Werts, M. G. (1998) Child academic engagement related to proximity of paraprofessionals (Students with Disabilities). Dissertation Abstract International, 59 (09A), 3407. (University Microfilms No. AAG99-06254)
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
THE FOLLOWING ABSTRACT IS POSTED WITH THE
WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
Paraprofessionals are persons who work in classrooms under the supervision of teachers or other certified personnel. The duties and responsibilities of a paraprofessional have changed over the past few decades and they may very from situation to situation. In some cases, reported activities include being a member of a collaborative team, guiding students in drill and practice exercises, or teaching instructional groups. Some teachers use paraprofessionals only for transition from one area of the building to another, while others appeared to use the extra assistance for teaching small groups and monitoring academic tasks. Recent authorizations of legislation that call for the appropriate education of children with disabilities have increased the use of non-professional personnel due to shortages in the supply of certified and qualified personnel to deliver services, as well as the cost of staffing schools with adequate numbers of teachers. The continued increase in the number of students with disabilities who are educated in inclusive settings may escalate the practice even more.
The increase in use of paraprofessionals has not been accompanied by systematic examination to determine if use of non-certified personnel leads to appropriate child outcomes, such as an increase in a child's academic engagement. This study examined the effect of paraprofessional proximity at two positions (less than 2 feet from the child and more than 5 feet from the child). A single subject alternating treatments design (n=4) was used to investigate the effects of proximity on academic engagement (passive, active, and non-engaged) and the nature and frequency of interactions between children with disabilities and the paraprofessionals in the two proximity condition. Results indicated that: (1) Occurrence of non-engaged behaviors is higher when paraprofessionals are positioned more than 5 feet from the children; (2) Occurrence of engaged behavior is higher when the paraprofessional is within 2 feet of the child; (3) For some, but not all children, active engagement is related to with verbal interactions with the paraprofessional.
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