Program
Special Education M.A.
Number of Pages
72
Year Approved
2022
First Advisor
Strand, Charles
Second Reader
Jan Mrozinski;
Abstract
This research will address three questions: 1) To what extent do people with disabilities participate in the political process, 2) What do studies reveal about social studies education for students with disabilities, and 3) How can teachers prepare students with disabilities to improve their knowledge of history and government and thereby better participate in civic and political processes. In particular, the thesis will suggest a number of instructional strategies and interventions to improve students with disabilities’ mastery of the traditional, heavily text-laden subject of social studies. The goal of this literature review is to synthesize this research in order to provide tools and strategies for working teachers. Students with disabilities often struggle on assessments in history, as do their peers without disabilities. According to comprehensive national studies, only a small fraction of students with disabilities are proficient in Social Studies. There are a number of instructional strategies and interventions which teachers can utilize to improve their students’ skills. Seven strategies discussed in this thesis: PACT, CoPD, CSR, CBI, TBL, SFA, and Concept Mapping focus on improving reading comprehension and content acquisition to improve students’ understanding of expository texts.
Degree Name
Special Education M.A.
Document Type
Masterʼs thesis
Recommended Citation
Biermann, M. L. (2022). Choosing Educational Strategies to Develop Social Studies Knowledge and Encourage Civic and Political Participation Among Students With Special Education Needs [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/882