Running head: RESEARCH PROSPECTUS 1

Research Prospectus with Data Analysis

Ellen M Shannon-Ball

ETR520/Summer 2017

Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL USA

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Table of Contents

Introductory Section

Title Page………………………………………………………………………..1

Table of Contents………………………………………………………………..2

Main Body

I. Problem to be Investigated

A. Purpose of the study....……………………………….………………..4

B. Justification of the study…………………………….…………………4

C. Research question……………………………………………………...5

D. Definition of terms………………………………………………..……5

E. Brief overview of the study…………………………………………….6

II. Background and Review of Related Literature

A. Introduction…………………………………………………………….6

B. Research………………………………………………………………..8

III. Procedures

A. Research design……………………………………………………….11

B. Sample………………………………………………………………...11

C. Instrument …………………………………………………………….12

D. Procedures…………………………………………………………….12

E. Internal validity……………………………………………………….13

F. External validity………………………………………………………14

G. Statistical techniques………………………………………………….14
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IV. Ethics and human relations

A. Threats to participants………………………………………………...15

B. Entry into setting……………………………………………………...15

C. Cooperation of the research participants……………………………...15

V. Time Line……………………………………………………………………..15

VI. References……………………………………………………………………17
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Problem to be Investigated

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to determine if transition support to high school students and

additional supports to college students are effective in improving the number of special

education attending and succeeding in college.

Justification of the Study

Although there are many ways assistance is given to students in high school to achieve

their diploma, once students have graduated, minimal public assistance is available for those

students who would like to continue on to college. 92% of adults with intellectual disabilities are

not employed. Research shows that students with intellectual disabilities who have some type of

post-secondary experience are much more likely to obtain competitive employment, require

fewer supports and earn higher wages. (College TransitionConnection,2017). The postsecondary

accommodation process for students with disabilities typically follows a medical model

(Guzman, 2009) through which the student becomes the focus of interventions that are

determined by a disability resource professional (Smith. & Buchannan,2012). The student

transitions’ from an involved team approach to support learning, to an assigned professional.

In a study of Inclusive Instruction, the study identified an increase in students with

disabilities enrolling in postsecondary education, but the graduation rates are low (Shepler, &

Woosley, 2012). Federal data show that 29% of students with disabilities who enroll in college

receive a degree as compared to 42% of their peers without disabilities (Sanford et al., 2011).

According to Izzo, Murray, and Novak (2008) students with disabilities in postsecondary

education continue to face barriers in terms of participation, retention, and degree completion.
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Solutions for the continually growing number of diverse students lie within the design of the

curriculum and the instructional strategies and materials (Center for Applied Special Technology

[CAST], 2011). Thus, there is a need to fix the curriculum rather than the learner. The

application of inclusive teaching practices may allow faculty to address the learning styles of a

wide variety of students, reduce the need for individual accommodations, and create inclusive

classrooms that support access and participation for all learners (Meyer & Rose, 2005; Rose &

Meyer, 2002). The findings supported that faculty have a favorable opinion of changing

curriculum design, but there is not much research on whether this translates into action in the

classroom. In the study mentioned on faculty attitudes versus actions, the results indicated that

they do not follow through (Lombardi, Murray, & Gerdes, 2011). There is a need for more

research on whether favorable attitudes translate into changing instruction methods.

The proposed study builds on existing research by surveying students prior to attending

post-secondary school and by having them identify their needs. Comparing faculty and student

perceptions may lead to new findings regarding the effectiveness of current high school and

college resources and improve outcomes for postsecondary students with diverse learning needs

and disabilities.

Research Question

What are difficulties faced by special education students transition to community college

in Illinois?

Definition of Terms

Successful, for the purposes of this study, successful is defined as completion of college

courses which leads to a position in the field of choice.

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Special Education Population, for the purposes of this study, special education

population is a student who had an IEP in High School, disabled veteran, or any student with a

medically certified learning disability.

Disabled Veteran, a disabled veteran is a prior service military member who was injured

while serving the military and will have a lifelong mental or physical impairment.

Support, for the purpose of this study are a coordinated set of activities based on an

individual’s needs, taking into account their preferences and interests.

Universal Design, refers to a design approach that ensure learning environments are

useable a broad possible spectrum of people rather than being designed to accommodate the

needs of either disabled or non-disabled people alone.

