Ph.D. - Special Education
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Item Examining the online implementation of the evidence-based Sound Partners reading intervention on a measure of phonics skills of kindergarten and first grade students with reading difficulties(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Haggerty, Natalie Kiyoko; Rao, Kavita; Special EducationStudents who do not read proficiently by the end of first grade are likely to remain poor readers and suffer academic difficulties across all subjects during their school career (Moats, 2017). Therefore, early identification and intervention of reading difficulties are essential for students’ academic success (Partanen & Siegel, 2014; Vadasy & Sanders, 2011). The SARS Covid-19 pandemic prompted unexpected school closures worldwide and limited student access to intensive reading instruction, which created an urgent need to transpose curriculum to an online synchronous format. This research study utilized a multiple baseline across participants design to examine the outcomes of synchronous online tutoring using the evidence-based Sound Partners reading intervention on a measure of nonsense word fluency scores of kindergarten and first-grade students with reading difficulties. Results suggest evidence-based reading curricula can be transposed for virtual instruction while maintaining treatment integrity; there was a positive correlation between the online Sound Partners intervention and students’ phonics skills. Study findings highlight factors to consider when adapting evidence-based practices to different formats and the benefits of implementing reading interventions in a virtual setting. The results illustrate the promise of transposing evidence-based practices established in the traditional in-person classroom setting to online delivery formats to support the learning needs of students with reading challenges.Item A Pyramidal Approach Using Behavior Skills Training To Teach Special Education Candidates The Time Delay Instructional Technique Via Distance Technology(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Heine, Rumi Christine Yogi; Noonan, Mary Jo; Special EducationTeacher candidates in a special education teacher training program and candidates in a master’s in applied behavior analysis (ABA) program both require learning and applying evidence-based practices with fidelity to effectively instruct students with severe disabilities. This study evaluated the effects of behavior skills training (BST) via distance technology on performance of an evidence-based practice by candidates enrolled in a special education methodology course. This study also evaluated the effects of observational learning of Student B (SB) participants who engaged in active participation. Twenty-one participants were placed in seven triad groups with a specific role. The researcher trained Student A (SA) participants time delay using BST while SB participants observed and played an active participation role in procedural fidelity data collection. The Student C (SC) participants joined in the third and fourth training session in which SA and SB participants had the role of the trainer in sessions 3 and 4 respectively. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across two groups of triads with internal AB-replications across participants within the two groups was utilized to demonstrate experimental control. BST resulted in high levels of time delay fidelity for all participants. A limitation of this study was the design in which there was not a staggered baseline-to-intervention across participants. Suggestions for future research is to replicate this study to further investigate the effects of using BST and observational learning opportunities to teach larger groups of candidates in a special education methodology course.Item Parent Education In Phonological Awareness And Early Literacy: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study On The Perspectives Of Parents Of Young Children With Hearing Loss(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Wiley, Lori; Rao, Kavita; Special EducationDecades of research document that children with hearing loss struggled to achieve reading and writing skills that are on par with their hearing peers. Many graduated from high school functionally illiterate. In the past decade, however, early hearing detection and intervention efforts, including advances in hearing technologies, have improved a child’s ability to access spoken language and to develop listening and spoken language skills. These skills serve as a vital foundation for a child’s ability to learn to read and write. There is evidence that demonstrates that appropriate and early intervention make a significant and positive impact on the language development of young children with hearing loss. Early childhood research also demonstrates the benefit of parental involvement in a young child’s early literacy development. In this qualitative multiple case study, I investigated (a) parents’ (of young children with hearing loss) knowledge about the connection between hearing/hearing loss and early literacy, (b) their perspectives regarding their child’s early literacy development, and (c) their families’ routine literacy activities. I also developed an internet-based parent education module that teaches a speech sound-based (phonological) early literacy strategy, specifically how to teach their child about rhyming. This study also aims to understand parents’ perspectives and experiences with utilizing the online module as a parent resource and opportunities for guided practice of the targeted early literacy strategy. Although audiologists’ traditional scope of practice has not explicitly included early literacy, the findings of this proposed study may provide ideas for how audiologists can provide early literacy support for families of young children with hearing loss.