How to get a great grade on your literature review:
Students, nothing seems to be more helpful than a nice, high quality example. Regarding your lit reviews, please see this example below from a former student that received full credit. Notice that the articles come from peer-reviewed professional journals that are on research. These are the types of sources you are looking for, not newspaper stories, etc. Please email me if you have further questions.
-Dr. Kissinger
Final Exam/
Literature Review
My topic for this Literature Review was Special Education in
schools.
Article 1
I.
Bibliographic data: Kearns,
J.F., Towles-Reeves, E., Kleinert, H.L, Kleinert, J. O, & Thomas, M.K-K.
(2009). Characteristics of and Implications for Students Participating in
Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards. Hammiel
Institute on Disabilities, 312.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: Alternative
assessment for special education
IV.
Summary:
- Little research has precisely
defined the population of students participating in alternate assessments
based on alternate academic achievement standards.
- The purpose of this
article is for two reasons: 1. Explicate the findings of a multistate
study examining the characteristics of the population of students
participating in the AA-AAAS, and 2. Discuss the implications of those
findings for instruction and assessment that move us closer to
understanding what these students know and can do
- This article discusses
the results of the study that was conducted within and across seven states
V.
Educational implications: There may be new rules and
regulations in schools regarding how those in the school assess special
education students in the alternative assessments that are given to them. A
study was done to see how the special education students are doing in these
alternative assessments and to see what could be done to improve test scores in
these areas.
VI. Critique of article: First off, I found the article kind of hard to
read, but that is to be expected since I am not used to reading these types of
articles or journals. I thought this journal article interesting and look
forward to knowing whether new implications are going to be added to the
schools. It is kind of sad to know though that even though we give special
education students alternative assessments they are still failing at them. What
is to be done?
Article 2
I.
Bibliographic data: Lee, Y.,
Wehmeyer, M.L., Palmer, S.B., Williams-Diehm, K., Davies, D.K., & Stock,
S.E. (2011). The Effect of Student-Directed Transition Planning With a
Computer-Based Reading Support Program on the Self-Determination of Students with
Disabilities. Journal of Special
Education, 104-177.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: Assessment
results of special education students
IV.
Summary:
- The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of
student-directed transition planning instruction (Whose Future Is It Anyway?
curriculum) with a computer-based reading support program (Rocket Reader) on the
self-determination, self-efficacy and outcome expectancy, and transition
planning knowledge of students with disabilities.
- This study employed a pre- and post measure design
with 168 middle school students with disabilities who were assigned to an
experimental group (n =
86) and control group (n =
82).
- The results of the study demonstrated that
self-determination, self-efficacy, and outcome expectancy for education
planning improved through the application of Rocket Reader.
- Avenues are discussed for promoting middle school
students’ self-determination in their transition planning, as are
implications for future research.
V.
Educational implications: The educational implications for
this article are they if we as parents and teachers allow students to decide
their own future or outcomes in life on their own terms, especially special
education students, instead of forcing students to learn on our terms when we
force information down their throats. It is basically offering a new example of
teaching and learning results.
VI. Critique of article: I can honestly say that I was not surprised
by this article. I have known for a while that it is really easy to motivate a
child when you let them set the terms and you use things that interest them. My
son has ADHD and we have found that he can learn anything on the computer but
if we try to make him learn on a sheet of paper he wants nothing to do with it.
I look forward to see how this study affects schools and such and how much the
teaching system will change if more studies like this are done in the near
future.
Article 3
I.
Bibliographic data: Mechling,
L. C., & Bischop, V.A. (2009). Assessment of Computer-Based Preferences of
Students with Profound Multiple Disabilities. Sage Publications.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: Alternative
teaching methods for students with PMD
IV.
Summary:
- This article reports on two
studies investigating the use of computer-based motivation that may then
be used to develop activities and programming for students with profound
multiple disabilities (PMD).
- Both studies used an
alternating treatments design and systematic assessment strategy to
present motivation sequentially and to measure student responses to the
varying computer-based motivation
- Study 1 compared student
preferences for computer-based motivation, which were then used in Study 2
to compare student preferences for motivation presented on a traditional
computer-based system and a large interactive whiteboard.