Brief Overview of Study

This study will focus on identifying the educational and social support requirements for

the special education population to be successful in community college. This study will focus on

learning disabled young adults, ages 16-24, who are receiving support services in the Fox Valley

Region of Illinois. The young adults, families, and educators will receive a survey requesting

information on the various methods used during the transition to college and why some students

do not continue their education past high school.

Background and Review of Related Literature

Introduction

Students with disabilities have a difficult time transitioning from high school to a college

or university. Resources available in high school do not always move with students to higher
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education. For this study research is used to define students with disabilities and qualifications

for Individual Education Plan (IEP). Additionally, the researcher will locate studies on college

transition, students with disabilities success in college, and why students with disabilities fail to

attend, succeed, and complete college. Also, for those students who succeed it is important to

research when the transition process started, who was involved, and what methods were used to

achieve success. While searching for the background information and research studies, the

researcher used both Google Scholar and the Northern Illinois University Libraries Journal

Databases, such as ERIC. The researcher’s search terms consisted of ; special needs students

college transition, disabilities and college success, IEP qualifications, and resources for college

students with special needs. From these searches the researcher narrowed down which factors

will be closely examined for the purpose of this study. The themes that will be closely examined

are college students with previous IEPs, effects of additional support given to students with

disabilities during their college transition, effects of disabled students who were not given

transition support, and who was involved and when they joined in the transition process.

It is important to understand the process and purpose of an IEP to help identify what the

student requirements were in high school. For the purpose of this study, the researcher will not

delve deeply into the IEP but give a general overview. An IEP is a written statement for a child

with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in a meeting with an IEP team . The

IEP is a written record of the decisions made by the IEP team. It further serves as a commitment

to services needed to meet a student’s individual learning needs. It services as a communication

tool for parents and school personnel. The IEP has two general purposes: To establish

measureable annual goals for the child and to state the special education and related services and

supplementary aids and services that the school system will provide to the child (Center, A. P. E.
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2006). When developing an appropriate IEP for a child with a disability, the IEP considers the

child’s involvement and participation in areas of school life. The IEP is developed by a team of

school personnel and the child’s parents. The team includes parents of the student, at least one

special education teacher, a regular education teacher, a representative of the school with the

authority to commit district resources, a person who can interpret evaluation data, the student

when it is appropriate, and representatives of any other agencies that may be responsible for

paying for or providing transition services. (Center, A.P.E. 2006).

Research

To understand the impact of transition plans and the impact college has for students with

disabilities the researcher examined articles that discuss the results of disabled students who do

not attend college or who fail to complete it. The importance of effective transition planning for

students with disabilities is becoming more apparent as outcome and longitudinal studies report

dismal postschool outcomes for these students (Collet-Klingenberg, 1998). Post high school

students show high rates of unemployment and low earnings. Additionally, within five years of

graduating high school 31% of students with learning disabilities had been arrested and 50%

were parents (Collet-Klingenberg, 1998). 17% of the students with diagnosed learning

disabilities attend college after graduation from high school (Collet-Klingenberg, 1998). Many

transition plans for students with learning disabilities suffer because they often focus on the

employment needs of students with more severe cognitive and physical disabilities and they are

not required until as late as 14 years old. This is too late for many students with learning

disabilities. Lack of effective transition planning results in inadequate postsecondary adjustments

( Cummings, Maddox & Casey 2000). Once students transition to college these individuals were

less likely than other students to have attained a degree after 5 years.
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A person with disabilities is entitled to receive certain accommodations. Federal

legislation requires that students with disabilities receive services to assist them in the transition

from high school to postsecondary life. Transition services must address students' understanding

of their disability, learning strengths and weaknesses, career decision—making skills, and

preparation for the increased demands of postsecondary education (Janiga, 2002). In fact, the

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) says no discrimination should take place against

anybody who is disabled. Colleges are required to allow all students an equal opportunity for

success. Students must take advantage of that opportunity.

Through grade school and high school, parents and special education teachers help

provide guidance on student accommodations. Once students arrive at college they are entitled

only to the help that allows them to use accommodating techniques in order to overcome their

disability. What constitutes a reasonable level of accommodation’s shifts from the Individuals

with Disabilities Education Act used during high school to the ADA used in college.

