The purpose of this preliminary investigation was to examine the effectiveness of using a word wa... more The purpose of this preliminary investigation was to examine the effectiveness of using a word wall strategy on the word identification skills of kindergarteners with developmental disabilities (DD). An alternating treatment design was used to examine the use of the word wall strategy and whether there were differences in children’s word identification and on the teacher’s sense of efficacy when using small-group traditional word wall instruction (Cunningham, 2000) versus an individualized electronic word wall (Narkon, Wells, & Segal, 2011) instructional format. Results indicated that both strategies were effective. However, children with motivational and attentional issues may differentially benefit from the EWW approach.
This investigation explored the interactions between paraeducators and the culturally and linguis... more This investigation explored the interactions between paraeducators and the culturally and linguistically diverse families of their students with disabilities. Paraeducators ( n = 117) attending a statewide professional development event responded to a questionnaire designed to explore their interactions with diverse parents and families. Results from the questionnaire allowed investigators to examine (a) the frequency and type of interactions between paraeducators and families in a small, primarily rural, Western state and (b) paraeducators’ perspectives on cultural and communication challenges related to working with diverse families. Paraeducators reported issues related to both communication and culture in their interactions with diverse families.
Response interruption and redirection, commonly referred to as RIR, is an evidence-based interven... more Response interruption and redirection, commonly referred to as RIR, is an evidence-based intervention that has been demonstrated to quickly reduce moderate to high levels of vocal stereotypy in children with autism spectrum disorder. The RIR intervention is a simple, three-step procedure that can be embedded in classroom instruction with minimal planning. This column describes the procedure and provides a troubleshooting guide to aid practitioners in effectively implementing the RIR behavior management strategy.
This investigation used the 7 P’s Service Marketing Mix (i.e., product, price, place, promotion, ... more This investigation used the 7 P’s Service Marketing Mix (i.e., product, price, place, promotion, people, physical evidence, and processes) to review development and recruitment strategies of special education alternative teacher preparation programs. Articles published between 1997 and 2018 were reviewed to identify alternative teacher preparation programs developed to tackle the chronic teacher shortage in special education across the United States. A total of 17 articles met the inclusion criteria, 10 of which specifically targeted rural areas. Results indicated people (94%), place (94%), and product (88%) were most consistently addressed in program design. However, price (59%) and promotion (41%) were addressed least. Overall, 1,419 teacher candidates were recruited into the 17 special education alternative teacher preparation programs, with 460 recruited from rural areas.
Self-regulation skills have been found to be an important predictor of achievement in mathematics... more Self-regulation skills have been found to be an important predictor of achievement in mathematics. Teaching a student to regulate his or her behavior during independent math work sessions using self-monitoring of performance with self-graphing focuses him or her on academic performance and results in increases in productivity and math proficiency. This article describes the process of designing and implementing this intervention.
... Jenny C. Wells and Patricia H. Sheehey ... The process itself and the areas addressed are rel... more ... Jenny C. Wells and Patricia H. Sheehey ... The process itself and the areas addressed are relevant to all students with disabili-ties (Flannery et al., 2000; Sheehey, Ornelles, & Noonan, 2009) including stu-dents with (a) emotional disorders (Keyes & Owens-Johnson, 2003), (b ...
A multiple case study design was used to conduct a professional development needs assessment of s... more A multiple case study design was used to conduct a professional development needs assessment of special education teachers' group instruction practices for students 3 to 8 years old with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Three preschool teachers and two kindergarten to grade 2 teachers participated in this study. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, this study investigated teachers' attitudes, beliefs, skills, and prior knowledge providing insight into their experiences. Teachers' instructional practices, including the use of applied behavior analysis (ABA) principles and discrete trial teaching, are examined. A gap analysis was conducted to examine participants' actual practices versus "recommended practice" during group instruction. Final conclusions were based on the entirety ofquantitative and qualitative information derived through analysis of the individual cases, as well as a cross-case comparison. Findings indicate a need for training in a wide range of ABA strategies and procedures. Developing individualized curriculum and planning instruction that targets students' needs across all developmental domains, specifically peer social interaction and communication, were also areas of deficiency suggesting a need for further research. Environmental constraints impacting teachers' delivery of effective group instruction were also identified.
Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168817730665 A utilization-focused evalua... more Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168817730665 A utilization-focused evaluation (Patton, 2008) was conducted to systematically investigate special education teacher candidates’ preparation to teach English Language Learners (ELLs) with disabilities. The results were used to (a) determine current effectiveness of departmental programs and (b) guide program improvement efforts. The initial literature review on ELLs with disabilities and teacher preparation guided the development of a four element framework to organize and analyze the data and results of the program evaluation. Data was collected using (a) a document review of program materials, (b) a faculty questionnaire, (c) a faculty focus group, and (d) a survey of the teacher candidates’ knowledge and perceptions on their preparedness in this area. Data revealed a scattered and disjointed approach to preparing preservice teachers to teach ELLs with disabilities, leading to a lack of special education teacher...
