Academic mindsets of students with emotional disabilities across the special education continuum

The case study investigates the academic mindsets of high school students with recognized emotional disorders along the continuum of self-contained educational environments. Students with emotional disorders experience a disproportionate placement in self-contained settings compared to peers with Individualized Education Programs. Lagging academic and social performance influence their ongoing skill development and the relationships within the educational environment. The study explores how non-cognitive factors, specifically academic mindsets, defined by Farrington et al. (2012) as “psycho-social attitudes and beliefs regarding academic work,” affect the students’ learning experiences across the continuum of settings. It highlights the malleability of these mindsets, their dependence on the students’ perceptions and beliefs about themselves and others in each learning environment, and how policies and practices, including grading, influence these perceptions. Employing a mixed-methods case study design, the research explores the relationship between the academic mindsets held by students with emotional disorders and the educational environments they experience. Findings reflect that students in more restrictive settings hold more positive academic mindsets compared to their peers who participate in more general education settings. Additional findings reflect that while students have positive academic mindsets in self-contained settings, they do not maintain those perceptions across settings. This study contributes to understanding the relationship between non-cognitive factors and educational settings, specifically addressing a gap in the research and implications concerning students in alternative learning settings and with disabilities. The findings underscore the need for professional learning around educational strategies and practices that foster positive academic mindsets to enhance the educational experiences of all students and tailored recognition of specific needs of students with emotional disorders across the entire continuum of settings.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Lowery, Brian T

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kalantzis, Mary
• Cope, William
• Magee, Liam
• Mason, Erica

• Emotional Disorders
• Academic Mindsets
• Self-contained Settings
• Grading

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Brian Lowery

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127249

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F127249