From the Editors
Dear Readers, Editorial Board Members, and Authors,
We hope that your summer is going well.
We are happy to present the June 2024 issue of the Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship (JOSEA) to your attention. Before you read the issue’s overview, we would like to share an important journal update with you:
This issue marks the conclusion of Anna Osipova’s and Jemma Kim’s JOSEA co-editorship.
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Paul Luelmo, Associate Professor of Special Education at San Diego State University, as JOSEA’s new Editor!
This summer, the journal will transition to the new editorial team.
Jemma Kim will continue as the Publication Manager. Dr. Karolyn Maurer, our Assistant Editor, has accepted a tenure-track special education faculty position at Minnesota State University-Mankato.
We wish Karolyn the best of luck in her move and a very successful career in research and teaching in higher education.
We are also excited for the journal to continue to grow and flourish under the new editorship.
The current issue features three manuscripts that offer you a diverse array of topics with unique foci in special education.
The first manuscript, by Randolph, Billingsley, and Newman Thomas, titled Using behavior skills training and virtual simulations to train preservice practitioners in behavior management:
an exploratory comparison study investigates the efficacy of two virtual training platforms, TeachLivE™ and Zoom with actors, in preparing practitioners to work with students exhibiting challenging behaviors.
The article shares the participants’ perspectives on the training tools and their preferences.
The second paper, by Wild and colleagues, Experiences of rural teachers of students with visual impairments during the pandemic, highlights the continued inequities and unique challenges faced by special education teachers,
students with low-incidence disabilities (visual impairments), and their families in rural areas of the country.
The issue concludes with the manuscript by Day and Regan, The career advancement and working experiences of multilingual paraprofessionals in special education.
The authors discuss one of the ways to counteract shortages in the number of special education teachers by recruiting and training paraprofessionals to become special education teachers.
The article offers participants’ perspectives on the benefits and challenges of such programs.
We hope that you find the articles in this issue engaging and useful. We thank the reviewers who helped us bring this research to you.
Looking forward to new submissions and wishing you a lovely summer,
Anna Osipova and Jemma Kim, Co-Editors
Karolyn Maurer, Assistant Editor
Articles
Using Behavior Skills Training and Virtual Simulations to Train Preservice Practitioners in Behavior Management: An Exploratory Comparison Study
Kathleen M. Randolph, Glenna M. Billingsley, and Cathy N. Thomas
College of Education
Texas State University
Abstract: This study investigated the efficacy of two distinct virtual training platforms, TeachLivE™ and Zoom with actors, in preparing preservice practitioners for behavior management in real-world settings.
This exploratory study aimed to investigate individual participant skill acquisition and assess which platform better equipped participants with the necessary skills and strategies.
This study employed Behavior Skills Training as the foundational pedagogical framework, utilizing structured training and feedback to foster skill acquisition and retention.
The two groups, one using TeachLivE™ and the other Zoom with actors, received identical training modules and practice scenarios.
After the training, participants were assessed on their ability to apply behavior management strategies in simulated scenarios closely mirroring authentic classroom settings.
Results from the study revealed an observable difference in the percent correct performance between the two groups.
The TeachLivE™ group exhibited a higher level of success in applying behavior management strategies compared to the Zoom with actors group.
This outcome suggests that the immersive nature of TeachLivE™, with its lifelike avatars and interactive virtual classrooms, provided a more effective training environment for preservice practitioners in behavior management.
Keywords: virtual reality, behavior skills training, preservice teachers, classroom management
Experiences of Rural Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments During the Pandemic
Tiffany A. Wild1, Tina Herzberg2, Danene K. Fast1, Jennifer Rodocker1, and Mehmet Kart1
1The Ohio State University
2University of South Carolina Upstate
Abstract: Students who are educated by schools in rural areas experienced challenges around the world even before the COVID-19 pandemic,
such as lack of resources and inadequate infrastructure (Çiftçi & Cin, 2018; Dube, 2020).
The COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to the inequities of the conditions facing students in rural areas (EDC, 2020).
These unique challenges were evident for those serving low-incidence disability populations, such as those children with visual impairment.
There are unique challenges in providing support to students and their families with visual impairments in rural areas of the country.
Those challenges included need for additional supports in technology, internet infrastructure, funding, and full access to accessible materials.
Concerns over the health and well-being of teachers and students with visual impairments were also expressed as concerns but was not unique for teachers of students with visual impairments in rural areas.
Keywords:Visual impairment, COVID-19, pandemic, rural education, teachers of students with visual impairments
The Career Advancement and Working Conditions of Multilingual Paraprofessionals in Special Education
Jamie Day1 and Kelley S. Regan2
1Department of Special Education, University of Missouri
2Division of Special Education and Disability Research, George Mason University
Abstract: There is a critical issue of special education teacher shortages in the United States.
Student populations, many of whom are multilingual and have disabilities, continue to grow while there is a decrease in the teaching workforce.
One policy initiative developed to combat the teacher shortage is the Assistant to Teacher Program.
The Assistant to Teacher Program is a school district policy that aims to fill high-need teacher vacancies by supporting paraprofessionals to become certified teachers in a career advancement cohort.
This qualitative study examines the working experiences of multilingual paraprofessionals in special education and their perceptions of the Assistant to Teacher program within their school district.
A thematic analysis reveals the bureaucratic and financial obstacles that multilingual paraprofessionals encounter in their career advancement, and their working conditions specific to special education as linguistic liaisons.
Findings from the study are then linked to recommended policy actions intended to mitigate special education workforce disparities
Keywords:alternative route preparation, paraprofessionals, multilingualism, special education teacher shortage
