Date of Award

January 2022

Degree Type

Open Access Dissertation

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

First Advisor

Todd McCardle

Department Affiliation

Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership

Second Advisor

Connie Hodge

Department Affiliation

Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership

Third Advisor

Raymond A. Lauk

Department Affiliation

Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership

Abstract

This qualitative case study explored barriers to seeking and obtaining academic accommodations for college students with identified learning disabilities attending a regional university in a Midwestern state in the United States of America. A biological model of inclusive education for use in higher education, developed by Hewett, Douglas, McLinden, and Keil (2016), was used as a guiding framework for the study. Semi-structured interviews, guided by a framework presented by Galleta (2013), were used to understand better the accommodation experiences of college students with identified learning disabilities. Thematic analysis was used to analyze transcribed data. Five themes emerged from the interviews conducted with the five participants (i.e., Lisa, Natalie, Kim, Andrew, and Sam). Three of the students (i.e., Lisa, Natalie, and Sam) identified as first-generation college students. Three of the identified themes were explicitly associated with the learners’ specific academic needs and characteristics which affected their educational outcomes: (1) insufficient knowledge, (2) identity issues, and (3) lack of self-sufficiency. The learner is at the center of the inclusive higher education model. Two themes dealt with barriers at the microsystem level, which are interrelated systems that surround the learner and affect how the student learns: (4) desire to avoid adverse social reactions; and (5) negative experiences with faculty.

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