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Dissertation Information for Gail Fitzgerald

NAME:
- Gail Fitzgerald
- (Alias) Gail Ellen Fitzgerald

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Special Education

SCHOOL:
- University of Iowa (USA) (1986)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Inspected

Title: EVALUATION OF A FIELD-BASED COURSE FOR EDUCATORS WORKING WITH BEHAVIOR PROBLEM STUDENTS

Abstract: "This study was undertaken to evaluate a field training course for educators teaching students with significant behavior problems. The education of such children continues to pose serious difficulties in schools as most teachers lack necessary skills to manage serious disruptive and disturbed behavior. The problems of meeting special needs are greatly magnified in rural areas.

The central research issues included: (1) differences in teacher training needs in rural vs. urban districts, (2) differences in behavior of students in regular and special education classrooms in rural vs. urban districts, and (3) assessment of child change as a result of teacher training.

A field training course was offered to educators who identified one behavior problem student and implemented a four-week behavior intervention program. Behavior ratings, observations and pre-post test scores were gathered for these 112 target students.

Data were analyzed in two-way and three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures with the variables of demographic setting (rural vs. urban), classroom placement (regular vs. special education), and repeated measures.

The following points summarize the major findings of the study. (1) No differences were found between teacher ratings of behavior for students in the experimental groups. (2) Students were observed to behave significantly more negatively than their classmate peers in all experimental groups. However, differences between experimental groups were not significant. (3) Educators in all experimental groups did equally well in demonstrating application of course objectives in their interventions. (4) Target students were rated as significantly improved following intervention in all experimental groups. (5) No significant differences between the experimental groups at pre or post were found in students' perceptions of internal/external locus of control or teacher approval/disapproval practices.

This study did not support the need to provide differential training for teachers in rural vs. urban areas. These results are useful for teacher trainers concerned with the content, design and impact of field-based training approaches. Further research is suggested for measuring training and permanency effects on students and teachers as a direct result of training programs."

MPACT Scores for Gail Fitzgerald

A = 3
C = 6
A+C = 9
T = 3
G = 1
W = 3
TD = 3
TA = 0
calculated 2010-03-28 20:17:22

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