Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education research and physics education research, in particular, are currently struggling with a dearth of research into understanding the experiences and identity development of neurodivergent students. In addition, an even larger gap in research exists looking into nonacademic members who…

This qualitative dissertation employs portraiture methodology to investigate the lived experiences and perceptions of both special education students and teachers within a nonpublic school setting. Grounded in situated learning and constructivist theories, the study acknowledges the contextual construction of knowledge and students' active role in…

Black children and their families encounter systemic disadvantages in their journey to and through an autism diagnosis. Black families often experience social and systemic barriers to service use. Providing family-centered, psychoeducational interventions can reduce barriers to service access and utilization for Black families raising autistic…

Empowering parents of children with special needs emerges from supporting their decision-making processes and choices regarding the child's placement through legislation. The latest amendment of the Special Education Law in Israel aims to ensure the inclusion of students with special needs in the general education system, granting parents the…

Conventional letter- or number-based grading systems, though ubiquitous at all levels of education, do not optimize the learning experience. The philosophy of "ungrading" includes a variety of approaches that decenter or even remove numeric or letter scoring of student work in favor of descriptive feedback, opportunities for revision,…

In today's classroom, teachers have a lot of responsibilities to ensure that all students, including those with disabilities or exceptionalities, meet academic standards. This study aims to investigate how teachers' attitudes and confidence in teaching students with disabilities affect their effectiveness in inclusive classrooms. To collect…

Despite a renewed interest in music teacher education practices with real-world implications, the heterogeneity of learners is often daunting to early-career educators. There is a lack of specific and adequate coursework in undergraduate music education programs to prepare preservice music teachers (PSMTs) for teaching diverse learner populations,…

Students with blindness and low vision (BLV) are less likely to choose mathematics as a subject in the senior secondary years which may negatively impact future employment opportunities. Using a longitudinal qualitative methodology, three interviews were recorded with a student who is legally blind over a six-year period. Findings suggest that…

Music teacher preparation programs typically provide preservice music educators (PMEs) experiences working with many student populations, including students with disabilities. Researchers have shown the positive impact field experience and coursework has on PMEs preparation to teach music to students with disabilities (SWD). Yet, few music…

In-service general education teachers receive limited pre-service training in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems and strategies. Therefore, pre-service training should expose general education teacher candidates to the field of AAC and its benefits. This study investigated the efficacy of an online professional development…

Assistive technology (AT) supports engagement for individuals with disabilities by improving independence in daily living tasks, work and productive activities, learning activities, and societal participation. However, for many individuals, access to AT is limited due to high costs, device availability, and inability to be customized. The Maker…

The paper presents research conducted among Croatian primary school classroom teachers and subject teachers regarding their personal and professional beliefs about diversity. The notion of diversity in the context of education was presented as individual differences between students based on race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, abilities,…

In recent years, there has been growing awareness of the importance of representation in fiction books, to ensure all children and young people can see themselves reflected in what they read. Much of this work has focused, importantly, on increasing ethnic representation, yet there has been much less exploration of the representation of other…

Background: Despite the high prevalence of bilingualism in the United Kingdom, few speech and language therapists (SLTs) are bilingual themselves. Most SLT research on bilingualism has generated knowledge to inform service delivery for bilingual clients, but few studies have investigated how being a bilingual SLT influences one's professional…

Background: Service-learning (SL) programs have been shown to be effective for college students in developing positive attitudes toward people with disabilities (PWDs). Such positive attitudes are particularly important for Kinesiology (KIN) students as they are trained to become future health and fitness professionals. Purpose: The present study…