Rachel Brown-Chidsey

Computer Attitudes and Opinions of Students with and without Learning Disabilities.

Little research exists regarding the use of computers among students with learning disabilities. This study investigated the attitudes and opinions of students with and without learning disabilities regarding the use of computers for school-related work. Using a quasi-experimental design with three non-equivalent groups, within and between subjects effects were studied using a survey instrument. The students, in grades five through twelve, at three school sites, completed pre- and post-test computer use and attitude surveys at the beginning and end of the school year. One site served as the “treatment” group, while the other two were comparison groups. At the beginning of the school year a campus-wide computer network for use by all students was installed at one of the schools. The survey results indicated that students at the school with new computers did not exhibit better attitudes toward computers than the students at the other schools. Furthermore, there were no differences in computer use or attitudes across students with and without learning disabilities. There were also no differences in the factors predictive of attitudes toward computers (prior computer skills, use of games, frequency of use) across students with and without learning disabilities. The results support the notion that students with disabilities could be successfully included in computer-based instruction in general education classrooms.

Tier 2 Reading Interventions: Comparison of Reading Mastery and Fundations Double Dose

With the emergence of response to intervention as a key element for supporting school success for all students, there is a need for teachers to know which interventions have been found to be effective. Some interventions have been validated with a number of research studies, but new interventions also need such validation. This study was a program evaluation that compared a well-known and scientifically validated reading program, Reading Mastery, with a new program called Fundations. The study used single-subject case study methods with 6 matched dyads of first-grade students at risk for reading problems. The efficacy of each program for individual students was evaluated by evaluating the students’ progress monitoring scores on the Nonsense Word Fluency test of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. Results showed that all the students made progress toward winter benchmarks of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills; however, the amount of growth varied across the students. Outcomes for each student, as well as implications for teaching practices, are discussed.