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In this study, I will accentuation on the Quality Management System, why is it imperative
Quality Management
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IntroductionQuality is a saying which has been used for quite a while, heaps of books have been composed about it, and large portions of the world researchers have characterized it in a wide range of ways. In this study, I will accentuation on the Quality Management System, why is it imperative? What is it used for? What is the significance of having a Quality Management System? Numerous individuals think performing QMS costs a ton and all the profit is a bit of a paper which say that your organization is confirmed in having QMS so you can just hang this picture or authentication on the divider and tell your keen client that you have it (Kelemen, 2000). Truth be told, no faults on them, they have not used this system yet, they don’t have the foggiest idea about that this system spare a ton and a great deal of cash for organizations. They don’t have the foggiest idea about that this system make an element movement inside the organizations so everybody comprehend what he/she is doing, everyone comprehends his/her part, and everybody can feel being a critical piece of the methodology then everyone can work towards an agreeable and brought together target (Kelemen, 2003). On the other hand, having a considerable measure of profits obliges a sensible expense and in the same time it worth. There are a few association which are concerned and included in this issue, those associations have created a brought together gauges and those norms have its necessities. The International Standardization Organization which placed in Switzerland which have a commitment of 157 nations have created a standard which is worried about the QMS. It is known as ISO 9000 family and the ISO 9001 is the particular case that is worried about the prerequisite of the QMS. Obviously, that makes the requirements for comprehension these benchmarks with a specific end goal to get the declaration from the association which is approved by the ISO (Kelemen & Bansal, 2002). That likewise makes the requirement for the preparation which is vital for organizations to actualize the QMS. The measures have been produced the course of the quality history from requiring a quality control to a quality confirmation. Definition Quality by and large has been characterized as “How great or terrible something seems to be.” (Kelemen & Bansal, 2002). Specialists have a typical definition about Quality Management System, they have characterized it as “An arrangement of co-composed exercises to direct and control an association so as to persistently enhance the viability and proficiency of its performance.”What is a QMS?A quality management system gives organizations an arrangement of techniques that guarantee an ability to think way to the management of organizations. The Quality Management System guarantee consistency and change of working practices, which thus give items and management s that meet client’s necessities. ISO 9000 is the most ordinarily used universal standard that gives a system to quality management system. What is ISO 9000?
ISO 9000 is a bland name given to a group of benchmarks created to give a structure which a quality management system can viably be actualized in view of. What does it mean? (Kelemen & Bansal, 2002). To profit from ISO 9000:2000 there are ventures to consider. At First, an organization needs to characterize why it is ready to go or what for it is working together. At that point the following thing to do is to characterize the principle procedures or what to do. At that point the organization needs to characterize how to destroy it composing. So it needs to portray in composing how to do these courses of action and who is capable to do them. Finally, there must be an assertion amongst the organization.
Actualizing a Quality Management SystemThere are steps that each organization actualizing a QMS need to consider: Get the Standard Prior to an organization can start get ready for performing the Quality Management System, it will need to oblige a duplicate of the standard (Kelemen & Bansal, 2002). The standard is ISO 9001:2000 which is worried about the QMS. The organization needs to comprehend the prerequisite and be acquainted with it. Relegate a group and concur your method. The organization ought to start the whole performance transform by planning hierarchical method with top management. Obligation regarding a QMS lies with Senior Management; thusly it is essential that Senior Management is included from the earliest starting point of the procedure (Kelemen & Papasolomou-Doukakis, 2004).
Consider TrainingIn the event that the organization trying to execute a Quality Management System, there are a scope of workshops, classes and instructional classes ought to be brought by representatives concerned with the performance. These courses qualify the workers to be inside inspector of the system and outer evaluators for sub-contractors or suppliers.Review Consultancy OptionsThe organization can get guidance from free specialists on the most proficient method to actualize the quality management system. They have the involvement in performing a QMS and can guarantee to evade expensive slip-ups.Choose a registrarThe recorder is the third party, who come and evaluate the viability of the quality management system, and issue an endorsement in the event that it meet the prerequisites of the standard. Build up a Quality manual. A Quality manual is an abnormal state report that diagrams the organization expectation to work in a quality way. It diagram why the organization is good to go, what the organization proposition is, and the manner by which the organization is applying the standard and how the business is worked.
