Resource Room Programs Research Articles

Social Competence of Omani Students with Learning Disabilities from their Teachers’ Perspectives

This research aims to identify the level of social competence among students with learning disabilities (LDs) from their teachers’ perspectives. The research sample consisted of 840 students with LDs enrolled in the resource room program (RRP) and general education classrooms (GECs) in Oman. Their RRP and general education teachers responded to the social competence scale. This scale consisted of 43 items distributed on three subscales related to teacher-preferred social behavior, peer-preferred social behavior, and school adjustment. The results indicated that the level of social competence was generally moderate among the students, but that this level was influenced by the educational alternative. The students enrolled in GECs had a higher level of social competence than their peers who had been referred to the RRP. The results also showed that there were statistical differences on the school adjustment subscale in favor of male students enrolled in GECs, and differences in favor of female students referred to the RRP on all social competence subscales.
 Keywords: Social competence; students with LDs; teachers of students with LDs; social behavior; social adjustment.

Awareness of Co-Teaching Administration among Teachers of Resource Room Program

Collaborative teaching (co-teaching) is a method of providing educational services to students with learning disabilities (LDs) in general education classes, and it also reduces educational dispersion as a result of these students joining remedial instruction in special education programs. This descriptive research aimed to identify the level of awareness of co-teaching among teachers of resource room program (RRP). A total of 162 Omani teachers of RRP responded on a co-teaching scale. This scale consisted of 28 items distributed into five domains related to the concept of co-teaching, as well as co-teaching models, in addition to the elements, benefits and requirements of co-teaching. The results indicated that, according to the means and standard deviations of the scale domains, the teachers’ awareness of co-teaching was as follows: a low level of awareness of the elements, requirements and models of co-teaching, a moderate one of the benefits of co-teaching, and a high one of the concept of co-teaching. The outcomes of the t-test also showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the teachers’ awareness attributed to their specialization and teaching experience. This research recommended reconsidering the pre-service and in-service teacher training programs in Oman to align with the philosophy of co-teaching and raising awareness of it among Omani teachers and educational leaders.

أثـر استراتيجية التدريس بواسطة الأقران في تحسين المهارات الأساسية بالرياضيات لدى تلميذات صعـوبات التعلم

This study aims to identify the effects of peer-mediated instruction strategy on improving basic mathematics skills among female students with learning disabilities. The sample consisted of 24 female students with learning disabilities in mathematics. The sample enrolled in the resource room program in Second Primary School and Thirty-Seventh Primary School at Najran in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. One of the two schools was randomly selected an experimental group, while the other as control group. To achieve the objectives of the study, mathematics achievement test was developed and applied for the two the groups as pretest and posttest. The students in the experimental group received their teaching through the use of peer-mediated instruction for five weeks, whereas the students in the control group received their teaching at the same period by the conventional way .On the one hand, the results revealed that there were statistically significant differences between the two groups’ performance on the post-mathematics test, favoring to the experimental group. On the other hand, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups’ performance due to the grade.

Doing homework: perspectives of elementary and junior high school students.

A survey of homework experiences was administered to 1,527 elementary and junior high students in regular (n = 1,242), resource (n = 234), and self-contained special education (n = 51) classrooms. The results found significant main effects for Group, Grade, and Group by Grade interactions for items related to amount of, type of, and time spent doing homework; opportunity to do homework at school; parents' assistance; students' beliefs about homework assignments and grading; and students' feelings about homework and school. The higher incidence of negative feelings and opinions from students in resource room programs suggests that students' understanding of assignments, the nature of the assignments, and the feedback given to students are important issues requiring closer evaluation. The results also suggest that changes in homework assignments and grading may make the transition from elementary to junior high school particularly difficult for students with special needs.

The Effects of Classroom Reading Performance Data on General Education Teachers' and Parents' Attitudes About Reintegration

This study investigated the effects of providing reading performance data on teacher and parent attitudes toward reintegration. Subjects were 23 general education teachers and 40 parents of 61 students served in special education resource room programs. Reading performance data included curriculum-based measurement oral reading and maze scores, compared to the scores of low-reading group members, as well as special education teachers' ratings of students' readiness for reintegration. Results showed significant changes in general education teachers' willingness ratings. Changes in general education teachers' attitudes were explained by their initial attitudes and the special education teachers' readiness ratings. Parents' attitudes toward reintegrating their own children, which were negative initially, were unchanged by student performance information. Implications of the results on current reintegration practices and future research are discussed.

Evaluation of a Videodisc-Based Social Skills Training Program

The study helped determine the effectiveness of a videodisc-based social skills training program for mildly handicapped elementary school children. The program teaches children how to use appropriate phrasing, intonation, and body language in such social interactions as getting involved and being positive The videodisc is used to present examples of appropriate and inappropriate social behaviors, and models to imitate in subsequent role-playing activities. Six elementary school resource rooms, each containing five mildly handicapped students, were randomly assigned to participate in the program (experimental group) or to continue their regular resource room program (control group). Data on the student's social behavior, acceptance by nonhandicapped peers, self-esteem, and treatment implementation were collected over a 4-month period. Experimental group students scored significantly higher on a posttraining measure of peer acceptance and postchecklist of social skills than did control group students. No treatment effect was found for a postchecklist of social behaviors not covered in the program or on a postmeasure on self-esteem. The social behavior of the students in natural school settings was directly observed for 16 weeks. Treatment group students made a greater improvement than did control group students, but the difference was not statistically significant It was concluded that both the videodisc instruction and the peer tutoring were important to the success of the program. Videodisc program design considerations are also discussed.

