Papers by Gabrielle Young
International perspectives on inclusive education, Jan 18, 2021
This paper examines whether participation in quality early child education (ECE) lessens special ... more This paper examines whether participation in quality early child education (ECE) lessens special education needs and insulates children against requiring costly, intensive supports. Sixty years of longitudinal data coupled with new research in the United Kingdom and Canada were examined to demonstrate how quality ECE reduces special education needs and mitigates the intensity of later supports for children with special education needs. Research demonstrates that quality ECE strengthens children's language, literacy/numeracy, behavioural regulation, and enhances high-school completion. International longitudinal studies confirm that two years of quality ECE lowers special education placement by 40–60% for children with cognitive risk factors and 10–30% for social/behavioural risk factors. Explicit social-emotional learning outcomes also need to be embedded into ECE curricular frameworks, as maladaptive behaviours, once entrenched, are more difficult (and costly) to remediate. Children who do not have the benefit of attending quality ECE in the earliest years are more likely to encounter learning difficulties in school, in turn impacting the well-being and prosperity of their families and societies.
Exceptionality education international, Dec 20, 2019
Early child education (ECE) and special education have parallel, though separate, histories. Whil... more Early child education (ECE) and special education have parallel, though separate, histories. While both have strong areas of scholarship, their origins stemmed from responding to the changing needs of families and a collective goal of optimizing child development. The expansion of both maternal participation in the labour force and human rights arguments for children with special educational needs (SEN) secured both as areas of research. By the early 1970s, there were solid literature bases to inform practice and drive policy. The professionalization of both disciplines was encouraged, with postsecondary programs expanding for early child educators as well as for special education teachers. However, because early education and special education often reside in different ministries, while public education, health, and social services are the responsibility of provincial and territorial governments, practice and policy have remained splintered across Canada. Income supplements such as the Canada Child Benefit, parental leave and benefits, and universal public education shape family life. Educational programming prior to formal schooling, however, remains a gap in Canada's social policy network for families, with only one in three children 5 years and younger able to participate (Akbari & McCuaig, 2017). Yet, it is through child care and other preschool programs that developmental delays are often identified and interventions accessed. Although jurisdictions do not keep consistent records, it can be assumed that families with children with SEN confront additional barriers to participation in early childhood education. Unlike publicly funded education, child care is typically a private industry. Government policy may encourage practices to include children with exceptionalities, and most offer additional financial support for children with SEN to participate; but in Canada, only Manitoba requires licensed child care centres that receive public funding to accommodate children with special needs. Alberta and Prince Edward Island compel some
Scholarly and Research Communication, Mar 5, 2019
Gabrielle's research interests surround the use of assistive and instructional technology in incl... more Gabrielle's research interests surround the use of assistive and instructional technology in inclusive classrooms, universal design for learning, and pre-service teachers' efficacy to support students with exceptionalities and facilitate positive mental health.
2019 Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, Jan 29, 2019
Allowing children to express their opinions and ideas through drawing can be a useful way to enga... more Allowing children to express their opinions and ideas through drawing can be a useful way to engage children as coresearchers. This study explored children’s understanding of inclusion and what it means to be socially excluded and used multiple ways to explore children’s understanding including interviews, focus groups (using semi-structured interviews), and children’s drawings. Data was collected from children in Grade 2 (two groups), and children in Grade 4 (one group); and was analyzed using concept mapping, where the children as coresearchers were involved in analyzing their own data into themes. Themes that emerged addressed using play as a means of including children with exceptionalities, normalizing exceptionalities, celebrating individual differences, and teaching acceptance and inclusion in the school setting. This study highlighted the important of using alternative ways of gathering data (such as drawings) as children do not always verbalize, or know how to verbalize, their thoughts and ideas.
