Doreen Ferko Image

Doreen Ferko, Ph.D.

Professor of Special Education
Program Lead Mild Moderate Service Needs Education Specialist Credential
Faculty Leadership Studies, PhD program and Leadership in Higher Education and Student Affairs MA program

Office Phone: (951) 343-4238
E-mail: dferko@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: YCTR B235
Office Hours:

Degree Major Emphasis Institution Year
Ph.D. Special Education/Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Purdue University 2001
M.A. Special Education/Specific Learning Disability California State University at Northridge 1995
B.A. Behavioral Psychology University of California at San Diego 1988
  • Courses Taught

    ECH 340, 350, 365, 375, 385, 525
    EDU 341, 411, 511, 541, 525, 541
    SPE 520, 546, 550, 551, 555, 558
    HED 520
    LDR 725, 735

  • Academic Areas & Scholarly Interests

    Dr. Ferko's research interests are in the following areas:

    * the use of Applied Behavior Analysis to address challenging/violent behaviors
    * cultural influences on behavior
    * science instruction for individuals with disabilities
    * service provision for individuals with disabilities in correctional settings

  • Teaching Experience at Institutions Other than CBU

    * California State University at Fullerton, 2001-2008
    * Purdue University, 1995-2001
    * Dubnoff Center for Child Development, 1990-1995
    * Ulysses S. Grant High School, 1993

  • Research, Presentations, & Publications

    Lee, D. L., Therrin, W., Hua, Y., Ferko, D. J. K., & Hoodak, G. (2012, October). Accepted. “Setting neutral” solutions for modifying content area instruction for students with EBD. To be presented at the 36th Annual TECBD Conference On Severe Behavior Disorders of Children and Youth, Tempe, Arizona.
    Lee, D. L. & Ferko, D. J. K. (2011, October). Why students with EBD don’t do homework. Presented at the 35th Annual TECBD Conference On Severe Behavior Disorders of Children and Youth, Tempe, Arizona.
    Ferko, D. J. K. (2011, May). The effect of student teacher rapport on student shoice of academic behaviors. Presented at the 37th Annual Convention of the Association of behavior Analysis International, Denver, Colorado.
    Ferko. D. J. K. & Ferko, T. (2011, February). Teaching science by linking inquiry-based activities to current events. Presented at the 48th Annual International Conference of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, Jacksonville, FL.
    Lee, D. L., Hua, Y. & Ferko, D. J. K. (2010, October). Some contributions of Applied Behavior Analysis to Teaching Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Presented at the 34th Annual TECBD Conference On Severe Behavior Disorders of Children and Youth, Tempe, Arizona.
    Sylva, J., Ferko, D. J. K., & Robinson, S. (2010, May). Beyond "I Got It": Moving from Acquisition to Adaptation. Presented at the 36th Annual Convention of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, San Antonio, Texas.
    Ferko. D. J. K., Prins, B., & Ferko, T. (2010, February). Living Science Activities for Teachers, Parents, and Students Presented at the 47th Annual International Conference of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, Baltimore, MD.
    Ferko, D. J. K., & Jung, W. S. (2009, April). Korean Parent’s Participation in the IEP Process. Presented at the Annual Convention for the Council for Exceptional Children, Seattle, WA.
    Ferko, D. J., K., & Jung. W. S. (2009, April). Korean's Perceptions of Disabilities and Appropriate Education for People with Disabilities. Presented at the 2009 Association for Educational Research Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
    Publications:
    Jung, W., Stang, K., Ferko, D. J. K., & Han, S. (submitted). Cultural influences on the ratings of behavioral problems, emotional problems and school adjustment, for Korean and Korean American adolescents. Journal of Comparative Education
    Jung, W. S., Stang, K., Ferko, D. J. K., & Han, S. (2011). A commentary on cultural influence impacting the education of Korean American adolescents. American Secondary Education, 40,31-38.
    Ferko, D. J. K., Jung, W., & Kim, S. S. (2010). Korean Americans’ perceptions and attitudes toward people with disabilities: Determination of inclusion issues. Journal of International Special Needs Education,13, 23-31.
    Ferko, D. J. K., Jung, W. S., & Huang, S. (2008). Beliefs about early intervention services for students with disabilities among Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans. Journal of International Special Needs Education, 4, 1-32.
    Ferko, D., & Jung, W. (2007). A qualitative study of Korean Immigrant parents’ participation in the IEP process: Their perceptions and barriers. The Asia-Pacific Journal of Inclusive Education,4, 1-32.
    Presentations:
    Ferko, T., & Ferko, D. J. K. (2009, February). Doing Science: Science Activities for Teachers, Parents, and Students Related Science Standards. Presented at the 46th Annual International Conference of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, Salt Lake City, UT.
    Ferko, D. J., K. (2009, January). 20 Ways to Address Challenging Behavior. Presented at the Joni and Friends Disabilities Ministry Summit, Pasadena, CA.

  • Church Membership & Activities

    Member of Cornerstone Bible Church, Fullerton, CA
    2002-2008 Pebbles ministry servant (birth to age 5). In
    2008 - Current Children’s ministry (pre-school to 6thgrade) 2nd and 3rd grade teacher.
    2018 - Current Care Group co-leader
    2016 - Current Women of the Word Leadership Team servant.

  • Community Service & Involvement

    Memberships:
    American Education Research Association
    Council for Exceptional Children
    Association for Behavior Analysis
    California Association for Behavior Analysis

    Community Service
    * Liaison to Stokoe Elementary
    * Board Member for the Access Center, Riverside
    * Activities Coordinator Trail Life USA Troop 611

  • Interests & Hobbies

    Interests/Hobbies
    Outdoor Activities

    Travel
    Canada
    Mexico
    Korea
    Japan
    England
    Germany
    Czech Republic
    Slovakia
    Aruba

    Family
    Married with two children

  • Personal Philosophy

    According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism “Man's chief end is to glorify God, [a] and to enjoy him forever” (http://www.creeds.net/Westminster/shorter_catechism.html). If we are to glorify God and enjoy Him, we must know Him. In light of this, my philosophy stands on three “chief or aims.” The first chief aim is developing effective teacher learners. To do this I need to first be a learner myself. I need to first be current in my own professional discipline. I need to assess where students are at, then use the assessment data to inform how I facilitate their pursuit of where they need to be. The second aim of my philosophy of teaching involves developing teacher scholars. Scholars are seekers/learners who are critical consumers and implementers of the literature related to their field. As a result they stay informed of current and validated practices so that they are on the cutting edge of their fields. Scholars are also masters of their discipline and contributors to their field. Whether it is a parent conference, school site in-service, conference presentation or journal publication, scholars are experts who people can turn to. The third pillar of my philosophy is developing the teacher leader. Leaders are a diverse group of individuals and leadership may be formal or informal however, the development of teacher leaders begins with the attitude that change can be teacher-driven. Teacher leaders are individuals who accept the responsibilities available for improving the educational success of students. This may begin within one’s direct sphere of influence but as one takes the initiative to lead, one’s sphere of influence grows. Whether this influence is formal, by way of leading a group or writing an important document, or informal, by way of the day to day interactions teacher has with others. Teacher leaders are also individuals who are grounded, influenced by a stable source of truth that helps them to understand the people and situations that they encounter.

    “Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire” (Yeats, 1865-1939)
    Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.