- Results support use of
computer-based motivation that may be used in the development and
implementation of educational programs for students with PMD.
V.
Educational implications: Based off the two studies done, it
seems that special education students with profound multiple disabilities (PMD)
work best with computer-based motivation. There may be a time that all teaching
is done with computer-based motivations or just computers period.
VI. Critique of article: I really liked this article. I look forward to
future posting by these authors. I have felt for a while that computers were
going to take over the classrooms but this article confirms it. It was really
interesting to read the studies done and to see how they performed them.
Article 4
I.
Bibliographic data: Kretlow,
A.G. (2011). Using In-Service and Coaching to Increase Kindergarten Teachers’
Accurate Delivery of Group Instructional Units. Journal of Special Education, 234-246.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: Early
Intervention
IV.
Summary:
- Early intervention is key to
preventing academic failure and referral to special education.
- General educators are
responsible for providing primary instruction for students at risk for
failure; however, the training they receive related to specific instructional
strategies for these students is often insufficient.
- Alternative forms of
professional development that include a combination of in-service and
follow-up support have shown more promise in promoting changes in teaching
behaviors.
- This study examined the
effects of in-service support plus caching on kindergarten teachers’
accurate delivery of group instructional units in math.
- Teachers were trained to
use a combination of whole-class instruction strategies, including
model-lead-test for introducing new concepts and correcting errors, choral
responding, and response cards.
- Results indicated that
all teachers improved their delivery of instruction after the in-service
training, with a second level of growth achieved after coaching.
- Teachers also reported
high levels of satisfaction using the strategies.
V.
Educational implications: It seems that this has already had
educational implications. This article seemed to sum up a lot of what my
introduction to teaching class was.
VI. Critique of article: I found this article interesting. It seemed to
reintroduce to me a lot of information that I had in other classes and proved a
lot of my thoughts and opinions right. This was an interesting study to read
and I look forward to future studies by these authors.
Article 5
I.
Bibliographic data: Wasburn-Moses,
L. (2011). An Investigation of Alternative Schools in One State: Implications
for Students with Disabilities. Journal
of Special Education, 247-255.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: New school
ideas for special education students
IV.
Summary:
- Despite the continued growth of
inclusive practices, an increasing number of students with disabilities
are being served in alternative school settings.
- The number of students
served in these settings, and the services they are receiving, remains
virtually unexplored.
- This study reports the
results of a survey of alternative schools in one Midwestern state.
- Particular attention was
paid to the participation of students with disabilities in these settings
and the services they are receiving.
- Results indicated that,
despite access to valuable supports and services, some students with
disabilities placed in alternative settings may be experiencing
significant service gaps.
- Of serious concern is the
placement of students who have committed criminal offenses.
- Implications include a
pressing need for data collection and increased advocacy.
V.
Educational implications: There may be a new way of
approaching or teaching special education students. The fact that even though
they are in a school of their own, they still are not getting the care or
instruction that they need. New regulations will have to be made.
VI. Critique of article: I found it kind of sad to know that these
students were not being attended to in the manner that they should have. I
don’t want to say I enjoyed the article, because it was a sad article, but at
the same time I feel more knowledgeable having read it. I look forward to
seeing how this situation plays out and what other studies are done on this
group.
Article 6
I.
Bibliographic data: Kurz, A.,
Elliott, S.N., Wehby, J.H., & Smithson, J.L. (2010). Alignment of the
Intended, Planned, and Enacted Curriculum in General and Special Education and
Its Relation to the Student Achievement. Journal
of Special Education, 131-145.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: General
curriculum in special education
IV.
Summary:
- In this study, the authors
examined the content of the planned and enacted eighth-grade mathematics
curriculum for 18 general and special education teachers and the
curricula’s alignment to state standards via the Surveys of the Enacted
Curriculum.
- The relation between
alignment and student achievement was analyzed for three formative
assessments and the corresponding state test within a school year.
