Persistence in higher education for students with disabilities: A mixed systematic review.

Abstract

Students with disabilities contribute to the diversity of postsecondary campuses but face many unique challenges in completing their programs of study. The purpose of this systematic review was to develop an understanding of what is known about persistence in and graduation from higher education programs for students with disabilities, focusing specifically on malleable student-and institution-level factors that may influence persistence. This review integrates findings from studies that analyzed qualitative (16 studies) or quantitative (10 studies) sources of data. Quantitative data were converted into odds ratios, to allow for comparison across studies, and common themes were identified across the qualitative data. As a result of the integrated review, 13 facilitators, falling within three major domains (i.e., personal characteristics, academic and social engagement, and accommodations) emerged as potentially related to postsecondary education success. This review provides a starting point for institutions and researchers as they work to advance postsecondary students with disabilities in achieving their academic and future goals.

Specialist support for persons with disabilities living in the community: Review of international practice

“…Research on students with disabilities in post-secondary education is sparse (Kutscher and Tuckwiller, 2019), but we identify two broad issues considered by studies in this area: (a) the transition from secondary to post-secondary education, and (b) student persistence in post-secondary education.…”

“…Second, students with disabilities who do transition to post-secondary education are considered less likely than the wider student population to complete this education, and several studies thus focus on persistence in post-secondary education among students with disabilities (Newman et al, 2020;Kutscher and Tuckwiller, 2019). For example, students with disabilities who accessed either universal or disability-specific student supports have been found to be more likely to persist in college programmes (Newman et al, 2020).…”

Alumnado con Discapacidad en Educación Superior: ¿En qué, cómo y por qué se forma el profesorado universitario?

“…Desde los estudios en enseñanza superior y discapacidad se concluye que se requiere que el profesorado esté informado y formado (Hopkins, 2011;Kutscher & Tuckwiller, 2018;Lipka, Forkosh, & Meer, 2019). De hecho, en algunas universidades, ha habido una preocupación por diseñar y desarrollar programas de formación para contribuir a la respuesta a las necesidades de estudiantes con discapacidad.…”

A Mixed Methods Study of K–12 Influences on College Participation for Students With Disabilities

“…Earning a college degree is increasingly important to a person's long-term success (Carnevale et al, 2016), yet young adults with disabilities are less likely to attend and complete postsecondary education than their peers (Newman et al, 2011). In a sustained effort to understand how best to support students with disabilities in pursuing postsecondary programs of study, prior research has (a) identified high school factors correlated with college participation (Mazzotti et al, 2015;Test et al, 2009) and (b) described postsecondary experiences that support college participation and persistence within this population (Dukes et al, 2017;Kutscher & Tuckwiller, 2019). Despite these efforts, researchers have yet to understand what reliably "works" for students with disabilities (Dukes et al, 2017;Haber et al, 2016), and individuals with disabilities continue to experience inequitable outcomes after high school.…”