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226 Pages·2016·1.49 MB·English
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University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2016 The Lived Experiences of Elementary Students with Disabilities Self-Advocating Through Speaking and Writing Lindsey Massengale University of Central Florida Part of the Language and Literacy Education Commons, and the Special Education and Teaching Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES SELF-ADVOCATING THROUGH SPEAKING AND WRITING by LINDSEY R. MASSENGALE B.S., Southeastern University, 2009 M.Ed., University of Central Florida, 2012 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Education and Human Performance at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2016 Major Professor: Lisa A. Dieker © 2016 Lindsey R. Massengale ii ABSTRACT Writing and self-advocacy skills are important for all students, including individuals with disabilities. Within the K-12 setting, those skills are taught, but emphasis changes as students progress through the grade levels. At the elementary level, writing is more prominent; whereas, in high school, self-advocacy becomes a focus. In this study, the researcher used a phenomenological research design to explore the lived experiences and preferences of elementary students with disabilities and their use of self- advocacy strategies in the inclusive setting, both in writing and speaking. The phenomenon was explored over an eleven-week period in a second grade, inclusive classroom. The conceptual framework for the study was the theoretical framework of self-advocacy by Test, Fowler, Wood, Brewer, and Eddy (2005). The child development of Piaget (1964) and disability theory of Tashakkaori and Teddlie (2003) served as secondary frameworks. The data collected are reflective of the self-advocacy experiences and preferences of two students with disabilities, their parents and classroom teacher. The themes of knowledge of self, knowledge of rights, effective communication skills, and leadership skills are discussed in detail. Implications for practice within the elementary classroom and recommendations for future research for students with disabilities in the inclusive environment are provided. Keywords: students with disabilities, elementary school, self-advocacy, writing, speaking iii This dissertation is dedicated to my mom who has always advocated for me. Through her encouragement and support, I have developed the courage to self-advocate for my dreams and passions. My dad, who encouraged me to find and follow dreams even when I did not have a clear picture of the possibilities. Jim, who encouraged me to pursue a Ph.D. and helped me navigate its trials and triumphs. My husband, Ben, who taught me to celebrate the little victories along the road, to the larger ones, even when I didn’t see the possibilities. I owe this accomplishment to my family who has always believed in me, supported me, and encouraged me to “dream big.” iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The journey of earning a Ph.D. could not have been possible without continuous support and encouragement of my parents, Jim, and my husband Ben. Together we navigated this adventure, and together we will explore what is just the beginning. My passion for exposing elementary students to self-advocacy skills could not have been possible without the openness, eagerness and teamwork of my site’s teacher, students, and parents. Together we explored tools, and how they could help individuals with disabilities in elementary school self-advocate. I never fathomed that two of my passions, self-advocacy and writing, could come together to impact elementary students with disabilities. Thank you to Dr. Dieker for helping me find, develop, and begin to pursue my passion. Who knew, but you, that one’s passion could turn into an endless research path! To Dr. Pearl for encouraging me from day one to run with all my advocacy aspirations. Dr. Vasquez for teaching me the “secret sauce” for publishing and always supporting, guiding, encouraging, and teaching me to turn everything into a publication. To Dr. Zygouris-Coe for all your support and encouragement as I explore, discover, and question the world of writing about writing. Through the brilliant, creative minds of my committee a stepping-stone toward a research passion emerged. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................ 1 Theoretical Frameworks ................................................................................................. 2 Units of Analysis............................................................................................................. 4 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................... 5 Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 6 Significance of the Study ................................................................................................ 6 Organization of the Study ............................................................................................... 8 Operational Definitions ................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................. 11 Historical Perspective of Individuals with Disabilities ................................................. 11 Right to Life .............................................................................................................. 12 Right to an Education................................................................................................ 13 The Acceptable Individual ........................................................................................ 13 Early Education for Individuals with Disabilities ......................................................... 14 Early Priorities for Educating Individuals with Disabilities ......................................... 15 vi Progression of Educational Standards for Individuals with Disabilities ...................... 15 Access ....................................................................................................................... 16 Quality....................................................................................................................... 18 Focus ......................................................................................................................... 19 Writing and Self-advocacy Development ..................................................................... 20 Concept of Self-advocacy for Individuals with Disabilities ......................................... 21 Self-advocacy Instruction Within Schools .................................................................... 22 Conceptual Framework of Self-advocacy ................................................................. 23 Elementary School Presence ..................................................................................... 24 Importance of Self-advocacy .................................................................................... 26 Overview of Research Around Self-advocacy .............................................................. 28 The Cognitive Process of Writing................................................................................. 30 Writing Instruction within Schools ............................................................................... 31 Writing Instruction within the Elementary Grades ....................................................... 34 The Importance of Writing Instruction ..................................................................... 35 Self-advocating Through Writing ................................................................................. 36 Overview of Research Around Writing Instruction for Students with Disabilities ...... 37 Empirical Research Combining Writing and Self-advocacy for Students with Disabilities .................................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 44 vii Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................... 44 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 45 Qualitative Phenomenological Research Design .......................................................... 45 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................. 46 Units of Analysis........................................................................................................... 47 Research Methods ......................................................................................................... 49 Researcher as Observer ............................................................................................. 49 Setting ....................................................................................................................... 50 Phenomenon Described ............................................................................................ 51 Participants ................................................................................................................ 51 Instrumentation ......................................................................................................... 53 Procedures ..................................................................................................................... 60 Access to Site ............................................................................................................ 60 Timeline .................................................................................................................... 61 Data Collection ............................................................................................................. 65 Observations ............................................................................................................. 65 Self-advocacy Checklist............................................................................................ 66 Interviews .................................................................................................................. 67 Collection of Writing Samples.................................................................................. 68 viii Data Analyses ............................................................................................................... 69 Observations ............................................................................................................. 71 Interviews .................................................................................................................. 71 Document Analyses .................................................................................................. 72 Trustworthiness ......................................................................................................... 72 Ethics......................................................................................................................... 73 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS ......................................................................................... 74 Instrumentation ............................................................................................................. 75 Setting of the Phenomenon ........................................................................................... 75 Data Analysis Procedures ............................................................................................. 77 Data Analysis by Research Question ............................................................................ 77 Lived Experiences: Research Question 1 ................................................................. 77 Self-advocacy Behaviors: Research Question 2 ....................................................... 86 Perceptions of Self-advocacy Skills: Research Question 3 .................................... 106 Fidelity of Procedures ................................................................................................. 120 Reliability ................................................................................................................ 120 Validity ................................................................................................................... 121 Conclusions According to Theme ............................................................................... 121 Knowledge of Self .................................................................................................. 122 ix

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