- Results indicated that
alignment for the planned and enacted curriculum to state standards was
low with no significant differences between general and special education
teachers.
- Significant correlations
between student achievement averages for 238 students and teacher
alignment indices were equal to or greater than .48.
- When teacher groups were
examined separately, the relation between alignment and achievement
remained significant only for special education, with correlations equal
to or greater than .75.
- The study’s conceptual
and methodological framework provides a model for subsequent research on
alignment and opportunity to learn in general and special education.
V.
Educational implications: This study shows that what we want
or expect out of our curriculum for our students and their results is not what
we are getting. The educational implications for this study are that we as
teachers need to assess and reassess constantly with our students until we can
get the right dosage of instruction to result for the group.
VI. Critique of article: I found this article to be quite
interesting. I have known for years that as a teacher you assess and reassess
constantly, this study just proves me right. I look forward to seeing how this
study might change how a curriculum is given to the students. I found, when I
did some of my internship in high school teaching middle school students, that
if one the first day I asked the students what they expected to learn out of
the class and then asked to add a few extra things that everyone passed because
they knew what to expect from the class and it was on their terms. When I was
in school we had to do mission statements and a lot of my teachers put in the
syllabus with the mission statement and everyone in the class had to sign to
this agreement and was held to it and when this happened there were no problems
with the class or assignments.
Article 7
I.
Bibliographic data: Ault, M.J.
(2010). Inclusion of Religion and Spirituality in the Special Education
Literature. Journal of Special Education,
176-189.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: Religion in
special education
IV.
Summary:
- Although traditionally not an area of service delivered by
special educators, the area of religion and spirituality for persons with
disabilities is receiving more attention as a quality-of-life outcome.
- This article examined the special education
literature to determine the extent to which special educators are exposed
to literature concerned with these issues.
- The results indicated that information is found in
the literature but occurs most often as embedded references in articles on
other topics.
- Information
was most often included in articles focusing on diversity, and the
majority of references to religion and spirituality were descriptions of
religions.
- Religion and spirituality are linked to the
overarching goals of the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004 and quality-of-life outcomes.
- Future
research and roles for professionals are discussed.
V.
Educational implications: The educational implications in
this article are such that we might expect to see more religious literature in
schools, especially in the areas of special education.
VI. Critique of article: I found this article interesting. I
for one do not want religion in schools. I myself am Pagan and am raising my
son to be a very open minded individual and am letting him make his own choices
about religion as he grows and do not want the schools to tell my son which is
the right religion and which is the wrong. If they were to teach all religions
in school then that is fine but I know for a fact they would not and think this
is wrong. I understand for some special needs students this is a must or a need
for quality of life but it should be down as a homeschooling not in public
schools.
Article 8
I.
Bibliographic data: Swinehart-Jones,
D., & Wolff Heller, K. (2009). Teaching Students with Severe Speech and
Physical Impairments a Decoding Strategy Using Internal Speech and Motoric
Indicators. Journal of Special Education,
131-144.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: New
approach to speech and physical impairments in schools
IV.
Summary:
- Children who have severe speech and physical impairments
often have difficulty acquiring literacy skills.
- One critical area of literacy instruction involves
promoting word identification though the development of decoding
strategies that can be implemented by students independently.
- This study investigated teaching four students who
have cerebral palsy and dysarthric speech to internalize the three-step
decoding strategy found in the Nonverbal Reading Approach, as demonstrated
by motoric indicators (individualized motor movements that parallel the
decoding steps).
- The results of this study indicate that students are
able to learn the three-step decoding strategy with the addition of a
motoric indicator to identify words in isolation, as well as to apply the
strategy independently upon encountering unknown words in connected text.
V.
Educational implications: The educational implications of
this article is that there is a new or old way redone to help students with
severe speech and physical impairments to have better literacy skills. This may
change how we approach certain students.
