This meta-analysis verifies associations between three dimensions of special education teachers’ (SET) burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment) and student-, teacher-, and school-related variables. Altogether, 28 peer-reviewed English articles and 13 dissertations (total sample of teachers = 6,623) published between 1983 and December 2018 were analyzed. The degree of correlation effect sizes between special education teachers’ burnout and its related variables was extensive. Results revealed distinct relations by each burnout dimension: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment and student-, teacher-, and school-related variables. Student age (Fisher’s Z = .316) was significantly associated with SET depersonalization. Self-efficacy (Fisher’s Z = −0.390, emotional exhaustion; −0.321, depersonalization; 0.633, personal accomplishment), stress (0.366, emotional exhaustion; 0.340, depersonalization; −0.110 personal accomplishment), and support from school personnel (−0.119, emotional exhaustion; −0.140, depersonalization; 0.172, personal accomplishment) were also significantly related to each burnout dimension. Support programs to relieve SET burnout must consider these variables.
Systematically observing instruction for students with learning disabilities (LD) provides information regarding the quality of school-based interventions, allocation of instructional time, and other implementation variables associated with student outcomes. In this synthesis, observation studies of reading and mathematics instruction from 2000 to 2013 were identified through a systematic literature search. The purpose was to understand findings from observations of typical practice for students with LD during an era of increased exposure to evidence-based practices, educational policy reforms, and reports on reading and mathematics designed to influence instruction, and amid a period of increased academic expectations. Eleven studies focusing on academic instruction for students with LD were identified and reviewed. Cognitive strategy instruction, differentiated instruction, and opportunities for independent application (i.e., text reading, problem solving) were reported infrequently across the published observational research. However, findings provide some evidence of improved teacher use of effective instructional practices in several areas compared with earlier observation study syntheses. Implications for practice and areas for future research are discussed.
This study synthesized intervention studies focusing on instruction to improve fraction skills. Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria: being published in English-language peer-reviewed journals or dissertations between 1975 and 2014, and targeting 3rd- through 12th-grade students struggling to learn mathematics. From the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, addition and subtraction of fractions were most frequently representing the Standards for Mathematical Content, and modeling for mathematics instruction was most frequently observed to represent the Standards for Mathematical Practice. Results indicated that interventions consisting of evidence-based instructional components (e.g., concrete and visual representations; explicit, systematic instruction; range and sequence of examples; heuristic strategies; and use of real-world problems) led to improved performance on measures with fraction concepts and skills. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
23 October 2013 in Journal of Learning Disabilities
The purpose of this study was to synthesize the findings from 23 articles that compared the mathematical and cognitive performances of students with mathematics learning disabilities (LD) to (a) students with LD in mathematics and reading, (b) age- or grade-matched students with no LD, and (c) mathematical-ability-matched younger students with no LD. Overall results revealed that students with mathematics LD exhibited higher word problem-solving abilities and no significant group differences on working memory, long-term memory, and metacognition measures compared to students with LD in mathematics and reading. Findings also revealed students with mathematics LD demonstrated significantly lower performance compared to age- or grade-matched students with no LD on both mathematical and cognitive measures. Comparison between students with mathematics LD and younger students with no LD revealed mixed outcomes on mathematical measures and generally no significant group differences on cognitive measures.
26 August 2015 in International Journal of Inclusive Education
This article presents the results of a meta-analysis of the effects of school-based interventions for improving disability awareness and attitudes towards disability of students without disabilities in Kindergarten through secondary school grades in the Republic of Korea (South Korea). A total of 20 studies published between 2001 and 2017 were included, covering a sample of 2679 students without disabilities. The overall effect was statistically significant and large (d = 1.335). Specifically, subgroup analyses showed that the effects were large for contact-based interventions, use of materials, role-playing, and human rights interventions in that order. The school-based interventions were significantly more effective in improving attitudes towards disability than disability awareness. The intervention effects did not significantly differ by school levels. Results of meta-regression analyses showed that the number of sessions had significantly more impact than instructional time per session. Limitations, recommendations for future studies, and practical implications are discussed.