Develop support documentationThis is a systems manual that backings the Quality manual. It figure out what you do to finish an errand. It depicts who do what, in what request and to what standard.Implement your Quality Management SystemTo execute the system, correspondence and preparing are critical. Amid the usage everybody work to the strategies and gather records that depict you are doing what you said you are doing.Consider a pre-assessmentA reassessment by your enlistment center typically occur around 6 weeks after the start of the performance of the quality system. The reason for the reassessment is to distinguish territories where you may not be taking after the standard. This permit you to amend any zone you might before the genuine appraisal.Gain registrationThe organization ought to mastermind the genuine appraisal with the enlistment center. Right now the enlistment center will audit the Quality Management System and figure out if the organization ought to be suggested for enrollment.The Benefits of Implementing a QMSPerforming the Quality Management System advantages organizations from multiple points of view. The principal advantage of performing this system is to spare time. Since this system is concerned with the management of an organization’s every day rehearses which influence the work process which is in the end delivers the items to the client, this system tells where time squandered and why (Kelemen & Papasolomou-Doukakis, 2004). This system examination every single point in the entire procedures and serves to reject a percentage of the routine which is more often than not will be redundant. In some cases work process makes more strides, marks and inclusion of individuals who don’t increase the value of the work forms or to the last state of an item: thusly, taking out these little dreary points of interest can spare have of the creation time. Case in point, if a client needs to purchase an item, a management can be characterized as an item, and for the client to get his obliged item, the time is critical.
Client dependably asks this common inquiry, to what extent would take to accomplish this? In the event that an organization actualizes the Quality Managements System then the inquiry is effortlessly replied. Since it is anything but difficult to figure out what precisely expected to deliver an item then the estimation can be make effortlessly. In addition, if a client can’t hold up, then superfluous steps can be effectively avoided (Lewis & Kelemen, 2002). From here I move to the consumer loyalty which is the second advantage in my exploration of performing such system. Consumer loyalty is an essential component for organizations to develop. In the event that an organization has the system up and running then the client is guaranteed that every item is in the same conditions, shape and quality. Client require not to stress since the organization receiving the system and tailing it correctly.
The system tells everybody in the organization how every last process is carried out, so the outcome is ensured. The procedures are changing an info into a yield. To have a wanted yield, the way the techniques are planned assumes a critical part of the creation of an item which can be a management as specified prior. The third advantage is the procedures enhancements, a methodology can’t be enhanced until it is characterized and depicted in any case. Along these lines, implementing the Quality Management System requires the entire portrayal of techniques and methods. When courses of action are depicted and used, it is less demanding to wipe out unneeded ventures inside every procedure. Every time the methodology is used and the more the experience is increased then the more change can be made. Client necessities can create and differ in every venture, so since the organization has officially executed the system, if a client prerequisite has changes then it is less demanding for the organization to enhance the system process from where they stand instead of beginning planning all once again which obviously cost cash. From here, I go to the last and the most essential advantage which chopping down the expense and sparing cash. On the off chance that time is spared, and time obviously implies cash for all organizations, then cash is spared.