VI. Critique of article: I found this article interesting. My sister
has cerebral palsy and I know that she has a difficult time with her literacy
skills, they are no better than a 5 years old. I am interested to find out if
this will help her at all and have forwarded this article on to my mother. I am
also looking forward to see how this will be implemented into schools and when
or how we as teachers will be taught this method to help some of our students.
Article 9
I.
Bibliographic data: Fiedler,
C.R., & Van Haren, B. (2009) A Comparison of Special Education
Admistrators’ and Teachers’ Knowledge and Application of Ethics and
Professional Standards. Journal of
Special Education, 160-173.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: Ethics and
standards in special education among staff
IV.
Summary:
- The field of special education is wrought with ethical
dilemmas.
- The Council for Exceptional Children has outlined its
code of ethics and standards for professional practice for individuals
working in the field of special education.
- The purpose of
this study was to determine the extent to which special education
administrators and teachers possess similar or different levels of
knowledge and application of the council’s code and the professional
advocacy responsibilities enunciated in the standards.
- A survey was
administered to 624 professionals in the state of Wisconsin who worked
with students with disabilities: 99 special education administrators and
525 special education teachers.
- Special
education administrators and teachers were asked to rate their knowledge
level of the council’s code and standards and how they used the standards
when faced with ethical dilemmas.
V.
Educational implications: The educational implications are
somewhat already in order; they may just be improved upon.
VI. Critique of article: I found this article to be somewhat
disturbing. The fact that we needed a study like this and the results is the
most disturbing of it all. I will admit I am looking forward to the next round
of this study to make sure that the problems have been cleared up.
Article 10
I.
Bibliographic data: Suter,
J.C., & Giangreco, M.F. (2009). Numbers that Count: Exploring Special
Education and Paraprofessional Service Delivery in Inclusion-Oriented Schools. Journal of Special Education, 81-93.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: Paraprofessionals
in special education
IV.
Summary:
- This study explores key indicators of special education
service delivery based on responses from 92 special educators and 36
administrators in 19 Vermont schools.
- Special educators reported on their work, the work of
paraprofessionals they supervised, and 103 students with disabilities who
were receiving one-to-one paraprofessional supports within general
education classes.
- Findings
indicate that (a) many special educators have large caseloads; (b) there
are substantially more paraprofessionals than special educators, and (c)
more than half of all special education paraprofessionals are assigned to
students with disabilities one-to-one.
- Combined, these factors indicate that schools
employed models of service delivery for students with disabilities that
are substantially supported by paraprofessionals, thus raising concerns
about students' access to a free, appropriate public education.
V.
Educational implications: The educational implications of
this article might be that a lot of paraprofessionals might lose their jobs if
they don’t become fully certified teachers within a period of time. Also that a
lot of students are spending more time with a paraprofessional than an actual
teacher which is not appropriate.
VI. Critique of article: I found this article to be a little odd. I have
looked into Vermont schools in the past and did not know that this many
paraprofessionals were in the schools, at least they don’t put that out there
for people to know. I am kind of mixed on this article though, because one I
don’t think the students should be with paraprofessionals for this long but at
the same time at least they are getting some type of one-on-one treatment.
Article 11
I.
Bibliographic data: Stang, K.
K., Carter, E.W., Lane, K.L., & Pierson, M.R. (2009). Perspectives of
General and Special Educators on Fostering Self-Determination in Elementary and
Middle Schools. Journal of Special
Education, 94-106.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: Self-determination
in schools among special education
IV.
Summary:
- Recognizing that many youth with disabilities lack critical
self-determination skills and that such deficits may be a contributing
factor to disappointing post school outcomes, educators and researchers
have called for increased attention to promoting student
self-determination in the early grades.
- The authors queried 891 elementary and middle school
teachers regarding the extent to which they valued and provided
instruction in seven self-determination skill domains.
- Educators generally perceived self-determination to
be an important curricular priority, and the majority reported teaching
self-determination skills at least sometimes in their classrooms.
- Special educators' ratings of overall importance were
significantly higher than those of general educators.
- Middle school teachers reported providing
self-determination instruction more frequently than elementary school
teachers.
