Disproportionate representation of Hispanic students in Arizona's special education programs
by Rostenberg, Dalia, Ph.D., ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, 2010, 171 pages; 3425716

Abstract:

Disproportionality of ethnic minority students in special education has been documented in the research literature for decades with consistent findings of significant overrepresentation for African American and American Indian students. However, there has been less study of the representation of Hispanic populations. The present study examined patterns of disproportionality for Hispanic students across low and high incidence disabilities categories in unified school districts within the state of Arizona. In addition, the study investigated how several sociodemographic were related to disproportionality. Descriptive analyses and nonparametric procedures were used to analyze the data The results of this study revealed that several school districts were over-representing as well as under-representing Hispanic students across eligibility categories. Also, differences in disproportionality were noted depending on the measure and criteria used to determine disproportion. Moreover, the present study identified school factors that may impact disproportionality across eligibility categories including proportion of Hispanic students enrolled in a district, ethnic minority teachers, ELL students, students eligible for free and reduced lunch, teachers with higher education credits past a bachelor's degree and teacher experience. Limitations and suggestions for future studies are presented.

 
AdviserAmanda Sullivan
SchoolARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
SourceDAI/A 71-11, p. , Oct 2010
Source TypeDissertation
SubjectsSociology of education; Social psychology; Educational psychology; Special education
Publication Number3425716
Adobe PDF Access the complete dissertation:
 

» Find an electronic copy at your library.
  Use the link below to access a full citation record of this graduate work:
  http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl%3furl_ver=Z39.88-2004%26res_dat=xri:pqdiss%26rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation%26rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3425716
  If your library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database, you may be entitled to a free electronic version of this graduate work. If not, you will have the option to purchase one, and access a 24 page preview for free (if available).

About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With over 2.3 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. It is the database of record for graduate research.

The database includes citations of graduate works ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Of the 2.3 million graduate works included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 1.9 million in full text formats. Of those, over 860,000 are available in PDF format. More than 60,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.

If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site - http://www.proquest.com - or call ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.