Pursuing continuous improvementQM theory additionally holds that “quality is a moving target and the quest for approaches to enhance performance is an endless mission.” Accordingly, directors ought to urge workers to always address how well they are getting along and take in lessons from their encounters, and use lessons figured out how to enhance authoritative achievement. Doing this guarantees to persuade representatives who wish self-improvement, gives them a feeling of achievement, and offers chances to have any kind of effect. This additionally permits open supervisors concentrate on accomplishing significant results as opposed to concentrating on maintaining a strategic distance from politically humiliating missteps. Constant change implies that quality turns into “the way the workplace works together.” Promoting proactive initiative QM theory additionally holds that “quality is less controlled by individual conduct than by system variables.” Accordingly, “quality is at last the obligation of top administrators on the grounds that they make the systems that generally focus performance results.” The idea of reliant work systems diverts chiefs’ endeavors from controlling and coordinating representatives’ conduct to enhancing the systems inside which workers work (Kelemen & Bansal, 2002). Also, as opposed to be faulted workers when things happen, directors ought to look to encourage continuous, aggregate, critical thinking. This practice holds that while there will dependably be above and beneath normal entertainers, when the system itself is enhanced, then the association’s performance makes strides. Human Relations Theory as a theory of brilliance for a school confirmations office QM is a participative management demonstrate that spotlights on fulfilling client desires by constantly enhancing the way business is directed or management conveyed. QM advances a “client first introduction.” Accordingly, the client first introduction holds that the complete figure any business examination ought to be its effect on the client. Also, the objective of the QM model is to give a deliberate approach to live up to clients’ desires.ConclusionQuality Management system is a subject which cannot be cover in such a short research paper. On the other hand, I attempted to raise the fundamental information about this staggering system which permit organizations to achievement and develop in the global business sector. Organizations which have used this system have ended up extraordinary overall and we can’t discover a global organization in Europe or somewhere else does not have it. Quality Management system advantage organizations in various ways.
Reference
Kelemen, M. (2000). Too much or too little ambiguity: the language of total quality management. Journal of Management Studies, 37(4), 483-498.
Kelemen, M. (2003). Managing quality. Sage.
Kelemen, M., & Bansal, P. (2002). The conventions of management research and their relevance to management practice. British Journal of Management,13(2), 97-108.
Kelemen, M., & Papasolomou-Doukakis, I. (2004). Can culture be changed? A study of internal marketing. the service industries journal, 24(5), 121-135.
Lewis, M. W., & Kelemen, M. L. (2002). Multiparadigm inquiry: Exploring organizational pluralism and paradox. Human Relations, 55(2), 251-275.
In 1830s, slavery primarily dominated the South, where it took place in various forms
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Introduction
In 1830s, slavery primarily dominated the South, where it took place in various forms. African Americans became enslaved on large plantations, small farms, cities, inside homes, towns, fields, and transportation and industry. Slavery is the one issue that scarred America and had long-term effects. Before the start of the Civil War, almost 4 million black slaves were enslaved in the American South. Modern scholars collected evidence that indicates that few slaves enjoyed their lives and accepted their fate of lack of freedom. The treatment of slaves in the South was characterized by rape and sexual abuse, denied education, and punishments such as whippings. Slave families tended to be split up when one or more members of the family were sold off and they would usually never hear from or see each other again. Prior to the American civil war, proponents of slavery maintained that slavery was a necessary good for both enslaved and enslavers. They defended enslavement based on its social and economic benefits. Some proponents insisted that majority of the slaves were content with their fate. However, J. Sella Martin, an African American abolitionist, countered the notion noting that content was a psychological defense mechanism to the dehumanizing inhumanness of having to watch spouses and daughters being sold off and raped. This essay discusses the extent to which southern slavery was maintained by violence and emotional, sexual, and physical abuse.
Punishment and Abuse
Slave owners administered punishment to their slaves by shackling, whipping, beating, hanging, burning, branding, mutilation, rape, and even imprisonment. Punishment was administered as a response to perceived infractions or disobedience. At times, slaves were subjected to abuse to re-assert their owners/masters’ dominance over them. Pregnancy was not a deterrence to punishment and there were methods used to administer the punishment without harming the unborn child (Livesey, 374). Slave owners often dug a huge hole for the woman to lie down and continue with the lashings. Slave overseers were tasked with punishing and whipping slaves. Some slaves were determined never to allow a white man to beat them, and if they resisted, that would be enough ground to whip them. A former slave that witnessed women getting whipped said that they would pray and scream, but some did not make a single sound. The slaves back seemed to have gotten used to the whip.
