04/09/2021
By Robin Hall

The College of Education invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Kathleen Boynton on “High School Teacher Efficacy and Expectations Regarding Secondary Students With and Without Learning Disabilities.”

Date: Friday, April 23, 2021
Time: 10:30-11:30 a.m. EST
Location: This will be a virtual defense via Zoom. Those interested in attending should email James_Nehring@uml.edu at least 24 hours prior to the defense to request access to the meeting.

Dissertation Chair: James Nehring, Ed.D. Professor, College of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Dissertation Committee:

  • Michaela Wyman-Colombo, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus, College of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Catherine O'Connell, Ed.D., Scholar in Practice

Abstract:
Teachers with high self-efficacy and high expectations for students create conditions for enhanced student learning and enhanced student self-efficacy. Conversely, teachers with low self-efficacy and low expectations for students create conditions that limit or restrict student learning and weaken student self-efficacy. Teachers often have lower behavioral expectations for students with disabilities, holding them to a lower standard of expectations than students without disabilities. The challenge and charge for schools with a traditional hierarchical college preparatory program where students are often tracked based on a label is how to put theory into practice and implement classroom and school-based practices to create high expectation teachers within a high expectation school climate that possesses collective efficacy about learners and learning. At Galaxy High School, students with moderate disabilities, in particular those with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), are underrepresented in upper level classes and have lower grades compared with students without disabilities throughout their classes. College Preparatory classes are oversubscribed with students with disabilities, and teachers self-report they are struggling to effectively teach students in these classes. Teachers at Galaxy High School self-report more globally that they do not believe they have the skills to effectively teach students with disabilities in any class level, most especially in Honors and AP courses. The lack of teacher efficacy regarding teaching students with moderate disabilities and lower teacher expectations for students with disabilities in their capacity to learn or perform at high levels at Galaxy High School has created a self-fulfilling prophecy of low achievement and low self-efficacy for this subset of students. The study design examined the use of Universal Design for Learning principles to positively impact teacher efficacy and the engagement of students with and without disabilities.