- These findings lend additional support to calls for
promoting self-determination within the general curriculum in the earlier
grades.
V.
Educational implications: The education implications of this
article are that we as educator might be called upon more frequently to teach
our students self-determination skills and at an earlier age.
VI. Critique of article: I found this article a little disturbing. I
have taught my son from an early age self-determination and self-reliance and
to know that many schools are not teaching him these same skills is kind of
sad. I as a teacher am going to use this article to remind myself to keep
teaching my students more than just basic information in a classroom and to
teach them skills that they can use elsewhere in life or the world.
Article 12
I.
Bibliographic data: Al Otaiba,
S., Puranik, C.S., Ziolkowski, R.A., & Montgomery, T.M. (2009).
Effectiveness of Early Phonological Awareness Interventions for Students with
Speech or Language Impairments. Journal
of Special Education, 107-128.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: Defining
and diagnosing a disability
IV.
Summary:
- This article reviews research examining the efficacy of
early phonological interventions for young students identified with speech
and language impairments.
- Eighteen studies are included, providing results for
nearly 500 students in preschool through third grade.
- Although findings are generally positive, there are
large individual differences in response to intervention.
- Furthermore, there is little evidence that
interventions enabled students to catch up to typically developing peers
in phonological and reading skills.
- Methodological issues are described, and implications
for practice and future research are discussed.
V.
Educational implications: The education implications of this
article are that maybe early phonological inventions are not doing the purpose
they were set out to do. We as educators might need to revamp how we do
interventions and how those interventions are executed.
VI. Critique of article: I will admit I was interested by this article. I
thought that one an intervention had been done and was being executed that the
problems were solved and seeing this and now finding that even when an
intervention is going on it could be wrong. This is just surprising and I hope
they find an answer to this study soon.
Article 13
I.
Bibliographic data: Lo, Y-y.,
Wang, C., & Haskell, S. (2009). Examining the Impacts of Early Reading
Intervention on the Growth Rates in Basic Literacy Skills of At-Risk Urban
Kindergarteners. Journal of Special
Education, 12-28.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: Early
literacy rates
IV.
Summary:
- This study investigated the effects of the Scott Foresman Early Reading Intervention
(ERI) on growth rates in the early literacy skills of urban at-risk
kindergarten students.
- Students participated in one of three groups:
treatment-intensive/ strategic, treatment-benchmark, and
nontreatment-benchmark.
- Treatment group students received a 30-minute ERI
program from classroom teachers 3 days a week for 5 to 14 weeks.
- Using multivariate analysis of variance and the
hierarchical linear model, the authors compared students' benchmark and
progress monitoring scores on the Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF) and
Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF) subtests of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills.
- Results indicated that PSF and NWF benchmark
performance gaps decreased between the treatment-intensive/ strategic and
nontreatment-benchmark groups, indicating beneficial effects for the ERI.
- Additionally, the PSF and NWF progress monitoring
growth rates of treatment group students during the ERI program were
significantly higher than rates before treatment.
- Implications of early reading interventions for urban
at-risk students are discussed.
V.
Educational implications: The educational implications of
this article are that this new type of curriculum for kindergarteners works and
might be implicated into many other school systems.
VI. Critique of article: I found this article interesting. I am
wondering how many other studies like this has been done and how quickly all of
this will be implemented into local school systems. I have seen other studies
like this before and there is something similar to this in my son’s school and
I wonder if it is based off a study like this. Very interesting!
Article 14
I.
Bibliographic data: Lee, S.-H.,
Soukup, J.H., Little, T.D., & Wehmeyer, M.L. (2009). Student and Teacher
Variables Contributing to Access to the General Education Curriculum for
Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Journal of Special Education, 29-44.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic of
article: Access to
general education curriculum
IV.
Summary:
- The predictors of student and teacher variables on the
access to the general education curriculum of 19 students with
intellectual and developmental disabilities were examined based on the observation
data collected for a total of 1,140 minutes.
- Multilevel regression analyses were employed to
analyze the data.
- The findings indicated that both student and teacher
variables are strong predictors of access to the general education
curriculum.