Slaves used to have a metal collar around their necks. The collars were heavy and thick with protruding spikes that made it difficult for them to work or rest. Slaves were also branded for identification purposes during the colonial era, but by the 19th century, it was used as means of punishment. Other common means of punishment included removal of teeth or front teeth, castration, and ear amputation. The strategies were used until the 1830s. These strategies were used to identify them in case they ran away. Additionally, most of them bore wounds from dog bites and shotguns that were inflicted by their captors. Slaves were often punished for various reasons, including breaking laws such as running away, working slowly, insubordination, impudence, leaving the farm without permission, or absolutely no reason to assert the master’s masculinity or dominance. Slave punishment was based on plantations, decentralized, and crafted in such a way so as not to diminish their worth as laborers. White masters punished slaves in public to set an example. At times men and women were punished separately. The Virginia Committee report of 1789 of the Privy Council notes that men would be shackled while women and girls would be left free.
Sexual Abuse and Rape
It was within the law for slave owners to use their slaves as sexual objects. As a result, slavery in the Southern states and across the states included a wide range of sexual abuse and rape. Forced pregnancies were common for the purpose of the sale of children. Most slaves fought against sexual attacks and some lost their life resisting them; others were left with physical and psychological scars. In the South, rape laws reflected a clear case of race-double standard. In the colonial period, black men found guilty of rape would be punished through castration and the punishment was changed to death in the Antebellum Period (Shuster, Hasan, and David, 46). On the other hand, white men were permitted by law to rape their female slaves. Boys and men also got sexually abused by their masters. Although historians started covering sexual abuse during slavery, few focused on the sexual assault of men as they assumed that only female slaves were victimized. Boys and men were forced into sexual activities that they did not have an interest in. The main problem with documenting men’s abuse was that they could not get pregnant and bear mixed-race children.
Slave mistreatment included sexual abuse and rape of women. Sexual abuse of slave had deep roots in the slave culture and the way it viewed women as enslaved property. Racial purity was behind the culture of sexual relations between black women and white women in the South, the same culture that protected sexual relations between black women and white men. What resulted were mixed-race children. A lot of women were subjected to rape and had less power over their families. Free women, children, men, and indentured servants were not immune of sexual abuse from their owners and masters. Children, particularly young girls, were raped by their masters, relatives and their master’s children. Similarly, slave women and indentured servants were abused. Because they did not have control over what they did or where they wanted, masters would manipulate them into risky situations such as making them sleep in the master’s bedroom for service availability or pushing them into dark fields. White and free women were permitted to legally charge their offenders for rape, but enslaved women did not have a legal recourse since their owners owned their bodies.
The Reaction of Slaves to Violence and Abuse
Enslaved people reacted differently to the violence and abuse meted to them by their masters. While some resisted abuse, others would not flinch or make a sound while being flogged. Physical punishments were extremely violent at times, which resulted in the refusal of sexual advances from masters by the women slaves. The responses of enslaved women to sexual advances of white masters varied. Some resisted sexual advances and fought back irrespective of the penalty they would get for their actions. Other women acquiesced as an attempt of self-preservation. In general, the sheer volume of survival testimony about personal, private, and stressful phenomena was a testament to the notion of abuse by white men in various positions being rife. A WPA respondent named Feaster that was enslaved in South Caroline described his slave overseer as a wicked man that took advantage of all slaves (Reece, 20). Enslaved women that were sexually abused were left pregnant and assaulted by their overseers and enslavers. The trauma they went through only worsened as they knew they had little capacity to keep themselves from harm’s way in the future.
