using traditional textbook/lecture approaches (NRC, 2006). Inquiry methods implemented in schools vary widely from pure discovery paradigms, in which students direct their own learning, to structured teacher-directed approaches (Therrien, Taylor, Hosp, Kaldenberg, & Gorsh, 2011). As the field shifts attention to science instruction for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), special education teachers must be prepared to provide academic and behavior support for students with EBD in an ever-changing science classroom environment. Difficulties in core academic skills may play a large role in student success or failure in science. For instance, difficulty comprehending science texts can be particularly problematic as science texts are complex and often contain numerous unknown vocabulary words (Mason & Hedin, 2011). The acquisition and retention of core science knowledge for students with EBD is difficult because they often begin science units with less background knowledge than their peers. During instruction, students with EBD also struggle with acquiring and retaining critical knowledge because of difficulties with core academic skills and behavior. Behavioral issues, such as off-task behavior, can have a dramatic impact on students’ science achievement. Off-task behavior (e.g., talking to a peer instead of listening to directions) may be particularly problematic during hands-on inquiry science instruction as these lessons tend to be less structured. These combinations of difficulties results in students with EBD being at a distinct disadvantage during science instruction. Sam: A Hypothetical Case Study