Vol 12, No 2 (Jun 2023)


From the Editors

Dear Readers, Editorial Board Members, and Authors,

We hope that your 2022-2023 academic year has wrapped up successfully, and that you are ready for your summer break. We are excited to offer you the June 2023 issue of the Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship (JOSEA). This is a special issue, the call for which was issued last year. With it, we celebrate ten years of JOSEA’s scholarly service to the community of early-career faculty and look forward to the next decade in the field. We thank Sang Seok Nam, the Journal’s founder, for his service and guidance that he has provided to the journal and the community over the years and send him our best wishes as he steps down from the Editorial Board. We extend our gratitude to both Ken Han and Claudia Tristan for their continued technical support, and to Jemma Kim, who added the role of Publication Manager to her Co-Editor’s role. This spring, we welcome Karolyn Maurer, who joined our team as the Assistant Editor. We also thank the Editorial Review Board and guest reviewers for their continued support and tireless service, as the journal continues to grow.

The current issue features seven manuscripts. It opens with the special topic of Innovative Education and Transformative Practices. Four articles in the current issue were submitted in response to the call for this special theme. This section is focused on changes in teacher preparation programs (specifically, new standards for California special educators) and creative approaches that emerged in the during- and post-pandemic space. We are excited to showcase three papers by California faculty. As a journal based in CA, we celebrate local research and appreciate the authors’ efforts.

The first article in the issue by Larios, Lewis Chiu, and Ylagan-Nicanor is a pointed, thought-provoking piece that discusses the reality of implementation of Education Specialist Teaching Performance Assessment, the latest accountability measure for CA educators. The article provides a close examination of the tasks and focuses of the assessment, critiques significant obstacles in preparing teachers in training for the assessment, and provides thoughtful recommendations for research, policy, and practice. Greene and Esposito turn the readers’ attention to another recent CA requirement faced by aspiring teachers: the need for a deep understanding and requisite skills for working with students with complex communication skills. This practitioner-focused article showcases an interprofessional collaboration between a university teacher preparation program and the speech-language pathology division of a large urban school district as one of the pathways to promote teachers’ implementation of integrative Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) practices for classroom purposes. Continuing the discussion of the current state of the field in CA, Kondo and colleagues examine early childhood educators’ readiness to include preschool-aged children with disabilities in early childhood (EC) care and education programs. Survey study results reveal educators’ positive views of inclusion and continued lack of comfort with the idea of supporting children with disabilities in their programs. The special topic section concludes with the work of Shauger, Boothe, and Lohmann focused on creative methods by which faculty can engage online audiences of learners. The article offers activities and strategies the authors have used in their classes to engage online students in their learning.

The second section of the current issue presents three of JOSEA’s ongoing research and practice submissions. The first paper in this section by Kisinger and Wood compares the effects of pre-session and interspersed attention interventions on the disruptive behavior of an at-risk student in an inclusive fourth-grade classroom. Results indicated a decrease in disruptive behavior during both conditions, with the interspersed condition producing the lower level. Teacher’s preferences (social validity) are discussed, as well as the implications for the field. In the next article, Randall, Hirsch, and Allen examine the effectiveness of video modeling to teach pedestrian safety signs to participants with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). The findings suggest that multimedia instruction is effective in teaching skill acquisition. Practical implications of these findings, as well as future research on teaching pedestrian safety to postsecondary individuals with ID, are discussed. The issue concludes with the literature review by Wikel and Markelz, who walk the readers through the realities of life for some of the most vulnerable learners in special education: students with chronic health conditions. The study examines the implications of complex interactions between chronic health conditions, absenteeism, and factors associated with SES, and discusses the implications.

We hope that you will find this special issue of JOSEA informative, inspiring, and thought-provoking. We would like to thank the authors for their excellent articles, innovative ideas, and commitment to the field, and the reviewers for their detailed, supportive, and timely reviews.

Looking forward to new submissions and wishing you a lovely summer,


Anna Osipova
Jemma Kim

Co-Editors


Articles


Special Issue
Innovative Education and Transformative Practices


Ready or Not, Here We Go! Preparing for the Education Specialist Teaching Performance Assessment

Rosalinda J. Larios1, Calli Lewis Chiu1, and Rohanna Ylagan-Nicanor2
1 Department of Special Education, California State University, Fullerton
2 Department of Elementary and Bilingual Education, California State University, Fullerton

Abstract: In the state of California, the Education Specialist Teaching Performance Assessment (EdSp TPAs) is the latest accountability measure to be required of aspiring education specialists. Existing literature has been overwhelmingly critical of the TPAs (Dover, 2022; Valdez et al., 2020). And now, in the dawn of the EdSp TPAs, there must be a candid conversation about preparing candidates sufficiently for the TPAs in order to avoid exacerbating the field that is struggling to recruit teachers. This article discusses three significant obstacles in preparing candidates for the assessment: challenges associated with identifying focus students, insufficient preparation among mentor teachers, and program timelines.

Keywords: EdSp CalTPAs, teacher preparation, special education, high stake assessments

Interprofessional Practice Aligns with New California Teacher Performance Expectations for Students with Complex Communication Needs

Kai J. Greene and M.C. Kate Esposito
California State University, Dominguez Hills

Abstract: Educators are bound to encounter students with a broad range of speech-language and communication needs in their respective classrooms. According to federal mandates, current and future teachers are required to implement inclusive practices, which involves providing access to communication for all students. This practitioner-focused article shares an interprofessional practice collaborative project developed between a university teacher preparation program and the speech-language pathology division of a large urban school district. As part of a requisite credential course on language development and early literacy skills, pre-candidate students in the education specialist credential program complete a course assignment led by a school-based speech-language pathologist with clinical specialization in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). As a result, pre-service educational specialists gain valuable knowledge about integrative AAC practices for classroom purposes as aligned with the new California Teacher Performance Expectations for students with complex communication needs (CCN).