The enslaved people saw long, strenuous, and monotonous days engulfed with a threat of violence. Slaves regularly tried to resist enslavement. On rare occasions, some slaves went to extreme levels of attempting permanent escape, suicide, or even killing their masters. However, most slaves resulted in more less dangerous and subtle strategies of resistance. Because only dangerous and extreme measures could render laves free, women slaves in antebellum frequently took part in numerous resistance forms which operated efficiently in the system on a day-to-day basis. The resistance of enslaved women took place on a spectrum that ranged from outright resistance to reproductive resistance to subtle resistance like cultural defiance (West and Erin, 1007). The participation of women in various resistance forms were linked with immediate environments through field and housework. Men and not women were the main organizers of revolts, although they had strong ripple effects on the women. The revolts were rife during colonial times prior to the establishment of infrastructure and state laws designed to increase the control of white people over enslaved people.
Conclusion
In closing, the experiences of the enslaved population, including men, women, and children in the Southern States of America, was a demonizing and horrifying experience. Slavery robbed men slaves of wives, children, a home, hard-earned earning, friends, knowledge, a society, and everything else that makes life more desirable. Slaves suffered various forms of punishment, including rape, hanging, shackling, whipping, burning, rape, forced pregnancies, and imprisonment. To make the matter worse, being pregnant was not an excuse for escaping punishments as masters had devised a way of administering punishment without causing the baby harm. While some slaves could take the torture, some of them caved in and resulted to suicide or ran away. Some slaves resisted violence and sexual abuse although doing so was considered insubordinate and would attract more punishment.
Works Cited
Livesey, Andrea. “Conceived in violence: enslaved mothers and children born of rape in nineteenth-century Louisiana.” Slavery & Abolition 38.2 (2017): 373-391.
Reece, Robert L. “Genesis of US colorism and skin tone stratification: Slavery, freedom, and mulatto-Black occupational inequality in the late 19th century.” The Review of Black Political Economy 45.1 (2018): 3-21.
Shuster, Kate, Hasan Kwame Jeffries, and David W. Blight. “Teaching hard history: American slavery.” (2018).
West, Emily, and Erin Shearer. “Fertility control, shared nurturing, and dual exploitation: the lives of enslaved mothers in the antebellum United States.” Women’s History Review 27.6 (2018): 1006-1020.
Improving the Reading and Comprehension for Kindergarten Pupils with Autism and Impaired Speech Disability Using Story Struct
Improving the Reading and Comprehension for Kindergarten Pupils with Autism and Impaired Speech Disability Using Story Structure Maps
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Introduction
For years, many schools in America, especially Kindergarten and high schools, have improved their learning facilitation through story structure maps. Story structure maps are visual strategies used as graphic organizers in nearly all learning institutions to facilitate students’ better reading and understanding of concepts, especially those with disabilities (Gardill & Jitendra, 1999). Students have profited from this strategy and improved their grades and overall performance at school. Students with disabilities, particularly autistic students and those with impaired speech, have benefited immensely from the story structure maps (Grunke et al., 2013). Studies show that children with autism spectrum disorder have above average or average intelligence. It means that they grasp knowledge faster and have better information processing than their peers who are not on the spectrum. However, Students with autism struggle to maintain focus and grasp content beyond their interest range. Most children with autism have sensory issues that hinder their concentration while performing tasks or during lessons. Stimulants that barely register in the brain of individuals who are not in the spectrum distract them easily. Examples of these stimulants include but are not limited to sounds, clothing textures, classroom physical sensation, and bright lights. Noisy and smelly environments complicate learning for autistic children because it overwhelms and puts too much pressure on them.
To understand how story structure maps and character event maps, it is essential to understand the meaning of reading comprehension. Reading comprehension refers to the extraction of sense from reading or context. It is the ability to construct and extract text from the information presented in written form (Babyak et al., 2000). It includes but is not limited to the ability to flow with passage organization, know the meaning of words, identify literary devices, and extract main concepts from a passage and reference it. Reading comprehension is vital for learning in various institutions (Drill & Bellini, 2022). Instructors strive to help students achieve the lowest level of reading proficiency to crack and complete tasks ahead of them successfully. They develop techniques and adopt various strategies to help students understand concepts and achieve their academic and social goals. Story structure maps
Teachers use reciprocal teaching, an instructional activity to help students synthesize information and make appropriate references to a passage. They actively engage students in conversations and dialogues regarding different passage sections to extract knowledge and construct meaning (Taylor et al., 2002). Graphic organizers are also a technique instructors adopt to help children with autism and impaired speech create meaning from passages. This study tool enables children to reduce semantic information levels needed to process a text and eventually find meaning and understanding.
