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This mixed methods study examined preservice teachers' growth in content knowledge and self-efficacy for teaching reading as they participated in a literacy course/reading clinic practicum with those not enrolled in the experience. Groups were compared on three measures using a pretestposttest design. Additionally, five preservice teachers from the treatment group were interviewed at three points during the semester. Quantitative measures documented that both groups began the semester with moderately high self-efficacy and low content knowledge, but the treatment group ended the semester with more significant gains in knowledge and self-efficacy. Content knowledge and self-efficacy were highly correlated at the end of the semester, indicating that as preservice teachers gained knowledge, they also gained self-efficacy. Qualitative interviews provided insights into the factors that facilitated the growth.

In the area of written expression, students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) typically perform one to two grades below their same age, non-disabled peers. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research on writing interventions to improve these outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a persuasive writing strategy called POWER UP to improve the quality of persuasive essays for secondary students with EBD. The results suggest that a mnemonic strategy based on the Self-Regulated Strategy Development Model (SRSD) can improve the quality of persuasive writing essays for secondary students with EBD.

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate graduate students' perceptions of a completely online master's degree program in special education for emotional and behavioral disorders. The Community of Inquiry survey was used to examine graduate students' perceptions of the online program in the areas of teaching, cognitive, and social presences. The results suggest that teaching and cognitive presence can be addressed with a high level of satisfaction in an online program. Activities related to creating a social presence within an online program may need additional attention. Given the limited amount of research on how to evaluate online teacher preparation programs, the findings from this study provide a starting point for determining the effectiveness of online programs in education.