Secondary Learning Disabilities Research Articles

The Relationship of Secondary Special Education Teachers' Roles and Factors That Lead to Professional Burnout

The purpose of this study was to extend previous research on teacher burnout by delineating factors which contribute to secondary learning disabilities teachers' feelings of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced sense of personal accomplishment. Data were collected via a survey that employed the use of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson, 1986) and the Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity Questionnaire (Rizzo, House, & Lirtzman, 1970). Overall, findings revealed that secondary learning disabilities teachers (N = 300) were experiencing high levels of emotional exhaustion, specifically those who team teach with a general educator. Following regression analysis, findings concluded that each of the seven variables chosen for this study contributed significantly to burnout, however, the relationship between those variables and the three determinants of burnout changed across teaching positions.

The Form and Substance of Secondary Resource Models: Content Area Versus Skill Instruction

The provision of core content coursework instruction by secondary learning disability (LD) teachers has increased dramatically in recent years. This article describes the results of a study that compared the perceptions of 48 LD content teachers and 45 basic skills teachers concerning (a) their relationship with the mainstream, (b) curricular structure, (c) instructional methodology, and (d) the behavioral characteristics of their students. Differences in the teachers' judgements were evaluated by t tests. Results indicated that, despite pronounced differences in caseloads and class sizes, the two groups are very similar in how they evaluate their instructional emphases. The data also indicate that the groups differ not so much in how they teach as in how they perceive their interactions and their students' with the mainstream.

Content Area Instruction Delivered by Secondary Learning Disabilities Teachers: A National Survey

This article describes the results of a survey of 54 State Departments of Education (including Washington, DC; the Bureau of Indian Affairs; the Virgin Islands; and Puerto Rico) regarding the estimated extent to which secondary learning disabilities (LD) teachers provide content area instruction to their students. Data are reported in terms of (a) the degree to which students with learning disabilities in each state receive content coursework from special educators, (b) the pattern of and projected growth in such models, and (c) the perceived adequacy of teacher-training programs for preparing secondary LD teachers to provide content instruction. Results reflect substantial variability across states, as well as between and within geographic regions. The influence of geography in shaping service delivery for LD adolescents is discussed.

Benefits of Notetaking: Implications for Secondary and Postsecondary Students with Learning Disabilities

Notetaking is the primary method used by secondary and postsecondary students with learning disabilities (LD) to acquire lecture information. The literature on notetaking was reviewed to obtain an empirical base for designing effective notetaking programming and identifying critical areas for future research. Results include the benefits of recording and reviewing notes as well as identification of listener- and lecturer-controlled variables that influence effective notetaking. Findings are discussed in relation to the learner characteristics of secondary and postsecondary LD students.

Learning disabilities teachers' perceptions of educational programs for adolescents with learning disabilities.

Rapid expansion of secondary learning disability programs has left little time to document current practices. This study examined perceptions of 135 teachers of students with learning disabilities working in middle-junior high and high school programs regarding the following: (1) the presence of specific attributes often associated with successful programs, (2) their professional views on field-related issues, and (3) suggestions for program improvement. Data were examined to determine if teachers' perceptions differed based on program type (i.e., resource, self-contained), level (i.e., middle-junior high, high school), or setting (urban, suburban, rural). Perceptions regarding the presence of selected attributes and recommendations for program improvement provide an agenda for professional dialogue.

Academic and cognitive interventions for LD adolescents: Part II.

This is the second of two articles focusing on a review of the academic and cognitive interventions available for LD adolescents. In “Academic and Cognitive Interventions: Part I,” an argument was presented that because of the complex needs of LD adolescents it is important to develop an intervention model that is suficiently comprehensive to impact these students. A further contention was made that such an intervention model would be composed of a number of components. In Part I, reviews of three of these components (motivation, instructional practices for promoting general skill acquisition, and instructional practices for enhancing the generalization and maintenance of skills) were presented. The purpose of this article is to discuss four additional components that would be needed in a comprehensive intervention model for LD adolescents. Specifically, the literature will be reviewed regarding a curriculum or content component, a communications component, a transition component, and an evaluation component. Again, since the existing body of research in the field of secondary learning disabilities relative io academic and cognitive interventions is in its infancy, these reviews will, in places, focus on recommended research instead of on actual findings.

Certification Requirements for Secondary Learning Disabilities Teachers a National Survey

Certification Requirements for Secondary Learning Disabilities Teachers a National Survey

LD Teachers' Perceptions of Severely Learning Disabled Students

Questionnaires completed by 223 elementary and secondary learning disability teachers were analyzed for information about teachers' perceptions of the incidence and characteristics of severely learning disabled (SLD) and mild-to-moderately learning disabled (MLD) students. Incidence figures for other handicapping conditions represented in learning disability classrooms were also determined. Findings showed that the SLD and MLD groups differed significantly on 40 of the original 44 questionnaire items. Items were clustered into 12 factors. Results of a discriminant analysis showed that three of the twelve factors correctly classified 82.7% of the SLD and 84.1% of the MLD elementary-aged students. At the secondary level, the final stepwise function contained only one factor. This factor correctly classified 89.2% of the SLD and 86.5% of the MLD students. Overall, the most significant factor for both elementary- and secondary-aged SLD students dealt with the need for one-to-one instruction and alternative curricula in addition to the existence of extreme discrepancies between students' apparent intelligence and achievement. Diagnostic and instructional implications as well as suggestions for further study are discussed.

Career Education for the Learning Disabled — Where are we Now?

Meeting the unique career education needs of the learning disabled requires appropriate, systematic models for career education development. Currently, few such programs are available because of the reluctance of secondary learning disabilities teachers to abandon the remedial academic model. The author traces some of the current trends in career education for the learning disabled and presents a model for providing career education to secondary learning disabled students.

An in-service program for secondary learning disabilities teachers.

An in-service program for secondary learning disabilities teachers.

Elementary and Secondary Learning Disabilities Programs in the U.S.

A survey of the 50 states was undertaken to determine the present level of development in both elementary and secondary level learning disability programs. Considerable variance between the elementary and secondary levels was discovered as was a good deal of variance among the states in terms of the level of state-wide development. A summary of opinions of state special education officials as to the reasons for differences between the level of development of elementary and secondary programs is included.