Beth Tuckwiller
Dr. Beth Tuckwiller is an Associate Professor of Special Education and Disability Studies at the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the George Washington University. She earned her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Virginia, and holds a B.S. in Psychology and an M.S. in Counseling Psychology. Dr. Tuckwiller was trained in the field of mental health counseling, and focused her clinical work on children and adolescents. She also taught high school students identified with emotional, behavioral and/or learning disabilities, and co-coordinated school-based social, emotional and behavioral programming to improve educational experiences and outcomes for students.
Dr. Tuckwiller's current research investigates the nonacademic variables associated with teaching and learning in special education and community programming. She investigates positive psychology constructs and skills including optimism, mindset, hope, mindfulness, strengths building, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction to better understand their roles in the holistic development and post-secondary transition experiences of students with disabilities. She also investigates the relationships of these variables to the professional preparation, experiences, and retention of special education teachers. Broadly, her work functions to promote increased knowledge of the malleable dispositions, personal constructs, psychological orientations, and skills associated with optimal functioning for children and adolescents identified with disabilities and the educational professionals who serve them. She is a faculty affiliate with the GW Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute and a Center Associate at GW's Center for Health and Health Care in Schools at the Milken Institute School of Public Health. She serves as an advisory board member for both the GW Center for Applied Developmental Science and Neuroeducation and GW's ISCOPES service learning initiative.
EdFix Episode 3: The Power and Potential of Positive Psychology for Students with Disabilities Is it possible to teach students to develop traits such as optimism, growth mindset, hope, perseverance, and resilience to help improve well-being and educational outcomes? Dr. Beth Tuckwiller and Dr. William Dardick talk about their joint research into the field of positive psychology--its potential for changing students' experiences in the classroom and the challenges of measuring its subjective factors.
Education
Ph.D., University of Virginia
M.S., Radford University
B.S., Virginia Tech
Publications
Dardick, W. R., & Tuckwiller, E. D. (in press). Optimism shapes mindset: Understanding the association of optimism and pessimism. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education.
Tuckwiller, E. D., Dardick, W. R., & Kutscher, E. L. (2019). A mixed methods investigation of mindset, grit, optimism, and self-determination in adolescents with learning disabilities and differences. Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 24(1), 19-32
Kutscher, E. L., & Tuckwiller, E. D. (2018). Persistence in higher education for students with disabilities: A mixed systematic review. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000088
Tuckwiller, E. D., & Dardick, W. R. (2018). Mindset, grit, optimism, pessimism, and life satisfaction in university students with and without anxiety and/or depression. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 6(2), 32-48.
Tuckwiller, E. D., Dardick, W. R., & Kutscher, E. L. (2017). Profiles of and correlations among mindset, grit and optimism in adolescents with learning disabilities: A pilot study. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 6(1), 44-63.
Tuckwiller, E. D., & Dardick, W. R. (2015). Positive psychology and secondary transition for children with disabilities: A new theoretical framework. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 4(1), 3-20.
Pullen, P. C., Tuckwiller, E. D., Ashworth, K., Lovelace, S. P., & Cash, D. B. (2011).
Implementing intensive vocabulary instruction for students at risk for reading disability. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 26(3), 145-157. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-5826.2011.00334.x
Azano, A., & Tuckwiller, E. D. (2011). GPS for the English classroom: Understanding executive dysfunction in secondary students with autism. Teaching Exceptional Children, 43(6), 38-43. doi: 10.1177/004005991104300604
Tuckwiller, E. D., Pullen, P. C., & Coyne, M. (2010). An investigation of at-risk kindergarten students’ responses to a two-tiered vocabulary intervention: A regression discontinuity design. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 25(3), 137-150. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-5826.2010.00311.x
Pullen, P. C., Tuckwiller, E. D., Maynard, K. M., Konold, T. R., & Coyne, M. (2010). A response to intervention model for vocabulary instruction: The effects of tiered instruction for students at risk for reading disability. Learning Disabilities
Research & Practice, 25(3), 110-123. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-5826.2010.00309.x
Lindstrom, J. H., & Tuckwiller, E. D. (2009). Extended test time, read aloud and student characteristics: A summary of empirical findings. Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 15(3), 93-104.
Lindstrom, J. H., Tuckwiller, E. D., & Hallahan, D. P. (2008). Assessment and eligibility of students with disabilities. In E. Grigorenko (Ed.), Educating individuals with disabilities: IDEIA 2004 and beyond (pp. 197-225). New York: Springer Publishing.