Additionally, the responsibility for requesting for provisions falls directly on the student.

Various methods of support have been identified once students enter college. One study

conducted in 2013, by two professors from Texas Tech University, researched the availability of

disability services on college websites. The researchers analyzed data on 40 community college

websites throughout the United States. The community college websites were analyzed on three

dimensions including: (1) the accessibility of disability services information on community

college websites, (2) the distance of information regarding disability services from the

homepage, and (3) the accessibility and availability of disability services information that might

be provided to students with disabilities via the website (Jackson and Jones, 2013). The findings

of this study suggested variations in the accessibility of disability services information on

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community colleges websites. They found that information regarding disability services was

difficult or impossible to locate from several of the websites (Jackson and Jones,2013). The

homepages of the community college websites explored in the study were plentiful regarding

information for current students, prospective students, and for faculty and staff. But information

for disabled students on services was difficult to find or non-existent.

Another study conducted by 3 professors from various community colleges in California

examined community college faculty and student attitudes and actions toward inclusive teaching

practices based on tenets of Universal Design. Two online surveys, the Inclusive Teaching

Strategies Inventory (ITSI) and the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory-Student (ITSI-S),

were administered at a medium-sized Northeastern public community college (Gawronski1, Kuk,

and Lombardi, 2016). Results showed significant differences among faculty in overall action

scale scores based on age and ethnicity. Results from the study provide insights regarding

attitudes toward inclusive instruction in the community college environment and the need for

teacher buy in and execution.

An additional study conducted by Western Illinois University recognized that the use of

individualized accommodations as the sole method for resolving access barriers in the classroom

is neither sustainable nor equitable. Furthermore, this somewhat flawed methodology created

systemic barriers, placed the locus of control in the disability resource office, and reinforced

stereotypical thinking about disability (Smith and Buchanan, 2010). This survey focused on

changes to course design and noticed dramatic changes in support requirements when

information and testing practices where given in various methods. This had a positive impact on

both general education students and those requiring accommodation’s.

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This survey will build upon these previous studies by combining information from many

different sources. Many studies just focus in on one area of a special needs student’s

accommodations. This study will expand the window by taking into account all areas of

education and impacts on the special education population.

Procedures

Research Design

The research methodology for this study will be descriptive. Descriptive research

methods describe situations. They do not make accurate predictions, and they do not determine

cause and effect. Descriptive studies describe a state of affairs as fully and as carefully as

possible (Fraenkel, Wallen, & Hyun, 2015). This methodology is appropriate for this study

because in educational research, the common descriptive research methodology is the survey, as

when researchers summarize abilities, preferences, behaviors, and so on of individuals or groups

(Fraenkel, Wallen, & Hyun, 2015). This methodology is appropriate because the survey with

focus on questions posed to students, parents, teachers, and professionals on transition

difficulties and suggestions for improvements.

Sample

The participants in this study are a sample of willing high school students, parents, and

teachers who live in the Waubonsee Community College area. Additionally, students and

professionals from Waubonsee Community College will participate. The primary instrument in

this study will be a survey. In this survey method, participants answer questions administered

through interviews and questionnaires. After participants answer the questions, the researcher
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described the responses given. The researcher hopes to find 80 individuals that are willing to

participate in the study.

Instrument

According to Izzo, Murray, and Novak (2008) students with disabilities in postsecondary

education continue to face barriers in terms of participation, retention, and degree completion.

This survey will be conducted on students who had or currently have an Individualized

Education Plan (IEP) in high school. Descriptive statistics will describe and summarize the

quantitative information from the survey about the sample. It includes such summary measures

as: Mean ( the average), Median (the value at which half of the values are above, and half are

below) and Frequencies (the percentage of responses that fall into a set of categories). Means

and standard variations will be reported for the dependent variable, college graduation, as well as

other variable such as outside support, and parent involvement. Frequencies and percentages will

be reported for other variables such as disability, gender, and age. These categories will be

summarized using pie graphs.

Demographics for this sampling are age range 17-24, with an even split for gender.

Ethnic breakdown with be in proportion to the regional population with 70% caucasian and 30%

minority. Subjects will be residents of the Fox Valley region.

This descriptive survey does not have dependent and independent variables. The

following questions will function as variables: What is the accessibility of disability services

information? What resources are currently in place to support the students? Are transition

services implemented early enough to make a smooth transition? What is the impact of the

development of e-mentoring relationships between students and faculty? Is the disability

resource department providing accessibility modifications properly?

