Authors:Alyssa Emery, Jacqueline von Spiegel, Robin Sayer, Naima Khandaker, Lynley Anderman Abstract: Internationally adopted youth (IAY) with disabilities have distinctive needs for adaptive development, and schools play a central role in supporting and meeting these needs. Yet in our qualitative examination of 41 families of IAY with disabilities, we found that these needs are not often well understood by practicing educators and school staff. Using Bronfenbrenner’s (2005) bioecological systems model as a framework, we explored the resources utilized by families of IAY with disabilities, including those offered by schools, as well as participants’ perceptions of their experiences in utilizing these resources. We found that participants encountered widespread misconceptions regarding adoption, trauma, and disability among school staff and often struggled to access resources necessary for adaptive development. At the same time, teachers and other school staff were often key sources of social and emotional support for IAY with disabilities, and schools were, in general, the central hub of a well-functioning mesosystem. Subscribe to LDMJ PubDate: 2020-07-30 DOI: 10.18666/LDMJ-2020-V25-I2-10473 Issue No:Vol. 25, No. 2 (2020)
Authors:Wendy Cavendish, David J. Connor, Deborah Perez Abstract: This study is framed by Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to examine the interaction between student perceptions of school personnel efforts and actions and the development of student intrinsic motivation and self-determination. This mixed-methods study examines variations among high school students’ (n = 44) level of self-determination (SD) and the relationship between their perspectives of school support of autonomy, competence, and relatedness and self-determination development. We share student profiles (N = 6) based upon deductive coding of student interviews. Findings focus on the centering of students’ own words to create data-rich renderings of individual students located within their school context. Each student profile contains connections to the three domains associated with SDT: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. We provide a discussion of the applicability of SDT for school practitioners to inform increased support for students with learning disabilities. Subscribe to LDMJ PubDate: 2020-07-30 DOI: 10.18666/LDMJ-2020-V25-I2-10312 Issue No:Vol. 25, No. 2 (2020)
Authors:Min Wang, Rebecca Louick Abstract: Discourse analysis was utilized to bring attention to interactional moves made by students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD), and their teacher, that impacted students’ positioning and motivation for classroom participation. This study built on prior research on positioning (Davies & Harré, 1990) through interactive talk to understand how the teacher and his students positioned themselves and others, and how positioning interacted with the classroom dynamics that were displayed through (non)participation in and across communities of practice. Findings reveal that the teacher’s reflexive positioning as caring, considerate, skillful, and patient, as well as the interactive positioning of his students as community members who deserved patience and attention, promoted interactive talks and stimulated students’ motivation for engagement in classroom activities. The researchers, therefore, argue that teachers’ positive positioning can allow teachers to make informed pedagogical decisions to transform power dynamics and promote equitable educational opportunities for all, especially for those with LD and EBD. Subscribe to LDMJ PubDate: 2020-07-30 DOI: 10.18666/LDMJ-2020-V25-I2-10310 Issue No:Vol. 25, No. 2 (2020)
Authors:Samantha G. Daley, Pamela Zeidan Abstract: This qualitative study examined the role and determinants of motivational beliefs and self-perceptions among six academically successful undergraduates with learning disabilities at private 4-year colleges who serve as mentors for middle-school students with similar learning challenges. Drawing on the expectancy-value theory of achievement-related decisions as a framework for understanding academic trajectories, themes focus on a) participants’ social and cultural milieus, b) socializers’ beliefs and behaviors, c) disability-related experiences, and d) individual goals and self-schemata. Findings countered expectations that sociocultural influences would hinder students’ expectations for success and the importance they place on college education. Instead, protective factors including participation in rigorous high school coursework, high parental expectations, and membership in a learning disability community supported the decision to pursue and persist in post-secondary education.Subscribe to LDMJ PubDate: 2020-07-30 DOI: 10.18666/LDMJ-2020-V25-I2-10391 Issue No:Vol. 25, No. 2 (2020)
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