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Exploring Cultural Competence as a Best Practice in K-12 Public Schools
Full text linkTeachers should embrace cultural competence as classrooms become culturally diverse to ensure that the learning environment promotes inclusion. Teachers must explore instructional practices that connect to a student’s background knowledge to engage and motivate learning. By building on the knowledge that a student has, teachers create an environment where students can experience academic achievement. “Teachers who create caring classroom cultures improve the overall learning experience (Tarbutton, 2018, p.5). The student’s learning experience can also be the teacher’s lived experience to determine the effectiveness of instructional practices utilized in the classroom. This study\u27s findings revealed that K-12 public school teachers’ ethnic background and lived experiences influenced the teacher’s willingness to acknowledge cultural competence and view it as a best practice in the classroom
Manifestation Determination Reviews: What Is the Role of the Speech Language Pathologist and Are the Language Abilities of the Student Considered?
Full text linkThe purpose of this study is to seek best practices for Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) meetings with regards to Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) participation, how frequently expressive and receptive language of the student are considered throughout the process, and the degree to which MDR teams follow best practice recommendations. Given the vague federal guidelines regarding the MDR process, SLPs are not consistently invited to MDR meetings and expressive and receptive language of the student being disciplined are not consistently considered in the manifestation determination meetings and process (Fisher et al., 2021; Knudsen & Bethune, 2018). The researcher used a mixed methods design to examine the documentation from MDR meetings and determining how frequently SLPs were in attendance, how frequently expressive and/or receptive language were described in the documentation, and to what degree teams followed best practice guidelines (Allen, 2021). The findings indicate SLPs are in attendance in 60% of the investigated meetings. Overall, there was little evidence teams considered language skills as a justification for an MDR decision. The results support the need for research into best practices for MDR policy for educational researchers and educators working in the field. They also inform a possible improvement plan for a district
Individual Placement and Review Committee Process: Perceptions of Parents of Students Who Are Both Deaf and Autistic
Full text linkA paucity of research exists surrounding the area of children with the dual diagnosis of autism and hearing loss (Wiley et al., 2018). While research exists regarding the perceptions of parents of children with other disabilities and challenges, it has only just begun to extend to parents of children who are deaf/autistic (Perry et al., 2019; Starr & Foy, 2012). The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological case study is to achieve an understanding of the perceptions and experiences of parents of deaf/autistic students from a school board in Ontario, Canada, and their involvement in the Individual Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) meeting. The problem to be addressed by this study is that parents’ perceptions about their participation in the IPRC process for their child who is deaf/autistic are not currently represented in the literature. Interviews were conducted with 3 parents of students who are deaf/autistic and have participated in an IPRC meeting. Data were also collected via surveys and a review of documentation. Understanding the perspectives of these parents revealed important information about barriers and facilitators to their participation. Although all parents participated in the meetings, their ability to collaborate with the IPRC team was hindered by factors such as language barriers, lack of knowledge and what appeared to the parents as pre-determined placement decisions. Based on the analysis of the data, an Organizational Improvement Plan was provided with suggestions for improving the IPRC process and developing and increasing the supports for the families, schools and, ultimately, the students
Exploring the Effects of the Television Shows, Bluey and Blippi, on Young Children\u27s Language Development: A Mixed Methods Study
Full text linkYoung children are frequently exposed to screen media that may not be appropriate to develop their speech and language skills effectively (Kartushina et al. 2022). The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine if popular television shows geared toward young children could facilitate language skills via the content they model. A survey investigating the perspectives of parents and caregivers of children aged 2-5 about popular television shows gathered information regarding how they view screen media, the effect it may have on their children’s language skills, and opinions of the popular television shows, Bluey and Blippi. A content analysis of the shows, Bluey and Blippi, was conducted to gather information about language skills modeled by the shows, and if they contain features that could support or deter young children’s language skill development. The SUGAR language sampling analysis protocol (Pavelko & Owens, 2018) and an original Pragmatics Rubric were used in the content analysis. The findings indicate that the show, Bluey, models richer, more varied pragmatic skills, and leads to more co-viewing and active mediation from parents, while Blippi models higher measures of linguistic structures, with less co-viewing, per parent reports. This study adds to the literature by providing a practical analysis of two popular television shows’ language, and includes an organizational improvement plan to assist constituents in making informed decisions about their children’s screen media consumption, and practical strategies to gain benefits from screen media to support language development