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This will be a convenience sampling due to the need for individuals to willingly provide

information over a period of time. Approval will need to be obtained from parents, students, the

community college, and high school teachers and administrators prior to conducting this survey.

Procedures

The participating students will be recruited from the special education population in

Aurora, Geneva, Batavia, and St. Charles. The students and parents (if required) will sign a

consent form, and answer questions about their disability. The researcher will then review the

questionnaires and sort out those students who do not qualify for the survey. Each remaining

participant will then receive a survey. After completion, additional surveys will be sent out to

educators at the high school and community colleges. All survey will be compiled after receipt

and follow up questions will be asked, if required.

Internal Validity

There are four threats that apply to the internal validity of the study. The four threats are:

subject characteristics, maturation, morality, and attitude. The first threat subject characteristics

is a threat due to differences in the special needs population. The differences in characteristics

impact on cognitive ability will needs to be controlled. To do this, parameters will be set on

capabilities of students in the survey. The second threat is morality. This is a threat to the study

because once students join the study they might change their mind about attending college. To

ensure the study is valid surveys will only go out to those students who have applied for college.

The third threat is maturation of the students. Students who have been placed in special

education classrooms most of their school years might grow without supports by just learning

from their general education peers. The final threat is attitude. Students might initially start with
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a positive or negative attitude which can change over time. To control this the study will separate

the different attitudes into categories.

External Validity

Some students have been told most of their academic life that after high school there are

no more opportunities. With lack of knowledge of programs and low self-esteem many students

might not choose to attend college. Lack of funds would inhibit the ability to provide technical

and personal assistance to the identified students. Most students have some kind of

paraprofessional support throughout high school-It would be hard for them to be successful

without a tutor or aid.

.
Statistical Techniques

The students will take the survey during their high school year and /or their freshman

year in college. The students will take the support survey. Upon completion the data will be

scored and prepared for data analysis. Each answer to a question will be assigned a numeric

value from 5 to 1 . To simplify scoring, numbers will be preassigned to each question.

Descriptive statistics will help summarize the overall trends and tendencies. The mode score

associated to the answers to the questions will provide the most useful information for this

survey. This information will be then be plotted on a pie graph and analyzed to see where

strengths and weaknesses are represented.

Ethics and Human Relations

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Threats to Participants

This study poses minimal threats to participants. The students will receive a first hand

explanation of the process of collecting information for the survey. A signed consent form will

be required to ensure communication between the schools and researcher has been approved.

Confidentiality will be respected throughout the research process. If a student becomes

uncomfortable with questions asked the interviewer can delay the questions and return at a

different time.

Entry into setting

The primary researcher is a graduate student at Northern Illinois University. She will

contact high schools in the Fox Valley Region that fall into the Waubonsee Community College

area of operations. The researcher will also contact Waubonsee Community College to notify

them of the survey.

Cooperation of the Research Participants

To encourage participants to join and stay in the study, there searcher plans to tout the

benefits of the survey. The researcher upon conclusion of the survey may become an advocate

for the students and help with their college transitions and /or current college support system.

Time Line

The study will take approximately 24months to complete. Participants will be recruited

from the Fox Valley area to include Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, and St.Charles during the first 6

months. The students will then receive an initial survey to ensure they meet the study
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requirements, 2 months. Once the initial survey requirements have been met, the signed consent

will be completed and survey sent out to all participants. The survey will last 9 months with

follow up questions, an additional 3 months. The final 4 months will be devoted to analyzing the

results.
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References

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C.A. § 12101 et seq. (West 1995).

Center, A. P. E. (2006). WHAT IS AN IEP. Retrieved from

http://idea.ed.gov/download/finalregulations.pdf.

Blackorby, J., & Wagner, M. (1997). The employment outcomes for youth with learning

disabilities: A review of the findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study of special

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(pp. 57—74). Austin, TX:

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TX 48757-6897.

Collet-Klingenberg, L. L. (1998). The reality of best practices in transition: A case study.

Exceptional Children, 65(1), 67.

Cummings, R., Maddux, C., & Casey, J. (2000). Individualized transition planning for students

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RESEARCH PROSPECTUS 18

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