The Impact of Personal Factors on Self-Determination and Early Adulthood Outcome Constructs in Youth With Disabilities

Abstract

Researchers in field of secondary transition have developed recommendations for increasing the quality of research in the transition field (Mazzotti, Rowe, Cameto, Test, & Morningstar, 2013) including increasing the inclusion of students from diverse backgrounds in research and systematically analyzing differential impacts of predictors of postschool success for diverse student groups in correlational research. Trainor, Lindstrom, Simon-Burroughs, Martin, and Sorrells (2008) highlight the need to understand that diversity and cultural identities are defined by multiple factors, including gender, racial/ethnic identity, disability, and socioeconomic status and that research and intervention development must consider these factors, as well as systems-level (e.g., school policy and organization) factors that affect outcomes. The importance of research with diverse groups is highlighted by research findings, using data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), suggesting that racially/ethnically diverse youth with disabilities are less likely to be employed competitively after high-school graduation, as are youth from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (Wagner, Newman, Cameto, Garza, & Levine, 2005). Disability label also influences postschool employment. For example, young adults with intellectual disability have much lower rates of paid employment than other disability groups, particularly those with high-incidence disabilities (e.g., specific learning disability, other health impairments; Newman et al., 2011). Outside of employment, systematic differences based on gender, disability, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status have been found in postsecondary access and community inclusion (Newman et al., 2011). Researchers have also systematically reviewed transition research to identify predictors of positive postschool outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities (Test et al., 2009). One factor that has been identified as having a significant and positive impact on postschool outcomes is promoting and enhancing self-determination (Dattilo &

Self‐determination and future goals in a sample of adults with intellectual disability

“…the goal to live alone). All this is in line with Shogren and Shaw () that reported as higher self‐determination levels were related to the achievement of goals related to community living and participation. Some of these goals include financial independence, employment, social relationships, independent living and postsecondary education.…”

“…(). Next, given results obtained by Shogren and Shaw () and McDougall et al . (), the second aim of this study was to test the predictive role of self‐determination on the number of future goals reported by people with ID.…”

“…), we expect that the future goals of people with ID will be characterised by content‐linkages to community living, health/well‐being and interpersonal relations. Moreover, given the results obtained by Shogren and Shaw () and McDougall et al . (), we expect that self‐determination can be a predictor of the number of future goals reported by people with ID.…”

“…Recently, Shogren and Shaw (), in an analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study‐2, found that higher self‐determination levels were related to the achievement of goals related to community living and participation, including financial independence, employment, social relationships, independent living and postsecondary education goals. These results are in line with research on self‐determination of people with disability that link enhanced self‐determination to more positive goal outcomes and higher quality of life (Wehmeyer and Schwartz ; Lachapelle et al .…”

The impact of personal characteristics on scores on the Self‐Determination Inventory: Student report in adolescents with and without disabilities

“…The degree to which this is a function of differential environmental experiences should be further researched, as should cultural differences in the definition and expression of self‐determination. As has been found in other studies with the Arc Self‐Determination Scale (Shogren & Shaw, 2017), the estimates for self‐determination scores increased the most with age for respondents with intellectual disability who identified as White, confirming the need, as has been suggested by previous research (Trainor, 2002; Valenzuela & Martin, 2005), for ongoing work considering the most effective ways to conceptualize and measure the development of self‐determination and interventions to support youths of varying cultural backgrounds.…”