The purpose of this preliminary investigation was to examine the effectiveness of using a word wa... more The purpose of this preliminary investigation was to examine the effectiveness of using a word wall strategy on the word identification skills of kindergarteners with developmental disabilities (DD). An alternating treatment design was used to examine the use of the word wall strategy and whether there were differences in children’s word identification and on the teacher’s sense of efficacy when using small-group traditional word wall instruction (Cunningham, 2000) versus an individualized electronic word wall (Narkon, Wells, & Segal, 2011) instructional format. Results indicated that both strategies were effective. However, children with motivational and attentional issues may differentially benefit from the EWW approach.
This investigation explored the interactions between paraeducators and the culturally and linguis... more This investigation explored the interactions between paraeducators and the culturally and linguistically diverse families of their students with disabilities. Paraeducators ( n = 117) attending a statewide professional development event responded to a questionnaire designed to explore their interactions with diverse parents and families. Results from the questionnaire allowed investigators to examine (a) the frequency and type of interactions between paraeducators and families in a small, primarily rural, Western state and (b) paraeducators’ perspectives on cultural and communication challenges related to working with diverse families. Paraeducators reported issues related to both communication and culture in their interactions with diverse families.
Response interruption and redirection, commonly referred to as RIR, is an evidence-based interven... more Response interruption and redirection, commonly referred to as RIR, is an evidence-based intervention that has been demonstrated to quickly reduce moderate to high levels of vocal stereotypy in children with autism spectrum disorder. The RIR intervention is a simple, three-step procedure that can be embedded in classroom instruction with minimal planning. This column describes the procedure and provides a troubleshooting guide to aid practitioners in effectively implementing the RIR behavior management strategy.
This investigation used the 7 P’s Service Marketing Mix (i.e., product, price, place, promotion, ... more This investigation used the 7 P’s Service Marketing Mix (i.e., product, price, place, promotion, people, physical evidence, and processes) to review development and recruitment strategies of special education alternative teacher preparation programs. Articles published between 1997 and 2018 were reviewed to identify alternative teacher preparation programs developed to tackle the chronic teacher shortage in special education across the United States. A total of 17 articles met the inclusion criteria, 10 of which specifically targeted rural areas. Results indicated people (94%), place (94%), and product (88%) were most consistently addressed in program design. However, price (59%) and promotion (41%) were addressed least. Overall, 1,419 teacher candidates were recruited into the 17 special education alternative teacher preparation programs, with 460 recruited from rural areas.
Self-regulation skills have been found to be an important predictor of achievement in mathematics... more Self-regulation skills have been found to be an important predictor of achievement in mathematics. Teaching a student to regulate his or her behavior during independent math work sessions using self-monitoring of performance with self-graphing focuses him or her on academic performance and results in increases in productivity and math proficiency. This article describes the process of designing and implementing this intervention.
... Jenny C. Wells and Patricia H. Sheehey ... The process itself and the areas addressed are rel... more ... Jenny C. Wells and Patricia H. Sheehey ... The process itself and the areas addressed are relevant to all students with disabili-ties (Flannery et al., 2000; Sheehey, Ornelles, & Noonan, 2009) including stu-dents with (a) emotional disorders (Keyes & Owens-Johnson, 2003), (b ...
A multiple case study design was used to conduct a professional development needs assessment of s... more A multiple case study design was used to conduct a professional development needs assessment of special education teachers' group instruction practices for students 3 to 8 years old with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Three preschool teachers and two kindergarten to grade 2 teachers participated in this study. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, this study investigated teachers' attitudes, beliefs, skills, and prior knowledge providing insight into their experiences. Teachers' instructional practices, including the use of applied behavior analysis (ABA) principles and discrete trial teaching, are examined. A gap analysis was conducted to examine participants' actual practices versus "recommended practice" during group instruction. Final conclusions were based on the entirety ofquantitative and qualitative information derived through analysis of the individual cases, as well as a cross-case comparison. Findings indicate a need for training in a wide range of ABA strategies and procedures. Developing individualized curriculum and planning instruction that targets students' needs across all developmental domains, specifically peer social interaction and communication, were also areas of deficiency suggesting a need for further research. Environmental constraints impacting teachers' delivery of effective group instruction were also identified.
Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168817730665 A utilization-focused evalua... more Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168817730665 A utilization-focused evaluation (Patton, 2008) was conducted to systematically investigate special education teacher candidates’ preparation to teach English Language Learners (ELLs) with disabilities. The results were used to (a) determine current effectiveness of departmental programs and (b) guide program improvement efforts. The initial literature review on ELLs with disabilities and teacher preparation guided the development of a four element framework to organize and analyze the data and results of the program evaluation. Data was collected using (a) a document review of program materials, (b) a faculty questionnaire, (c) a faculty focus group, and (d) a survey of the teacher candidates’ knowledge and perceptions on their preparedness in this area. Data revealed a scattered and disjointed approach to preparing preservice teachers to teach ELLs with disabilities, leading to a lack of special education teacher...
Uploads
Papers by Jenny Wells