2018 Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, Feb 16, 2018
This study explored the relationships between home (parents, guardians, children with exceptional... more This study explored the relationships between home (parents, guardians, children with exceptionalities, or their siblings) and school (teacher, administrator, or staff) relationships when there is a child with a diagnosed disability. A focus group was used to understand: What do homes require to experience a positive working relationship with their child
Exceptionality education international, Dec 20, 2019
This article examines the research literature to determine whether the provision of quality early... more This article examines the research literature to determine whether the provision of quality early childhood education (ECE) lowers the risk of a child developing special education needs (SEN) and mediates the intensity of support for children with an identified exceptionality. Schools play a crucial role in reducing developmental gaps assessed at school entry, but their success comes with great expense in special education and related costs. Research indicates that ECE could narrow these gaps and better prepare children for success in school, and this realization is slowly being reflected in public policy. Based on our literature review, we describe the benefits of quality ECE in lowering special education expenses. Specific play-based learning pedagogical strategies support all children in optimizing academic progress, language development, social skills, and emotional-behavioural regulation. Professional learning for early childhood educators
International journal for the scholarship of teaching and learning, Nov 30, 2021
This article describes a self-study inquiry project designed and conducted by a self-study group ... more This article describes a self-study inquiry project designed and conducted by a self-study group at a Faculty of Education in an Atlantic Canadian University. The seven-member group engaged in a collaborative self-study inquiry while adopting Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in their teacher education practices and documented their professional learning. This yearlong self-study inquiry project encompassed several data collection methods to examine inclusive practices of self-study group members, including personal reflections, minutes of weekly meetings, artifacts, and field notes. This article focuses on how UDL provided a means for three group members to critically examine their inclusive practices at the beginning, during, and following the collaborative self-study inquiry. Using a case study methodology, self-study cases of these three faculty members-Angela, Ryan, and Sarah (Pseudonyms)-were developed. The cases reported on the journey of these faculty members in improving their inclusive practice through their engagement in self-study.
Antistasis, Mar 2, 2017
Successfully implementing inclusion at the high school level is considerably different in element... more Successfully implementing inclusion at the high school level is considerably different in elementary and intermediate levels (Carpenter & Dyal, 2007; Scanlon & Baker, 2012). Secondary inclusion poses unique challenges such as a rigorous and fast-paced curriculum, high stakes testing, and students with poor study skills (Casale-Giannola, 2012; Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2001; McKenna, Muething, Flower, Pedrotty, & Bryant, 2015). As a result, high school students with learning exceptionalities continue to struggle (Sabornie & deBettencourt, 2009), educators and administrators are often unprepared for these unique challenges to inclusion (Dieker, 2007), and research guiding high school faculty is rare (Byrnes, 2008). The authors conducted a review of the North American high school inclusion literature, located 28 articles, summarized the findings, and have suggested recommendations for future research in this often overlooked area of inclusion. This paper presents and discusses four articles that were found to pertain to high school administrators. Locating Articles/Methodology The authors first conducted an ERIC database search using key terms such as high school, secondary, inclusion, administrator, and principal, refining their search to English language journal articles published between January 2010 and December 2015. This time frame was selected in order to ensure that only the latest research was considered, as older articles may reflect earlier (and
Exceptionality education international, Dec 20, 2018
The purpose of this study was to describe the ways in which the experiences gained during practic... more The purpose of this study was to describe the ways in which the experiences gained during practica influence the developing self-efficacy of Canadian pre-service teachers for teaching in inclusive classrooms. Questionnaires were issued to participants in teacher education programs at 11 universities across Canada, and the data were subjected to content analysis. Several themes that emerged from the participant responses were found to be influential in preservice teachers' feelings of efficacy, with behaviour management having the greatest influence, regardless of whether participants felt successful or challenged. Academic outcomes, relationships with students, and other school adults as resources were also identified as themes influencing pre-service teachers' feelings of success and challenge in practica. The data revealed attitudes and beliefs about inclusion and the impact these may have on teacher CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Scholarship@Western
Childhood education, Sep 1, 2007
Higher education research and development, Jul 17, 2020
Our group of early-and mid-career women faculty members in a mid-sized Canadian university examin... more Our group of early-and mid-career women faculty members in a mid-sized Canadian university examined the peer review process and our experiences of being reviewed. Using post-structural feminist literature, we theorised how subjectivities are shaped by the pressures of neoliberal incursions into university work. The impact of peer review can be severe and feel highly personal. The peer review system contains assumptions that create conditions for misuse: that reviewers have expertise and that notions of quality scholarly work are shared; that they will be supportive and intellectually ethical; and that they will encourage innovation. We engaged with what it feels like to be reviewed through using collaborative autoethnography as a methodology, and narrative and poetic inquiry as data as well as methods of analysis. We found that how a writer received a review depended on the amount of respect and collegiality in the reviewer's language. Uninformed critical review comments appeared to be particularly damaging. We also found the obscure nature of the process meant that misunderstandings characterised our experiences. Many of us suffered feelings of powerlessness, a homogenisation of writing style, and a decrease in creativity. However, we also found solace and agency in sharing our stories. We shared our experiences within a relational holding space drawing on an ethic of care where well-being flourished, and in which there was an equality of respect, dignity, and mutual concern. We argue this perspective has potential to be applied more broadly to review processes.
