Promoting Attainment of Transition-Related Goals Among Low-income Ethnic Minority Students with Disabilities

Abstract

The Choices-in-Transition Intervention was designed to promote students' attainment of transition-related goals through person-centered goal-setting, help-recruiting skills training, and case management support. Participants were 41 low-income, predominantly ethnic minority high school students with disabilities. The study assessed the types of transitionrelated goals participants set and their goal attainment outcomes. In addition, the study assessed students' help-recruiting skill development, help-seeking behaviors, and the help received during goal pursuit. The researchers predicted that participants' help-recruiting skills would be positively related to their help-seeking behaviors, help-seeking behaviors would be positively related to the help students received, and receiving help would be positively related to students' goal attainment. Results revealed significant increases in students' help-recruiting skills. In addition, 34% of participants sought help with their goals, 90% received help with their goals, 85% met at least one of their goals, and predictions about helping were supported. Implications for transition services are discussed.For more than a decade, researchers have gathered evidence that youth with disabilities have lower rates of employment and enrollment in postsecondary education programs than youth without disabilities (have identified a number of best practices to guide transition-related service delivery, including person-centered planning, student development, interagency collaboration, family involvement, and program evaluation. However, few studies have provided empirical evidence to link these practices to positive transition outcomes. Kohler (1993), for instance, found that most best practices have not been substantiated by empirical research, notwithstanding overwhelming support for their use among transition professionals. In addition, research that assessed use of best practices in schools around the country (e.g., Collet-Klingenberg, 1998;Hasazi, Furney, & DeStefano, 1999) revealed that even stable school environments faced challenges in adopting best practices for transition. Published transition research on best practices, to date, has not included under-resourced urban high schools.

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