Importance of Education for Children Facing Various Learning Disabilities - Research Proposal Example

Running Head: Proposal on Evidence Based Special Education Research Proposal on Evidence Based Special Education Research Student’s Name: Institution: Course Details: Instructor’s Name: Date: 1. Research area of interest The area of education has been a platform of a lot of research in recent years as this aspect of society has taken a primary role in development of the society. However, a new trend in this research has been an emphasis of the special education which was hitherto a neglected area. In an attempt to revert this unfortunate scenario, numerous methodologies and approaches have been instituted by educational scholars to try to raise awareness on the importance of education for children facing various learning disabilities. According to the Webster new world dictionary , special education constitutes programs and practices that are designed for students who are either handicapped or gifted and whose mental and physical abilities necessitates special teaching approaches , equipments or care outside the regular classroom situation, (Webster's New World College Dictionary ,2010). Special education is designed to level the ground for students with disabilities to be educated effectively. According Gargiulo, and Richard M. (2005), disabilities qualifying for special education include physical issues such as deafness or blindness; mental disabilities including Down ’s syndrome, autism and Dyslexia among myriad other emerging disorders. The US departments of Education data, over 600,000 children aged 3-5 years were served by special education and the statistics indicated the most common disabilities include language impairment, emotional disturbance. The magnitude of these statistics inform the premise of this paper’s in analyzing the experimental strategy of evidence based practices in helping the placement of special students. 2. Contemporary research in evidence based special education practices a) Robert F. Moore, B. H. (2007). Case Studies of Minority Student Placement in Special Education Columbia: Teachers College Press, Teachers College, Columbia University b) Horner, R. H, Carr, E.G, Halle, J, MCgee, G, Odom, S, Wolery,M, (2005) The Use of Single-Subject Research to Identify Evidence-Based Practice in Special Education, Council for exceptional children, Vol. 71. Na. 2. pp. 165-179. c) Fuentes, A. R (2006), Research on special education needs; what and how to investigate in special education, Electronic Journal of Educational Psychology, No 53 d) Odom, S. L, et.al (2005). Research in Special education; Scientific methods and evidence based practices, e) Hocutt, A, M. (1996). Effectiveness of Special education: is placement the critical factor? The Future of Children special education for students with disabilities vol. 6 • No. 1 – spring. An overview of the contemporary research on special education placement practices Placement has been the primary concern for most educational researchers in the area of special education over the recent years. The consistent debate over the viability of placement has been an issue for many years but the scrutiny now has changed and focused more on how this placement is done. A cursory glance at the placement, definition and assessment of the main aspects of disabilities Educable Mental Retardation (EMR), Emotional/behavioral Disorder (EMD), and Special Learning Disability (SLD) as indicated in the IDEA act of 2004 shows a lot of discrepancies and loopholes that teachers have exploited liberally. To examine the various methods used in the placement and their effectiveness, these contemporary studies have used both the qualitative and quantitative methods of research to come up with their conclusions. In Robert F, Moore, B. H. (2007), the focus was on the District of Columbia and the sampling centered one school to examine the criteria used I coming up with the placement justification. The premise of this argument stems from various others and through collection of data through questionnaires, observation and participation, there searchers are able to come up with conclusions on the justification of the placement of the child that was on focus. argues that most of the referral cases in the educational factor do not arise from analytical assessment but are highly influenced by our social context. The definition of these conditions and the interpretations as provided by the Act has led to varied application when it comes to assessment and later the placement of the students. The other arising issues including the role distinction pertaining to the parent, the teacher, the child and the psychologist have managed to fan even more controversies. The other studies also take their samples from within the larger school environment to come up with an assessment of how the placement is done. The choice of mixed methods, defined by Creswell (2006) as an “approach that combines both quantitative and qualitative forms” is based on the idea supported by Bryman (2006) that it provides further verification of the overall findings of research. In addition, combining the two approaches (quantitative and qualitative research) allows each method adopted to develop the other one .The use of questionnaires mostly for the teachers and parents who form part of the larger educational society and more importantly the sample gives a better dimension on the rules followed in determining a child is special or not. Hocutt (1996) uses qualitative research and secondary sources to back her argument on the consistency of placement patterns which though might be appreciated at a glance, still reflect a deficiency in the better use of scientific methods. From her statistics, about one third of all special students spend 80% of their time in general education classroom. Another one third spend 40-79% of their day in general education while approximately quarter spend 0-39% of their time in general education classroom which is a worrying trend considering this is where all learning takes place. Fuentes, A. R (2006), the scholar uses an interpretative approach which is a compensation for the quantitative methods used. The case study and longitudinal methods of research are used in this analysis as in most educational research and there is also use of interviews which again are common. The case for multi-dimensional methodology is also made by Odom, S. L, et.al (2005) in their submission because their works adopt the same strategy. According to the researchers, the rationale for having different research methodologies in special education is based on the contemporary conceptualization of education and the complexities in special education. The