Promoting the self-determination of students with disabilities has become the best practice in special education (Shogren, 2013). Higher levels of self-determination have been linked to a wide array of positive school and adult outcomes, including improved academic and functional goal attainment and enhanced access to the general education
Although the majority of research in the area of selfdetermination has focused on youth with intellectual disability and learning disabilities, researchers have asserted the importance of self-determination for all students, including those with autism. Wehmeyer et al. (2010) described the lack of research in self-determination for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) but indicated that promoting selfdetermination has become an increasingly important element in the education of students with ASD. They also suggested that this lack of research may be attributable to the fact that instruments to measure self-determination have not been adequately studied in youth with ASD. Without measurement tools, it is difficult to describe the self-determination status of youth with autism and to examine the impact of interventions to promote self-determination. However, there are measures of self-determination that have been developed and used across multiple disability populations, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, and emotional and behavioral disorders (
Score differences on the three component behaviour imply that the two groups have different instructional needs and therefore require differentiated instructional approaches. The three measures of the component elements of self-determined behaviour collectively separate the two groups, suggesting that the component elements should be considered in a combination as opposed to being treated as individual elements in the context of discussing self-determined behaviour.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation and probable predictive relationship between self-determination skills taught by special education teachers and the academic performance of students with disabilities from junior high schools in Taiwan. The subjects included teachers from resource rooms and self-contained classrooms (n = 106) and students with disabilities in these classes (n = 106). Two measures, the Teaching Self-determination Scale (TSDS) and the Basic Learning Competency Assessment (BLCA), were used to collect data. The Pearson correlation, bivariate linear regression and stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to assess the correlation and predictive relationship between the TSDS and BLCA. Findings showed a positive correlation between self-determination instruction given by special education teachers and the academic performance of students with disabilities. Educators' self-determination instruction was found to be able to explain 26% of the total variance of students' academic performance. Furthermore, teaching psychological empowerment and autonomy skills appeared to be able to best predict the academic performance of students with disabilities. The two variables were found to be able to explain 21.9% of the total variance of the students' academic test results. Suggestions and implications are provided.
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