Depression And Cognitive Self-Statements Of Learning Disabled And Seriously Emotionally Disturbed Adolescents

Prevalence and severity of depression and related negative cognitive self-statements were assessed in a sample of 465 junior and senior high school learning disabled (LD) and seriously emotionally disturbed (SED) adolescents receiving special education services in public school resource room programs. Twenty-one percent of the adolescents sampled experienced severe depressive symptomatology. Some senior high females exhibited a more negative cognitive style than their male peers, although no differences were found at the junior high level. There were no differences in severity of depressive symptomatology and related dysfunctional cognitive self-statements between LD and SED students. Results indicate that depression is a prevalent condition among many LD and SED adolescents, a finding that warrants increased attention among special educators. Implications for expanding school-based identification and intervention procedures are discussed.

Academic engagement of elementary school children with learning disabilities

Variability of attention-to-task and its relation to instructional contexts for children with learning disabilities was investigated. Twenty-four mainstreamed children were observed in both the regular class and the resource room. Student behaviors relating to academic engagement and the situational contexts in which they occurred were coded. Significant differences in rate of engagement were found for classroom setting, type of instruction, and level of peer involvement, indicating that degree of attending is not stable but a function of the context in which it occurs. Implications for the assessment of attentional problems and instructional practices, especially as related to the resource room program, are discussed.

Integrated classroom versus resource model: academic viability and effectiveness.

This article compares student achievement data of the Integrated Classroom Model (ICM) to achievement data in resource room programs. Cost-effectiveness of the two programs is also compared. Comparison of pre- and postscores on the reading, math, and language subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery indicated no significant differences in performance among elementary-school students with learning disabilities in integrated classrooms and resource classrooms. Comparisons of California Achievement Test scores indicated no significant differences among regular education students in the ICM and in regular classrooms. The ICM was shown to be more cost effective than resource room programs while achieving similar results.

An Analysis of the Secondary Special Education Classroom Ecology with Implications for Teacher Training

This study was designed to describe the instructional ecology of secondary school resource room programs for mildly handicapped students. The data and implications for teacher preparation programs are discussed. The data indicate that teachers were required to teach a broad spectrum of curriculum areas, which suggests that preparation programs should provide training in a series of instructional content areas. Student engagement rates were high, though the instructional ecology observed in this study was less than optimal. Teachers provided much of the instruction, but depended substantially upon individual seatwork activities, with minimal teacher monitoring or feedback given to students. The instructional approaches seem to be more attuned to instructional approaches commonly associated with regular high school classrooms. Instructional practices associated with high achievement in other studies were not typically employed by special education teachers in this study. Other research suggests, however, that though teachers can learn to employ these practices, training programs must specifically prepare teachers to use them.

The Effects of Microcomputers on the Secondary Special Education Classroom Ecology

This study was designed to investigate the impact of the microcomputer upon the curricular content, curricular format, student behavior, teacher behavior, and teacher focus employed in secondary special education resource room programs. These behaviors were compared in classes in which a microcomputer was used with classes in which no computer was used. Overall, the data suggested different effects associated with computer use The most important benefits appear to be increased active task engagement and increased individually focused instruction. In many key categories of teacher behavior, however, there were no significant differences between the computer-use and noncomputer-use classes. The data strongly suggest that teachers will need training and support if they are to integrate computers into their instructional programs.

A School-Level Investigation of Predictions of Attitudes About Mainstreaming

A group of special education resource teachers (n = 25) were paired with regular educators (n = 25) who worked in the same school building. Regular educators were asked to respond to an opinionnaire designed to obtain their perceptions of six factors associated with the mainstreaming process. Special educators were asked to attempt to predict the responses of regular education colleagues to this opinionnaire. Results indicated that special educator predictions were not significantly different from regular educator responses on five of the six factors. Significant differences were obtained, however, on one factor : willingness to teach the handicapped. Implications for special education resource room and consultation programs and for further research are discussed.

Reading Instruction in Special Education Resource Rooms

Using the observation procedures developed by Leinhardt, Zigmond, and Cooley (1981) , we conducted a large-scale field study of reading instruction in special education resource room programs for fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade mildly handicapped students. Children in 23 resource rooms in one district and those from 5 resource rooms in another district were observed during reading instruction. Observations were also made in regular classrooms for a subset of handicapped students and their nonhandicapped peers. The research sought to answer questions regarding the standardization of resource room reading instruction, the nature and amount of reading instruction in these programs, factors associated with how students are scheduled for special reading instruction, reading instruction in resource rooms versus regular classrooms, and special education students’ reading instruction (resource room plus classroom) versus that of nonhandicapped peers. Process-product relations similar to those of the Leinhardt et al. research in learning disabilities classrooms were also tested. Results indicated considerable variability in reading instruction across programs and students that was not strongly linked to student characteristics. Overall, the amount of reading instruction was remarkably low, and instructional process variables in resource rooms were not predictive of achievement.