history and general quality of research has come under a lot of scrutiny and this has been blamed on the singular methodology approach such as observation, Mosteller and Brouch (2002). To avoid such a scenario, there is the need to incorporate as many methods of research as possible to ensure, multi-dimensional perspectives and eventually strong conclusions and recommendations. From these concerns the National Academy of Sciences proposed a there prong approach where questions would be based on description, cause and the process, Shavelson and Towne (2002). From these submissions, it is obvious that some of the approaches that were used would have their own strengths and weaknesses. The main methods used in all the studies include observation, different forms of interviews and participation through case studies. The case study has been extolled by educational researchers as one of the most effective methods for a long time. According to Flyvbjerg (2011) case studies provide a very good ground for formulating a hypothesis. This is very important in deductive research approaches as it determines the conclusions that will be reached at after the research. The case study on Columbia district for example was aimed at focusing on minority students and their placement in special education programmes and the pilot study was enough for the researcher to come up with a concrete hypothesis. The case study also gives the researcher in-depth information that no other method can provide and in a school situation, this is very important because the environment forms part of learning hence the observation of all the surroundings helps the researcher in their findings, Creswell, (1998). However, like any other observational methods, there might be misinterpretations of nuances within the environment. The case study used by Robert and Moore, (2007) dealt with sensitive issue and the language that the parent used might have indicated her illiteracy while it is actually the way that community uses language. In addition, the subject of the a study might not be representative s there are many social and psychological things that can be observed at a glance. Survey is another method used in the overall analysis by Fuenes (2006), Odom (2005) and Hocutt (1996). This method is popular in social studies and even in business and its main advantage is that it provides a cornucopia of information within a relatively short time. A study of the former studies in special education and the application of the findings in new research as the researchers have done gives a general perspective on special education placement and the overall practices. However, when the sample is non representative, the findings are faulty and thus not valid as required by research dictates, Herrman, (2009). The interviews are also used evenly throughout the contemporary studies on special education. There are different types of interviews but the general one used by Hocutt, (1996) and Robert 2007 is face to face. The main advantage is that the questions can be adapted as per the needs of the respondent without moving away from the purpose of the question. The nonverbal cues of communication are also visible and the interviewer can tell whether the respondents comfortable or not. However, there is a lot of waste involved in this type of research (Patton, 2002). and this is clear by the fact that a whole team of interviewers had to camp at the school in the District of Columbia to try to get the their responses from teachers. The respondents might also keep diverting from the issue at hand especially in emotive topics such as special education placement if they feel their kids did not deserve to be placed in the category. Having grounded this paper, it is imperative to assess the main outline for the research. 3. Title: A practical approach to the modern placement practices in special education 4. Aim of the research In the case study on the social construction of High incidence disabilities, (Harry, B., 2007) argues that most of the referral cases in the educational factor do not arise from analytical assessment but are highly influenced by our social context. The definition of these conditions and the interpretations as provided by the Act has led to varied application when it comes to assessment and later the placement of the students. The other arising issues including the role distinction pertaining to the parent, the teacher, the child and the psychologist have managed to fan even more controversies. The argument in this paper does not seek to portray the whole education structure as inefficient. The issue of educating the child is complex and this is not made easy by grey areas that exist in the structures. According to, (Carlberg) IDEA leaves several questions unanswered and one of these is the importance of social growth in making important decisions. This study seeks to analyze the justification used to place children in special education classes and the whether evidence based methods should be adopted wholly for the practice of placement. Hypothesis The liberal application of special education placement has not led to deviation from the main purpose of the practice hence defeating the general objectives. Research questions These will be targeting the teachers, parents, educational experts and the students in special education programmes; 1) How does a student get into the special class 2) Is the student fully informed and involved before placement? 3) Is there parental involvement in the process? 4) Who has the final word on the placement? 5) Is there an appeal based on contingent factors? 6) How long does is it take before they return fully to general education class? 7) Is there any input from a psychological pr educational specialist? 8) Are the placement practices used reviewed regularly? Research paradigm Special education is an important area of society. As Comte argued in the postulation of positivist paradigms, the observation of this phenomenon and reasoning as to why the word special is used to describe the students will help give a better understanding of the field. For many years, this was not considered a worthy area of research but the fact that education encompasses and touches all makes it important to have everyone benefit from the same. According to Cohen et. al (2000), the deterministic and empirical factor in examination of phenomena in research is the first way of generating knowledge and in this case, special education provides an ample chance to give new ideas. Through the use of a sample, the positivist element in the research on special education as regards parsimony will have been asserted and hence, the outcome of the research will have a large bearing on the society while still managing to save on resources, Lincoln and Guba (2000). This paradigm is the best for this research as it incorporates observation, social reality and scientific method all which are integrated within this study. According to the observation of Dill and Romiszowski (1997), a function must define how the world works and how the knowledge is extracted while also stating the questions and methodologies to be used. A positivist paradigm answers all these vis a vis the area of research in specials education hence its applicability. Research methods The study is going to use a multi-dimensional approach in methodology incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods. There are three main methods that will be used; Case study; special education is a sensitive and complicated area of study and as such, the emphasis or focus on one individual will be used to come up with conclusions about the validity of the methods used. According to Thomas (2011) the case that is the subject of the study is supposed to be an instance of a phenomenon that provides analytical grounds to be used to explicate the situation. In the study, the focus will be on one child picked after a pilot study to determine how the system of special education placement .The ideal child in this case will have joined the special education programme recently meaning they are in the process of being returned to the general education fully. The case study will involve the perusal of all the child’s academic records from joining the institution to the point where they slipped back into the special education class. This will also involve assessment of the child’s background, the school’s policy and any complaints on placement and any other concomitant issues such as the conduct of teachers towards the special education or even those that have lower abilities. The study will involve monthly reviews to examine the progress of the child and to assess how good the system is in supporting the child from their current situation. The reason the case study is appropriate for this case is that it provides an ample base for coming up with a hypothesis on the placement programme in the institution. This is regarded as the strongest point in using case studies, Baxter and Jack (2008). Interviews; this is one of the most versatile methods of collecting information and this study will seek to exploit this ability. There will be three forms of interviews, the structured forth teachers and education specialist in the school, the semi-structured for the parent and the unstructured for the student. This outline is based on their relative knowledge in the area of education and to ensure the researcher is able to garner as much in-depth knowledge as possible to facilitate the study. All the interviews will be conducted face to face due to the inherent benefits of observation that is one of the cardinal rules of research. In the process, the researcher will be able to note any nonverbal cues such as discomfort especially from the parent and the pupil in order to determine the underlying reasons leading to the placement in the special education class. The education specialist is supposed to shed light on policy as does the teacher which makes the structures questions better to ensure no point is left out or any diversions from the sensitive issues that are expected, Baumann and Greenberg (1992). The interview guide will have been developed before hand with all questions and areas to be covered in the course of the study. Due to the resistance expected from the educationists, the structured interview will serve best as there will be no need to create rapport which in nay case might not be possible, Chirban (1996). On the other hand, the unstructured questionnaire for the child will help them open up as it won’t create an intimidating experience as they have been accustomed to in class. This type of interview will enable the researcher to deviate from the topic when need be if the non verbal cues indicate some discomfort before coming back to the same from another perspective, Warren and Karner (2005). The sampling In any research, this is the toughest area as it determines the eventual validity and reliability. The setting will be a suburban school that has a long running culture of integrating special education programmes and general education. This will form the perfect observation position of the policy and the environmental influences of the child’s growth in terms of academic performance. The case study will focus on the child who has lately joined the special education class and only experiences a few hours in the main general education class within the same school. Against this backdrop, there will also be the focus on the social background of the child to determine whether the placement was mitigated by factors other than academic ones. This will focus on the parents and the family at large. Sampling methods The sampling will be based on non-probability as it focuses on getting a child who is deeply entangled within the systematic grey areas in special education policies. This makes it ideal to select a child from the special education class but still, there is need to get one who has joined the class in order to follow through their experiences. Various sampling methods however are used to pick other variables; Convenience sampling; the city is chosen due to the fact that researcher resides around and hence, it is more appropriate to cut on costs and logistics. Systematic sampling; selection of the school within the city will be done through this type of sampling to ensure there is no bias as long as all the setting requirements such as integrated special education and general education at early school are available. The convenience sampling method is not commonly used due to its bias capability but the fact that special education policies affect all cities in the country makes it ideal in this case. The constant follow up that will be required by the researcher and the monitoring might be impossible if the researcher is based outside the city and this might incur resources or even limit the observation element that this city provides. The systematic sampling on the other hand has been billed as one of the best methods of avoiding bias in research, (Black, 2004) and hence the school that will be picked has any probability of getting chosen just like any other in the city. Data collection, analysis and instrumentation The data collection methods will be grouped together into observation, interviews and note taking. The in-depth interviewing will be used as the primary method due to its inherent nature to get more concrete details, Wengraf, (2001). This will involve the use of questionnaire for the teachers and the educational specialists within the school to try to get their take on the issue. Due to the large setting of the school, observation will also form an integral part of the data collection as there are many things that can be observed regarding the student’s conduct outside more than inside the classroom. The use of secondary data review will also give the researcher an insight into issues such as the regularity of special education placement, rate of repetition for special school students in the school and number of reviews done on the placement processes over time. The fact that the study focuses on behavioral issues means that data collection will not necessarily shape the recommendations of the research but will still form a large part of the final findings leading to the conclusion. In essence, the data will be collected from both primary and secondary sources. The Primary data will come from a questionnaire and interviews .Secondary data will be taken from research on special education and other important literature on placement including government statistics and policy documents.The researcher proposes to use quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze data. The quantitative data collected will be summarized and analyzed using cross-tabulations and descriptive statistics such as measures of central tendency which is most scholars use a yardstick to measure variables, Holstein and Gubrium (1997). The results of data analysis will be presented by the use of tables to display the information obtained from the respondents. On the other hand, the qualitative data will be grouped into similar themes and analyzed to display the findings from the observation of the respondent’s behavior in their language. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) will be used to compute proportions and presentation of data through Pie charts and bar graphs. Ethical issues in special education research The field of research is guided by a code of ethics and this study seeks to adhere to the same. Dealing with special children needs the approval of their parents, teachers and their medical personnel. This might seem like an inhibitory procedure but the growing interest in this field of education makes it necessary to cushion these delicate children from over exposure. An introductory will be drafted to the school and the parents with the succinct explanation of the research in order to start from a familiar ground. An introductory meeting will also be arranged between the school, the parent and the family doctor if need be for the researcher to explain fully the purpose of the study. This is one of the primary ethics of any study. Research timeline and budget The study will take approximately 1 year to facilitate the acclimatization of the child to the class and to enable ample time to assess the child’s development and the school’s response to the same in due course. Through the course of the research, there will be two assistants to aid in monitoring and recording of data as well as secondary research. This will involve a wage agreement for the one year period and each assistant will have a data collection tool in form of a laptop and other writing materials. These are the main costs but a budget allocation of any miscellaneous costs will also be set aside in case anything arises in the course of the study. Key issues Strengths; the study will be done at a time when focus on special education is at an all time high hence information and co-operation from the institution will be available. The parents are also expected to be very helpful as this is an issue that has at times affected them negatively when their children were arbitrarily placed in special classes. Weaknesses; due to the study’s approach, the institution might hinder progress or change its attitude towards the special education programme hence giving invalid results. The resources and time needed are also very exhausting considering the projected time might not have brought the desired conclusion to the hypothetical situation. References Baxter, P, Jack, S (2008). Qualitative case study methodology: study design and implementation for novice researchers, in the qualitative report, 13(4): 544-559 Bryman, A. (2006) ‘Paradigm peace and the implications for quality’, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, Vol. 9 No. 2, pp.111-126 Creswell, P. L, Clark, W. J. (2006). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research, Sage Productions; Los Angeles. Cohen et. al (2000), ). Research methods in education (5th Ed.). London; oxford press Dill, C. R, Romiszowski, C. J (1997), the instructional development paradigm: an Introduction. in c. r. dill, and . Romiszowski (eds). Instructional development paradigms Englewood: Educational Technology Publications, Inc. Flyvbjerg. B , (2011). “Case study” in Norman, K, Denzin and Yvonna (eds). The Sage handbook, Thousand Oaks; California Fuentes, A. R (2006), Research on special education needs; what and how to investigate in special education, Electronic Journal of Educational Psychology, No 53 Gargiulo, R. M. (2004), Special Education in Contemporary Society, New York: Wadsworth Publishing Harry,B , Klinger, J and Cramer, E, (2007), Case Studies of Minority Student Placement in Special Education. Teachers College Press. Horner, R.H et.al (2005) The Use of single –Subject Research to Identify Evidence Based practice in special education, Vol 71 No.2 pp 165-179, Council for Exceptional Children: Ontario Hocutt, A, M. (1996). Effectiveness of Special education: is placement the critical factor? The Future of Children special education for students with disabilities, vol. 6 • No. 1 Lincoln, Y. S, Guba (2000). Paradigmatic controversies, contradictions and National Research Centre on Learning Disabilities (2002) Recommendations for Change in SLD Definition and Classification Criteria. Washington: Retrieved 30 Sep, 2011 from http://www.nrcld.org/about/research/states/section4.html Odom, S. L, et.al (2005). Research in Special education; Scientific methods and evidence based practices, Robert F. Moore, B. H. (2007). Case Studies of Minority Student Placement in Special Education Columbia: Teachers College Press: Columbia University Webster's New World College Dictionary (2010) by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Herman, C. S. (2009). “Fundamentals of methodology”, a series of papers on the social sciences research network (ssrn) Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed). Thousand Oaks, California: sage publication Thomas, J. G (2011) a typology for the case study in social science following a review of definition, discourse and structure. Qualitative inquiry, 17, 6, 511-521 Read More