Date Approved

5-9-2018

Embargo Period

5-10-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA Special Education

Department

Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education

College

College of Education

Advisor

Accardo, Amy

Committee Member 1

Kuder, Sydney J.

Committee Member 2

Xin, Joy

Keywords

threaded discussion, resource classroom, high school English, learning management systems

Subject(s)

Electronic discussion groups; Learning disabled youth

Disciplines

Special Education and Teaching

Abstract

The purpose of this study was: (a) to examine the effectiveness of using online discussion boards to improve the active participation rate of students with specific learning disabilities (SLD), (b) to examine the effectiveness of using online discussion boards to increase the critical thinking of SLDs, and (c) to evaluate student satisfaction of the online discussion board intervention. Nine high school students, seven males and two females, with learning disabilities participated in the study. A single-subject ABAB design was used. During the baseline phases, students received American Literature II instruction through a traditional classroom model. Class time was used for instruction and anticipatory sets were used for discussions. During the intervention, students received American Literature II instruction through the online discussion board model. Active participation rates and critical thinking levels were recorded throughout all phases. Results indicate that students increased their rate of participation and critical thinking during the intervention phases. The student satisfaction survey suggests that students enjoyed using the online discussion board model and would like to use it in other classes. Further research is suggested investigating the academic and critical thinking outcomes of the online discussion board for students with learning disabilities.

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