Statement of the problem
The purpose of the study was to establish how story structure maps and character event maps improve reading comprehension for kindergarten students with speech impairment and an autism spectrum disorder. This research attempted to provide information relevant to kindergarten learning institutions with students with impaired speech and ASD disabilities. The study tried to give instructors at the kindergarten level inferences through data collected on improving their students’ performance using visual representations, particularly the story structure maps. It would be an eye-opener for public school administration in the sense that they learn to appreciate and embrace curriculum changes quickly and positively. This study also focused on the significance of paying attention to students with disabilities in learning institutions. It attempts to broaden the information base of parents with children suffering from ASD and speech impairment and prompt them to evaluate schools, their knowledge administration, students’ wellbeing policies, and their performance as well. It is vital to comprehend that instructional activities and an instructor’s enthusiasm and assertiveness influence the performance of autistic and speech impaired disabilities.
Rationale
The current research analysis shows that reading comprehension for ASD and speech impaired students requires complex skill sets in its practice and delivery (Davis, 1994). Although there are similarities in symptoms, academic and social struggles students with ASD and impaired speech suffer from, teachers must treat each individual uniquely and differently. They ought to attend to them individually and comprehend their personality, willingness to learn, and improvement levels to determine how to help them develop and grow their minds healthily (Boulineau et al., 2004). Individual differences make it a sensitive cognitive process requiring instructors to be wholly involved in the practice, dedicate, sacrifice, and be patient with such students. Story maps are the most used graphic organizers in learning institutions because they are easy to implement compared to other forms. Moreover, they give children with ASD and those with impaired speech a clearer perspective of concepts in a text, maximizing their potential to derive meaning, digest, and make references where necessary.
Disabilities like ASD and speech impairment slow down students’ ability to concentrate in class, understand concepts and retain them in their memories for future reference. Teachers in different learning institutions, especially those specializing in children with disabilities, don’t grasp the intensity and the need for graphic organizers. This characteristic of such students shows the significance of visual organizers, particularly the story structure maps, in facilitating learning (Narkon et al., 2013). Visual support makes learning interesting for ASD and speech-impaired students. It involves minimal reading and allows them to participate and engage in practical activities with their peers without fear. Arranging topis and concepts’ pertinent aspects into patterns using labels enables such children to visualize and understand abstract contents, identify cause and effect, categorize relevant and irrelevant information and think logically given different circumstances.
Research questions
The following question guided this research paper:
Will the use of Story structure maps/character event maps increase comprehension in Reading for a Kindergarten student with autism?Literature Review
Learning institutions specializing in tutoring children or students with disabilities understand the importance of educating and enlightening students with disabilities. This aspect explains why they go the extra mile to incorporate visuals and graphic organizers to help them understand and be on the same level as other students (Stone et al., 2008). Autistic children and those with speech impairment must get an education as it affects their perception of things, how they adapt to their environment and social spaces, and who they become when they grow up (Davis, 1994). Research shows a positive correlation between failure to read and unproductivity and failure to grow and thrive in society.
According to the study ‘The Effects of Story Mapping Instruction on the Reading Comprehension of Students with Behavioral Disorders’ (Babyak et al., 2000), a potent language command in a learning environment is crucial for the growth and development of children. The study sampled three students in 5-8 grade with ASD, two males, and one female, in a small Midwest town. They received special education services identification. Different comprehension questions sets were handed to the participants for ten consecutive days. Their responses were recorded each day to determine their growth. The study concluded that the participants’ performance improved because of the specific structures and relevant story elements used in story mapping to enhance their understanding. It is safe to conclude that story mapping structures improve the performance of students with disabilities and their language. (Taylor et al., 2002) supported the study and claimed that language is the foundation of all communication, especially among children. It influences how they socialize, express themselves, experience their environments, and most importantly, assess, process, and understand information. (Boulineau et al., 2004) further added that a child’s literary skills correlate with their ability to communicate well verbally.
Statistics show that 8% of children in America between the ages of 3-17 have language and speech disorders (Gardill & Jitendra, 1999). As the study suggested, eight narratives derived from three different German stories claimed that children find it difficult to interact and socialize with their peers because social spaces are a trigger. In addition, they are more likely to struggle with self-esteem issues, confidence, poor grades, and general academic performance.
Over the years, Story-mapping techniques have been used, studied, modified, and assessed to determine their effectiveness on individuals with various abilities and different grades. Story mapping instruction was specifically designed to intervene and aid children with disabilities directly affecting their learning and constructiveness in class. Research 30% of grade improvements recorded from autistic children in the lower classes are attributed to story mapping instruction (Drill & Bellini, 2022). The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) published a report recently claiming that 88% of students with ASD in grades 3 and 4 display reading skills below the proficient level. The above percentage is alarming as it translates to many special needs students who still fall below the average performance line. Research conducted by (Grunke et al., 2013), ‘Analyzing the effects of story mapping on the reading comprehension of children with low intellectual abilities. Learning Disabilities’ involving six elementary-aged students with impaired speech. They received special education services in an interrelated resource classroom. The teacher used a checklist to ensure appropriate information, reliability in the study conditions, and participants’ consistency. It involved engaging students and encouraging them to use expressions while focusing on essential features, randomly calling participants to read passages aloud, correcting errors, and providing verbal feedback to respective students. The study determined that the environment where these children study is crucial for their wellbeing and quick grasp of knowledge and understanding (Grunke et al., 2013). A lot of factors can trigger their disabilities and distort their academic progress. Exposing them to a constructive and positive environment encourage them to work on their speech and perfect it despite their challenge. (Drill & Bellini, 2022) supports the arguments by adding that painting the inner class walls with children-friendly colors and images or structures symbols helps students grasp content without necessarily going through many books.
Story mapping structure instruction is an evidence-based strategy that has helped many students with disabilities, especially those in kindergarten, develop their reading comprehension skills (Jitendra & Gajria, 2013). Story elements analysis done by (Gardill & Jitendra, 1999) revealed that story mapping structures increase correct word sequence, number of words in a sentence, and story elements they can recall from a passage. The constant display and organization of textual features and the corresponding textual details allows children with disabilities to understand and retain content in their brains over long periods, thus improving their grades and class performance. In addition, the interaction with their peers in class and participation in group activities creates a comfortable environment where they can express themselves, be vulnerable, make mistakes and learn without any fear (Taylor et al., 2002). It is crucial that a child with autism gets comfortable and feels safe as it affects their willingness to interact and learn. Studies show that the subjection of children with autism or speech impairment results in basal comprehension performance and grammar stories.
Research Methodology
Research design
The purpose of the study was to establish how story structure maps and character event maps improve reading comprehension for kindergarten students with speech impairment and an autism spectrum disorder
This research used a correlation research design. Correlation research design allows for the establishment of the relationship between two very close variables that are connected (Imam et al., 2013). The research utilized mixed -methods of data collection to obtain qualitative and quantitative results. Quantitative results were obtained by getting accurate scores on the variables in the study and correlating them to determine their relationship. Correlation design was selected because of the nature of the variables in play. The relationship between the variables was thoroughly examined before the conclusion to use correlation design was reached. The study used a mixed data collection method to collect data relevant to the study. It means that the study incorporated both qualitative and quantitative analysis as a data collection method to gather necessary information for the study (Imam et al., 2013). This information would then be subjected to analysis and help the researcher draw accurate conclusions.
Participants
Participants agreed to provide information relevant to this research voluntarily. A school specializing in teaching children with disabilities in Miami, Florida, was selected to provide data and facilitate this study. The researcher narrowed down the study to grade 2 children. The school has a population of eight hundred students. Grade 2 has a total of thirty-two children. A quarter of the children in this class are autistic, while ten students are speech impaired.
Instruments
Since the study evaluated and compared performance data, the instruments used were descriptive and straightforward. It allowed for reliable and comparable data to be obtained, especially from diverse settings. The researcher identified tools necessary to conduct the research then sought approval from the material owners through email.
Advanced story map instruction: Effects on the reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities (Gardill, M. C., & Jitendra, 1999) discussed the various graphic organizers adopted by learning institutions to facilitate students’ learning and better understanding and retention of concepts. It consisted of a five Likert-scale questionnaire with two questions for each subscale in the questionnaire.
Face-to-face interviews consisted of eight open-ended questions. These questions were aligned to the interviewee’s perceptions concerning the effectiveness of story structure maps in enhancing reading comprehension. The interviewees were required to answer the questions provided by the researcher within a time frame of fifteen minutes.
Data collection
The institutional review board of Florida state-approved this research project. The researcher sought permission from the ministry of education to conduct this research in a special needs school (Johnson, 2017). The researcher went further to send requests to the selected school staff to volunteer and participate in the research project. Emails that explain what the research entails were forwarded to the staff members who had agreed to provide information to the project (Johnson, 2017). Information such as the importance of the research and the risks involved were included in the emails. Each survey participant signed the detailed consent form voluntarily. These participants were also required to sign a non-disclosure form provided to them by the researcher, limiting them from sharing any information about the research or questions with third parties. All participants in the study were kept confidential to protect them and the relevant information they provided out of their free will.
The focus group was summoned to one of the schools’ lecture halls. The researcher, together with a studies facilitator, conducted the sessions. The researcher aimed to obtain information through the answers they get from the participants and by observing their body language as they answer those questions. Participants were subjected to further probing on answers that seemed unclear to the researcher. The researcher angled the questions such that the participants gave their genuine opinions where necessary concerning the subject matter. The researcher asked the school administration separately to discover if they shared the same perspective with the students and the teachers. With the participant’s consent, the researcher recorded the conversations with the participant for reference.
The target group for this research was instructors of children with Autisms and those with speech impairment. One hundred questionnaires were rolled out in the selected institution. The participants were given two days to fill out the forms and return them to the administrative office, where the researcher would pick them up. Only 50 forms came back. Thirty forms had all the questions answered, while 20 contained at least three unanswered questions
Data analysis
Research Question (s) One:
Will the use of Story structure maps/character event maps increase comprehension in Reading for a Kindergarten student with autism?
The researcher conducted correlations analysis to answer the research question. The paired sample t-test was used to determine the relationship between instructors’ story structure map instruction on children with ASD and speech impairment and their reading comprehension. The story structure map instruction is the independent variable, while reading comprehension is the dependent variable. An improvement in the reading comprehension of a child with impaired speech or autism depends on the teaching instruction adopted by their teacher.
Conclusion
The positive impacts resulting from the application of story mapping structure instruction are evident in learning institutions, especially schools dealing with disabled students. However, the Performance statistics from such schools are still lower compared to the regular schools. Autistic children still struggle with their studies despite the various graphic organizers adopted in many schools. School management, through its teachers, should work closely with such students understand them at an individual level before administering teaching or giving out assignments. In addition, they should also commend them for completing reading assignments and achieving small goals. This action will boost their confidence and motivate them to continue working hard. Parents of children with disabilities should also partner with teachers for a child’s wellbeing. It will be easier to monitor a child’s progress, identify their weaknesses and strengths, and use the proper techniques to help them become better in their extensive reading.
Reference
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