Jacob MacDonald

EDU671: Fundamentals of Educational Research

(MJI1420B)
Instructor: Kathy Hoover
June 12, 2014

Text-to-Talk (TTT) software benefit for Speech
impaired students.
Advancements in technology
Software and the students

Area of Focus Statement

Word recognition,
reading comprehension,
and decoding of words
Nonverbal special
education students
Need for better
communication
Explanation of Problem

Special needs students
Text-to-Speech software
Tablets or iPads
The use of this software
and devices
Define the Variables

How can I add the new
software to the already existing
modes of communication?
How can I make the software
easy for the students to use
without causing any problems?
How can I measure the
effectiveness of the software on
the students performance?

Research Questions

Student Control
Ability to communicate
Devices
Software

Locus of Control

Intervention/Innovation
Student contribution
Implementation of tablet/iPad with Text-to-Speech
Software
Family and Students Help sessions.

Students
Teachers
Family
Membership of the
Action Research

Negotiations
Administration
Special Education teachers
Family
Students
Ethical concerns

Philosophy of Education
Harm
Protection
Bias


Ethics

Timeline
The study will be
conducted throughout
the school year.

Approval
Time
Funding
Materials


Statement of Resources

Teacher questionnaires from other Special Education
teachers
Observations
Field notes
Archival Documents
Likert Scales

Data Collection Tools

Forgrave, K. E. (2002). Assistive technology:
Empowering students with learning disabilities.
Clearing House, 75(3), 122-26.
Lin, H. (2007). The ethics of instructional technology:
issues and coping strategies experienced by
professional technologists in design and training
situations in higher education. Educational
Technology Research And Development, 55(5), 411-
437.
Mills, G. E. (2014). Action research: A guide for the
teacher researcher (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Education, Inc.
References