No abstract

Promoting self-determination is essential to effective transition services and supports. The Goal Setting Challenge App (GSC App) was developed to deliver self-determination instruction via technology, building on the evidence-based Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI). This article presents data on goal attainment outcomes for students with disabilities who participated in a small, cluster randomized controlled trial (C-RCT) of the GSC App during the 2020 to 2021 academic year and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Findings suggest it is highly probable the GSC App enhances student transition goal attainment outcomes after one semester, with students three times more likely to attain their self-identified transition goals in the GSC App than in the business-as-usual condition. The impact of COVID-19 on implementation and sample loss is described, as are implications for research and practice.

Promoting student self-determination is recognized as the best practice in secondary transition planning. Few self-determination interventions have utilized technology to provide individualized learning opportunities. The Goal Setting Challenge (GSC) App was developed to provide a technology-based instructional approach to support developing self-determination. The purpose of this single-case study was to evaluate the impact of the GSC App on self-determination knowledge outcomes for students with disabilities and explore the feasibility of students’ use of the App in transition planning over an academic semester. Results were significantly impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, this created opportunities to explore feasibility during in-person instruction and the unprecedented shift to remote learning. Findings suggest mixed results related to outcomes for student use and feasibility but suggest the possibility of the App providing a student-friendly means for engaging in self-determination instruction during in-person and remote instruction. Limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed.