Publications, Grants, and Honors - The College of Education

Utah in Search of an Education Future by David Sperry and Richard Kendell

Richard Kendall

David Sperry

David Sperry, Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy and former Dean of the College of Education and Richard Kendell, Regents Professor in Educational Leadership and Policy and the Utah Education Policy as well as Special Assistant to the UofU President, have authored a new paper entitled, "Utah in Search of an Education Future”, sponsored by the Wheatley Institution at Brigham Young University The paper represents what the authors learned from undertaking a year-long study to determine what citizens, educators, policy makers, legislatures, university presidents, media representatives and others believe are the key issues and concerns facing public education in Utah. It is also a reflection of the authors' combined 80 years of working with public education in Utah. The entire manuscript is available on-line by going to wheatley.byu.edu and clicking on Fellow Highlights.

School Psychology Faculty and Students Author Evidence-Based Curriculum for Autism Intervention

Dr. William Jenson and a research team comprised of Dr. Julie Bowen, Dr. Elaine Clark, Dr. Heidi Block and School Psychology graduate students Terisa Gabrielsen, Julia Hood, Keith Radley and Ben Springer are authors of a newly released social skills program for students with autism and social/communication difficulties. Superheroes: Social Skills materials and curriculum are based on 2 ½ years of writing and research in the area of autism interventions by the team. The program was rolled out at a national meeting of school psychologists in San Francisco in February, 2011. Superheroes Social Skills combines evidence-based instruction with fun activities and includes several innovative features, including “fast-hands animation”, peer modeling, and use of “comic” style readings to illustrate essential social skills. The program also provides a structure to support generalization of skills at home, in the general education classroom, and in the commons areas within the school.

Grant to Study College on Credit: Student & Institutional Factors Associated with Default

Hillman Nicholas Hillman, Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, has received one of five national grant awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (NPEC), and the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) to study the impact of tuition increases as students become more reliant on loans to fund their college education. Public policymakers have become increasingly concerned about students' ability to repay their debt upon leaving college. However, the student loan default rate has steadily risen since the 1990's and nearly one in ten students now defaults on their loans within two years of leaving college. This rate is higher for students attending for-profit colleges and for those who opt-out before earning a degree. Utilizing a nationally representative survey of college students, this study identifies the student (e.g. race, gender, academics, family income, etc.) and institutional (e.g. tuition, sector, financial aid, accreditation status, etc.) characteristics associated with defaulting on student loans. The research design employs a multi-level multinomial regression technique and the final analysis will include recommendations for designing financial aid policy levers that may help students and colleges manage default risks.”

New Article on Persuasive Writing Published in Major Special Education Journal

Rob O'Neill

Leanne Hawken

(not pictured Sharlene Kiuhara and Steve Graham)

A new article, focused on persuasive writing, is scheduled for publication in Exceptional Children, one of the leading national journals in the field of special education. The authors include UofU faculty Rob O'Neill and Leanne Hawken, along with Sharlene Kiuhara, former UofU Special Education PhD Program graduate and faculty member at Westminster College ,and Steve Graham from Vanderbilt University. The full citation is: Kiuhara, S., O'Neill, R. E., Hawken, L. S., & Graham, S. (in press). Effects of Self-Regulated Strategy Development on persuasive essay writing of high school students with disabilities. Exceptional Children.

Study Finds Sensory Experiences Can Impact the Activities Children Engage In & Enjoy

Susan Johnston

Susan Johnston, Special Education Department
(not pictured Joanna Cosbey and M. Louise Dunn)

A new study authored by Joanna Cosbey (Special Education PhD graduate and faculty member at the University of New Mexico), Susan Johnston, Professor in the UofU Department of Special Education and M. Louise Dunn, Pediatric Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at the UofU has found that program participation in social aspects of daily life is crucial to children's development. Although disability status is recognized to affect children's ability to participate in social activities, little is understood about the impact of sensory processing disorders (SPD), related to diagnoses such as autism, on children's social participation. A new study by researchers at the University of New Mexico and the University of Utah - Salt Lake City examined the social participation patterns of two groups of children ages six to nine: (1) children with SPD and (2) their typically developing peers. Results revealed that the two groups of children demonstrated similar patterns of activity preferences and use of free time. Significant differences were in areas related to intensity and enjoyment of involvement in their social networks.

The researchers found that children with SPD – who are either more or less sensitive to the stimuli around them – tend to have less enjoyment of activities that have rules and pre-determined outcomes (e.g., organized sports, puzzles, board games) than their typically developing peers.

“This is something people should be aware of for all children,” said Joanna Cosbey, PhD, OTR, lead study author and assistant professor of special education at the University of New Mexico, “but it is particularly important for children who tend to over- or under-respond to the sensory input present in everyday activities.” Additionally, children with SPD tended to have more limited social networks than their typically developing peers, potentially putting them at risk for social isolation. They reported spending most of their time with immediate family or alone, whereas their peers reported spending most of their time with extended family and friends. “While most children show a shift from engaging socially with immediate family to peers as they get older, the same shift wasn't seen in the children with SPD in this study,” said Cosbey. “Parents, occupational therapy practitioners, and educators should be aware of their limited social networks and provide structured opportunities for social interaction with age-appropriate peers. Ideally, these interactions should blend the activities that the children with SPD enjoy and can feel successful at with the social component.” Because play and social interactions promote the development of life skills such as cooperation, empathy, and independence, play should be recognized and valued as an important developmental activity for all children, particularly those with SPD. The data indicates it may be useful to examine the nature of activities children enjoy and those they don't enjoy in order to identify the prominent sensory features that support and also limit their social participation.

Reference:American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2011, Vol. 64, No. 3.

Recent Faculty and Student Honors

	Donna Deyhle, Professor in the Department of Education, Culture and Society has been selected as an Associate Editor for the prestigious American Educational Research Journal's(AERJ) Section on Social and Institutional Analysis.
	Monica Ferguson, Research Associate in the Urban Institute for Teacher Education and Associate Director of the College Asian International Program has been elected a Fellow of the American Speech, Hearing and Language Association (ASHA). The ASHA Fellowship is one of the highest forms of recognition given for an individual's accomplishments and is public declaration of outstanding professional achievement.
	Wazir Jefferson, doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy has received the Pete Suazo Social Justice Award from the College of Social Work.
	William Smith, Associate Professor in the Department of Education, Culture and Society and the Ethnic Studies Program as well as Associate Dean in the College of Education, is the recipient of Eastern Illinois University's College of Education and Professional Studies 2011 Leadership and Service Award.

Spotlight on Faculty Publications, Grants, and Honors

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