Effective Instructional Element Utilization in North Carolina Technology Education Programs for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

Abstract

This study was designed to identify elements of instruction in North Carolina technology education programs that support the academic achievement of students with specific learning disabilities. The primary objective of this study was to assess the degree of instructor utilization of effective instructional elements in a classroom environment for individuals with specific learning disabilities enrolled in high and low achieving North Carolina technology education programs. The principal survey instrument used in this study was developed by the researcher based on the ten Effective Teaching Principles researched and proposed by Edwin S. Ellis and Lou Anne Worthington (1994). A factor analysis was conducted based on a preliminary study composed of 45 in-service special education teachers. The purpose of this procedure was to find the most concise list of effective elements of instruction representative of the data collected. The methodology employed a Likert Scale survey questionnaire mailed in 2006 to technology education teachers in North Carolina classified as high achieving and low achieving for students with specific learning disabilities. Demographic data were obtained via an additional demographic information survey. The majority of low and high achieving program respondents indicated utilization of the identified effective instructional elements. There were four effective instructional elements of the 38 that significantly differed between low achieving program respondents and high achieving program respondents: demonstrating the completion of tasks, sequencing of tasks, high interest material within content areas, and the integration of content areas. Analyses of demographic variables for low achieving programs and high achieving program respondents uncover gender, years as a technology educator, and years as a high school technology educator as significant differences between groups.

Description

Keywords

VoCATS, learning disabilities, effective instruction, career and technical education, specific learning disabilities, technology education

Citation

Degree

EdD

Discipline

Math, Science and Technology Education

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