Status of the Resource Room Model in Local Education Agencies: A Descriptive Study

Although resource room programs are widely used, only limited information is available on implementation of this model. The purpose of the present investigation was to survey a nationwide sample of local education agencies (LEAs) to determine the status of this model at the local level and to identify the characteristics of resource programs as they are currently implemented. A questionnaire was sent to a 5% stratified random sample of LEAs with a 53.4% response rate. Results indicated that most local education agencies use resource room programs, and have done so for at least three years. Most programs are multicategorical. The majority of respondents indicated that they believed the programs were effective, and that they would continue to be used. A major conclusion from this study relates to the need for descriptions of model resource room programs and practices.

Self-concepts, locus of control and performance expectations of learning disabled children.

General and academic self-concepts, general and academic locus of control beliefs and academic performance expectations were examined among 45 learning disabled (LD) and 45 normally achieving (NA) children aged 7 years, 6 months to 12 years, 9 months. The LD children were significantly different from the NA children on the set of affective variables and on each of the individual variables. The LD children had lower self-concepts, more external locus of control orientations and lower performance expectations. LD children newly enrolled in resource room programs (NLD) were significantly different from LD children with more than six months of experience in such programs (ELD) on the set of affective variables. However, the only individual variable to significantly differentiate these groups was academic performance expectation. The NLD children had higher expectations for future success than the ELD children. Among the affective variables, only general and academic locus of control and academic self-concept contributed significantly to the prediction of the extent to which the ELD children were academically successful (teacher-rated) in their special programs. The study provided some insights into the affective characteristics of LD children.

Public School and University Staff Perceptions of the Role of the Resource Teacher

This study examines the implementation of the elementary special education resource room program through an analysis of the resource room teacher's role behavior. A survey instrument was developed to measure the perceptions of staff members in 23 elementary schools as to the degree of emphasis placed on 18 role functions by the resource teacher. The study also examines 11 experts' conceptual view of the "ideal" resource room teacher. Significant differences were found between ratings by the resource room teacher and by (a) his or her classroom teachers, (b) his or her principal, and (c) the experts. Training implications focus on developing skills and strategies to enable resource room teachers to work more effectively within the regular classroom.

Resource Room Programs: Where are we Now?

Resource room programs are reported to be the most widely used educational service delivery system for the mildly handicapped, but there appears to be considerable variation in the ways in which the resource room model is operated. The purpose of this investigation was to survey state departments of education and the District of Columbia to determine the nationwide status of the resource room as a service delivery system and to identify characteristics of resource room programs as they were implemented during the 1982-1983 school year. A questionnaire was sent to a special education representative in each State Department of Education and the District of Columbia and a 100% response rate was obtained. The results indicated that the resource room was the most frequently used alternative to the regular education classroom setting for special education students, and the one most often used to serve the mildly-to-moderately handicapped. The amount of time that students spent in these programs varied, but most states recommended time parameters. The data also suggested that state descriptions generally failed to delineate resource room services or resource teacher responsibilities.

A study of concerns of classroom teachers regarding a resource room program for the gifted

This article summarizes the results of a survey of teacher attitudes and concerns regarding the pull‐out gifted program in one school district. The implications of the findings point to concerns which the author has categorized as ownership through involvement, communication, criteria for selection, scheduling and fragmentation, and impact on student performance. Program recommendations have also been offered to deal with these concerns.

Developmental placement: does it prevent future learning problems?

This study examined if the use of developmental placement, based on the results of the Gesell School Readiness Screening Test, affects children's use of remedial services, referrals to and classification by the Committee on the Handicapped (COH), enrollment in a program for gifted children, retention after grade 2, or placement in sixth grade reading groups. Two hundred and twenty-three children, coded as buy-a-year (BAY), overplaced (OP), or traditional (TR) based on their Gesell placement status, were studied. There were no significant differences between the TR, BAY, or OP children on their referrals to or classification as handicapped by the COH or on their receipt of speech and language services, remedial reading, remedial math, or counseling. Significantly more (p >.05) BAY children were referred to the adaptive motor and resource room program than were either the TR or OP children. Information on the children's placement in a program for the gifted and sixth grade reading groups is also presented.

Low- and high-IQ learning disabled children in the mainstream

Nine low-IQ (<80) and 12 high-IQ (100+) children who had been classified by the schools as learning disabled (LD) and who attended resource room programs were observed during their participation in regular classes. Data were collected on teacher's perceptions of the LD children, teacher's behavior toward the children, and on the children's academic achievement. Results indicated that teachers did not perceive the two groups of LD children differently but that the teachers behaved differently toward the two groups. Finally, the high-IQ children gained significantly more than the low-IQ children in reading achievement.