A Meta-Analysis of Interventions to Promote Self-Determination for Students With Disabilities

Abstract

Promoting self-determination is critical to enabling young people to achieve education-related goals and positive postschool employment, community participation, and quality of life outcomes. By developing skills associated with self-determination such as choice-making, decision-making, problem solving, goal setting and attainment, planning, self-management, self-advocacy, self-awareness, and self-knowledge, students with disabilities are better prepared to make purposeful decisions and choices. We conducted a meta-analysis of the literature on interventions to promote self-determination and associated skills with students with disabilities in the school context. We analyzed the types of interventions, populations of students with whom they were implemented, outcomes, and rigor of research. Results demonstrated that interventions to promote self-determination can be effective for students across grade levels, disability labels, and settings. There remains a need for increased focus on promoting self-determination within inclusive, general education settings with students with and without disabilities and of diverse backgrounds. Future researchers should also focus on the rigor of methodological design and associated reporting when conducting school-based research. Additional implications for research and practice are discussed.

Participatory Peer Research in the Treatment of Young Adults With Mild Intellectual Disabilities and Severe Behavioral Problems

“…The PPR model allows clients to guide and experience their own process of change, enabling immediate implementation of research results. This is especially important in individuals whose needs for self‐determination (contact, competence, and autonomy; Ryan & Deci, ) may be compromised, such as in young adults with MID and severe behavioral and psychiatric problems in residential care (e.g., Burke et al., ; Ditchman, Kosyluk, Lee, & Jones, ; Shogren, Wehmeyer, Palmer, Rifenbark, & Little, ; Shogren, Wehmeyer, Schalock, & Thompson, ). Although the PPR design is the weakest design from the perspective of robust experimental control, it is the best design from the perspective of client participation and fast implementation of study outcomes, empowering clients with MID to take more control over their life.…”

A Systematic Review of Replicative Self-Determination Intervention Studies

“…Research indicates that developing the skills associated with self-determination positively impacts the achievement of education-related goals, employment, community participation, and quality of life outcomes for students with disabilities (e.g., Burke et al, 2018). As noted by Wehmeyer, Field, and Thoma (2012), “Over the past two decades, promoting the self-determination of students with disabilities has become a best practice in secondary education and transition services” (p. 171).…”

“…Self-determination became a major component of legislated transition services when the IDEA reauthorization in 1990 mandated that the needs, interests, and preferences of students with disabilities be taken into account when planning for their transition from school to adult life (Bremer, Kachgal, & Schoeller, 2003). Since then, IDEA of 2004 and a large number of research studies and meta-analyses (e.g., Algozzine, Browder, Karvonen, Test, & Wood, 2001; Burke et al, 2018; Fowler, Konrad, Walker, Test, & Wood, 2007; Test, Fowler, et al, 2009; Wehmeyer et al, 2012 Wood, Fowler, Uphold, & Test, 2005) have emphasized the importance of promoting the self-determination of students with disabilities.…”

“…Instruction, repeated opportunities, and appropriate support are essential for developing self-determination skills (Wehmeyer et al, 2012). A meta-analysis of interventions to promote self-determination for students with disabilities revealed that various interventions promoted self-determination in students across grade levels, disability labels, and settings (Burke et al, 2018). Although the effect sizes were positive, ranging from a small to a very large effect, the authors noted a need for increased rigor in the quality of research.…”

“…Although systematic reviews have been conducted to examine literature on transition, the reviews were limited to studies published prior to May 2010 (Haber et al, 2016; Test, Fowler, et al, 2009). Burke and colleagues (2018) conducted a meta-analysis of interventions to promote self-determination for students with disabilities in which they studied the types of interventions, populations of participants, outcomes, and research rigor. Our study systematically reviewed literature published in 2007–2017 to examine current interventions focused on self-determination, specifically through the lens of identifying conceptual and direct replication studies.…”