Keywords: augmentative and alternative communication, special education, complex communication needs, interprofessional practice, teacher performance expectation

Early Childhood Educators’ Readiness Embrace Inclusion for Preschool-Age Children with Disabilities in California

Sachi Kondo1, Andrea Golloher2, Lisa A. Simpson2, and Peg A. Hughes2
1Fremont Unified School District
2San José State University

Abstract: Despite the push to increase inclusive early childhood (EC) care and education programs to support the learning and development of all children, such programs remain rare in California where most preschoolers with disabilities receive special education services in special day classrooms. Developing inclusive programs requires EC educators who are committed to supporting inclusion. Using a survey of EC teachers in public and private programs, this study sought to identify factors that influenced the teachers’ attitudes toward and self-efficacy for providing inclusive programs for young children with disabilities. While most of the teachers reported positive views of inclusion, they reported less comfort with the idea of supporting children with disabilities in their programs. Examinations of the teachers’ education and experience levels suggest that experience with children with disabilities influences teacher comfort while education may influence understanding of law.

Keywords: inclusion, early childhood, teacher education

Creativity in the Virtual Classroom: Engaging Online SPED Teacher Candidates in Their Own Learning

Rob Shauger1, Kathleen A. Boothe1, and Marla J. Lohmann2
1Southeastern Oklahoma State University
2Colorado Christian University

Abstract: According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2022), the number of college students enrolled in at least one online course was approximately 11 million during the 2021-2022 school year. Knowing that institutes of higher education (IHEs) are responsible for teaching students who are primarily online learners, special education teacher preparation programs at IHEs need to change their focus on how to meet these online learners' needs. There is plentiful research on what faculty should include in their online classes, but finding specific strategies and activities that engage students in their own learning can be challenging. This article provides teacher educators with activities and strategies used in classes to engage online students in their learning, aiming for quick and easy implementation into future online special education teacher preparation courses.

Keywords: college teaching, learner engagement, online learning, special education, teacher preparation

Research & Practice


Comparative Effects of Presession and Interspersed Attention on Disruptive Behavior in an Inclusive Elementary Classroom

Kerry Kisinger1 and Charles L. Wood2
1Eastern Washington University
2University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract: This study evaluated the comparative effects of presession and interspersed attention on the disruptive behavior of an at-risk student in an inclusive fourth-grade classroom. Data indicated a decrease in disruptive behavior during both presession and interspersed attention conditions with the interspersed condition producing the lower level. Social validity measures also indicated the student was satisfied with the intervention and felt that it had a positive impact on his behavior. Additionally, social validity measures completed by the teacher indicated that while both interventions were reasonable to implement, appropriate for addressing the student’s disruptive behaviors, did not detract from the learning environment, and possibly improved classroom productivity, she preferred the presession attention intervention based on its simplicity and ease of implementation. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Keywords: antecedent interventions, presession attention, interspersed attention, disruptive behavior, classroom management

Examining the Effectiveness of a Multimedia Video on Pedestrian Safety With Postsecondary Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities

Kristina N. Randall, Shanna E. Hirsch, and Abigail A. Allen
Department of Education and Human Development, Clemson University

Abstract: Prior research suggests that the use of multimedia instruction along with video modeling increases the ability of individuals with intellectual disability (ID) to independently complete tasks. However, the previous research has not always included instruction of the underlying vocabulary, nor has it always resulted in skill maintenance. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effectiveness of multimedia instruction using video modeling to teach pedestrian safety signs to participants with ID to support skills needed for community. The effectiveness of the multimedia intervention was measured using a randomized control trial utilizing a pre-/posttest design. Participants’ knowledge grew significantly from pre-to posttest, and there were no significant differences between the groups. Current results are similar to prior research findings indicating multimedia instruction is effective in teaching skill acquisition. We discuss practical implications of these findings as well as future research on teaching pedestrian safety to postsecondary individuals with ID.

Keywords: intellectual disabilities, mobility, multimedia instruction, postsecondary, safety

Chronic Health Conditions, School Attendance, and Socioeconomic Factors: A Literature Review

Kristin Wikel and Andrew M. Markelz
Department of Special Education, Ball State University

Abstract: Students with chronic health conditions experience many challenges, such as increased school absences, that may impact academic success. Additional academic problems exist for students with chronic health conditions who also have socioeconomic status (SES) factors. A systematic literature review as conducted to study the interactions between chronic health conditions, absenteeism, and factors associated with SES. Findings suggest that asthma, the most common chronic health condition in children, is the leading cause of health-related school absences. Findings also suggest that factors associated with SES, such as family income, also impact school attendance for students with chronic health conditions. Although the results are mixed for academic achievement abilities for student who have chronic health conditions, many academic challenges that students with chronic health conditions encounter can be explained by frequent school absences. Further research on school absences and SES factors affecting students with chronic illnesses is needed to help establish guidelines for appropriate school programming and positive school attendance support.

Keywords: chronic health conditions, school attendance, socioeconomic status

Contact us We love to listen.

Editor
Paul Luelmo, Ph.D.
San Diego State University
Email: pluelmo@sdsu.edu

Publication Manager
Jemma Kim, Ph.D.
California State University, San Bernardino
Email: jemmakim@csusb.edu