- A complicated
pattern of the relationship between student and teacher variables (e.g.,
suppression, correction of distortion) was found along with interaction
between these variables and environmental factors.
- These findings also suggest future practices and
research that can be considered to enhance access to the general education
curriculum for students with disabilities.
V.
Educational implications: The educational implications of
this article are a new approach to students with intellectual and developmental
disabilities. We as educators may see a new way of approaching these students.
VI. Critique of article: I found this article interesting. My sister
has cerebral palsy and I know that she has a difficult time with school because
of her disabilities, they are no better than a 5 years old. I am interested to
find out if this will help her at all and have forwarded this article on to my
mother. I am also looking forward to see how this will be implemented into
schools and when or how we as teachers will be taught this method to help some
of our students.
Article 15
I.
Bibliographic data: Duquette,
P.J., Hooper, S.R., Icard, P.F., Hower, S.J., Mamak, E.G., Wetherinton, C.E.,
et al. (2009). Neurodevelopmental Status and Adaptive Behaviors in Preschool
Children with Chronic Kidney Disease. Journal
of Special Education, 45-51.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: Kidney
failure and special education
IV.
Summary:
- This study examines the early neurodevelopmental function
of infants and preschool children who have chronic kidney disease (CKD).
- Fifteen patients with CKD are compared to a healthy
control group using the Mullen Scales
of Early Learning (MSEL) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS).
- Multivariate analysis reveals significant differences
between the CKD and control groups on both MSEL (p < .01) and VABS (p < .001) composite scales, with
the group with CKD obtaining lower scores on both composites.
- A higher
proportion of children with CKD meet federal eligibility criteria for
early cognitive delay, but similar proportions are found across adaptive
behaviors.
- Disease severity is positively correlated to
cognitive and adaptive functioning such that lower scores are associated
with less renal function (MSEL r
= .62, p < .001; VABS r = .70, p < .001).
- Suggestions are made in regard to special education
assessment and service provision.
V.
Educational implications: The educational implications of
this article are that as preschool teachers we may have to take a different
approach to students with CKD. These children fall into a category all of their
own and new standards and curriculums will have to be developed for them.
VI. Critique of article: I will admit that I found this article hard
to read. I had to get my mother to sit down with me and help me understand it
but after reading and understanding it I found it kind of sad. To know that one
problem can lead into so many other problems and that to solve that one problem
does not solve all the other problems is a hard one as both a parent and an
educator.
Article 16
I.
Bibliographic data: Stinson,
M.S., Elliot, L.B., Kelly, R.R., & Liu, Y. (2009). Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing
Students’ Memory of Lectures with Speech-to-Text and Interpreting/Note Taking
Services. Journal of Special Education,
52-64.
II. Type of
article: Journal
III. Topic
of article: Hearing
impairments and deafness
IV.
Summary:
- In one investigation with 48 deaf and hard-of-hearing
(hh) high school students and a second investigation with 48 deaf/hh
college students, all viewed one lecture with an interpreter and one with
the C-Print speech-to-text support service.
- High school students retained more lecture information
when they viewed speech-to-text support, compared to interpreter support,
and when they studied note taker notes or a hard copy of the text after
viewing the lecture, compared to no opportunity to study.
- For college
students, however, there was no difference between retention with these
two kinds of support or with study of notes, compared to no study.
- For the college investigation, there was a three-way
interaction due to markedly better performance on a multiple-choice than
on a sentence-completion test when students viewed an interpreter and did
not study notes.
- This result may have reflected difficulty in
comprehending unfamiliar terms. Reading proficiency was also related to
retention
V.
Educational implications: The educational implications of this
article are that we need to approach audio impaired students differently. This
study showed possibly how we might want to approach these students.
VI. Critique of article: I found this article interesting to read. I was
originally going to teach at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind when I
was a teenager and won a scholarship but unfortunately family circumstances
changed and I lost my scholarship due to moving but I am still very interested
in this disability. To know that retention rates were higher for some things
and not others is interesting as well.
