Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 18, 2011 Page: 64
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typical peers in school and com-
munity environments (Hardman,
Drew, Egan & Wolf, 2005; Lind-
sey & Gentry, 2008).
Plan of action
The researchers and teachers de-
cided to use case study methodolo-
gy because case studies are often
used in research with special popu-
lations (Pyecha, 1988; Swan,
2010; Yin, 1994). In addition, case
studies are used to describe best
practices in literacy development,
visual support systems, digital sto-
ry books and games, and interac-
tive technology (Gentry & Lind-
sey, 2008a; 2008b, Kasten, 1998;
Kluth & Darmody-Latham, 2003;
Lindsey & Gentry, 2009). Using
the grounded theory approach
(Creswell, 1998), triangulation of
data came from three sources: in-
terviews, field notes of observa-
tions, and products created by the
researchers and participants. Data
were coded to describe the par-
tipants' experiences and skill ac-
quisition. Similarities and differ-
ences were noted and described.
Content and technology applica-
tions for the study included inter-
active student involvement and
SMART technology (SMART
Notebook), i.e., SMARTBoard 660
w/ UF55 projector EDU.
Meet the students
The student population included
six students with ASD in a subur-
ban Texas school district. The stu-
dents ranged in age from 7-9 in
grades Ist - 3rd. All students were
included in general education and
special education classes through-
out the school day. All the partici-
pants used some type of effective
communication system, including
Pictures Exchange Communication
System (PECS) (Bondy & Frost,
1994), American Sign and orallanguage. The students included
one English Second Language
learner, two functional readers,
one nonverbal student, and two
students who were developing
basic literacy skills and had limited
verbal communication.
Information Gathering
Open-ended interviews were con-
ducted with the teacher and
paraeducators concerning each
student's preferences, learning
styles, literacy development skills,
Individual Education Plans (IEPs),
and Texas Assessment of
Knowledge and Skills (TAKS)
goals and objectives. Each student
participated in an introductory in-
terview. During the interviews,
each student chose his/her favorite
animal from a menu of zoo animal
photographs and animal puppets.
The students also had a voice in
the sequence of the lesson format
(e.g., song first, puppets, book
reading, etc.).
Getting Ready for the Zoo Trip
Pre-exposure is defined as prepar-
ing students for learning before
they are required to use the
knowledge or skill (Jensen, 2005).
Pre-exposure activities introduced
the students to the content needed
for utilization of the SMART-
Board (SMART Notebook ) and
targeted literacy development
skills (e.g., reading, vocabulary
acquisition, speaking, and general
communication) (Donaldson &
Nash, 2005; Hardman, Drew, Egan
& Wolf, 2005). For example, each
student chose his/her favorite zoo
animal, learned a common video
song about the zoo, listened to a
interactive read-aloud (Fountas,&
Pinnell, 2006) of Polar Bear, Po-
lar Bear, What Do You Hear?
(Martin & Carle, 1991) and
matched animals' pictures, animalThe researchers and
teachers decided to use
case study methodology
because case studies are
often used in research
with special populations.64
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Tarleton State University. Effective Schools Project. Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 18, 2011, periodical, 2011; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201694/m1/68/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.