Studying Teacher Education, Mar 12, 2020
Communities of practice, based on the work of Etienne Wenger, is being adopted as a framework in ... more Communities of practice, based on the work of Etienne Wenger, is being adopted as a framework in higher education to facilitate and foster professional learning. This article describes the emergence and cultivation of a university community of practice. Based on a desire to enhance our work as teacher educators and the learning experiences of our students, Karen, the first author, invited faculty to become part of a self-study group in a faculty of education. We remained a fluid entity for almost two years. Eventually, we evolved into a core group of seven faculty who were interested in conceptualizing and implementing a shared self-study inquiry. Data collection methods and sources included audio recordings of weekly meetings, collaborative reflections, meeting minutes, and personal journal reflection. Outcomes report on the evolution and functioning of the self-study group over an 18-month period. Principles for cultivating a community of practice are used to retroactively reflect on the successes and tensions the group experienced, group dynamics, group leadership, the nature of collaboration, individual and group learning, and strategies used to foster productive community functioning.
Exceptionality education international, Dec 20, 2019
This article explores trends and statistics specific to the mental health status of children from... more This article explores trends and statistics specific to the mental health status of children from both the Canadian and the global contexts to inform a conversation on the environmental conditions and experiences that impact the mental health of young children. The research described here focused on the intersection between mental health and early child education (ECE), along with the educational and professional development experiences of early childhood educators, in an attempt to identify mitigating factors that can ensure social-emotional development in children. The article argues that while ECE can help the socialemotional development of young children, there needs to be a focus on ensuring quality of experience with explicit social-emotional learning outcomes, delivered by highly educated professionals. It concludes with a call to focus on the mental health of young children, early child educators, and the critical importance of healthy relationships in the lives of these children. Mental health issues in young children can be associated with poor developmental outcomes such as discrimination, social exclusion, physical health problems, and unhealthy lifestyles (Moffitt et al., 2011; Poulou, 2015; World Health Organization, 2016). The purpose of this article is to explore how mental health issues can be mitigated and remediated when young children are given the opportunity to attend early childhood education (ECE) programs. As researchers, we were particularly interested in investigating the impact of ECE on reducing mental health issues and improving developmental outcomes, as the preschool period is considered an optimal time to
Exceptionality education international, Dec 20, 2019
High quality early intervention is a crucial component of supportive and inclusive early childhoo... more High quality early intervention is a crucial component of supportive and inclusive early childhood education and care (ECEC) and crucial for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For children with ASD, there is limited access to ECEC services and there is little research or writing on the importance of bridging even conversations between the fields of ECEC and special education needs. This paper addresses the importance of starting a conversation by delineating current literature on ASD and early intervention services while making recommendations for how practitioners and policy-makers can consider the needs of young children with ASD in ECEC programming, bringing together clinicians and educators in ECEC settings into broader and closer collaborations. Through investigating current wide-scale reports on ASD in ECEC and inclusive settings, screening, early intervention, and evidence-based interventions, as well as the specific needs of parents of children with ASD, we seek to bring such essential discussions to the forefront. In turn, practitioners can provide supportive earlyyears environments for children with ASD, as well as early intervention and identification services that support inclusive practices.
International Journal of Inclusive Education, Jul 10, 2015
This study provides a Canada-wide snapshot of the self-efficacy and beliefs of 1490 preservice te... more This study provides a Canada-wide snapshot of the self-efficacy and beliefs of 1490 preservice teachers in relation to inclusive teaching using the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practice and the Beliefs about Learning and Teaching Questionnaire. At the time of data collection, these preservice teachers were in the final stages of their teacher education programmes. Based on the results of surveys in 11 Faculties of Education, men have higher self-efficacy than women for managing behaviour in the classroom, elementary preservice teachers have higher self-efficacy in collaboration than those teaching in secondary schools, those enrolled in the 1-year post-degree programme show lower self-efficacy than those enrolled in programmes of other durations, and those who have experience with people with special education needs show higher self-efficacy than those who do not. Differences illustrated that women were more inclusive than men, 1-year post-degree preservice teachers were less inclusive than others, and those who have experience with people with special education needs are more inclusive than those who do not. Recommendations for teacher education and limitations surrounding the practical significance of the findings are discussed.
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Papers by Gabrielle Young