Self-Determination%20as%20a%20Dropout%20Prevention%20Strategy

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Self-Determination as a Dropout Prevention
Strategy
First Annual Special Education Forum on Dropout
Prevention Orlando, FL November 3, 2004
Dalun Zhang, Ph.D. Clemson University
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• Since 1990s, self-determination has received
  increased attention in the field of special
  education and disability services

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Facts about Self-Determination

• Individuals with disabilities and their families
  identified SD as a top need.
• The U.S. Department of Education funded numerous
  SD research projects and SD demonstration
  projects since 1990.
• Most states have incorporated SD into their
  services and funding priorities

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• Field, Martin, Miller, Ward, and Wehmeyer (1998b)
  identified 35 curricula that were designed for
  this purpose whereas Test, Karvonen, Wood,
  Browder, and Algozzine (2000) found 60 curricula
  and 675 other resources.
• A number of professional journals devoted a
  special issue to SD (e.g. The Journal of
  Vocational Rehabilitation, Career Development for
  Exceptional Individuals, etc.)
• Over 450 articles have been published on the
  topic of self-determination
• CEC Pre-Conference Capacity Building Institute 04

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Self-Determination Movement

• Background
• Phase I (mid-1980 - 1990)
• Phase II (1990 - present) Federal Mandates
  Federal Initiatives

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Background

• Graduation from high school is a major milestone
  for every adolescent because it marks the
  transition from adolescence to young adulthood
• Successful completion of the transition process
  is, in many cases, a natural and
  self-perpetuating one for high school students
  without disabilities. For high school students
  with disabilities, however, the transition
  process is often not as natural
• Education must play a more critical role in
  facilitating task development and preparation for
  adulthood
• Follow-up studies of the 1980s and 1990s found
  disappointing outcomes
• Consumers and researcher identified lack of
  self-determination as a major cause of this
  disappointing outcomes

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Phase I

• The Phase I period started in the mid-1980s when
  significant attention was focused on the benefits
  of empowering consumers
• This was a period when people with disabilities
  and their families organized to assert their
  rights of citizenship, advocate for social and
  political change, and demand access to the
  neighborhoods, jobs, schools and activities
  enjoyed by persons without disabilities
• However, the issues of preference, choice, and
  personal autonomy received little attention in
  the field of special education

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Phase II

• Phase II started in 1990 when the IDEA was
  passed.
• Characterized by federal legislation and federal
  initiative pertaining to self-determination

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Federal Mandates Pertaining to SD

• IDEA
• . be planned based on the students preferences
  and interests
• Students must be included in their transition
  planning meeting

• Rehabilitation Act
• disability is in no way diminishes the rights
  to live independently, enjoy self-determination,
  make choices, contribute to society, ..

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Consensus

• As a result of consumers efforts and federal
  mandates and initiatives, three agreements were
  reached in early 1990s
• Self-determination is a critical outcome of the
  transition process for students with disabilities
  and must be part of the career development
  process that begins in early childhood and
  continues throughout adult life
• People with disabilities have the same right to
  self-determination as is available to all
  Americans
• Professionals working across various disciplines
  in the field of disability services need to
  provide opportunities for students with
  disabilities to experience choice and exercise
  self-determination.

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What is Self-determination?

• Historically, self-determination referred to the
  right of nations or ethnic minorities to
  self-governance. Derived from this original
  meaning, self-determination, has been
  appropriated by disability rights advocates and
  people with disabilities to refer to their
  rights to have control over their lives.

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• The present use of self-determination within
  special education emphasizes empowerment of
  individuals with disabilities.

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Self-determination as an Educational Outcome

• Wehmeyer conceptualizes self-determination as an
  educational outcome. He defines
  self-determination as acting as the primary
  causal agent in ones life and making choices and
  decisions free from undue external influences or
  interference - Wehmeyer, M. L. (1996).
  Self-determination as an educational outcome.

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• Field, Martin, Miller, Ward, Wehmeyer (1998)
  define self-determination as
• A combination of skills, knowledge, and beliefs
  that enable a person to engage in goal-directed,
  self-regulated, autonomous behavior. An
  understanding of ones strengths and limitations
  together with a belief in oneself as capable and
  effective are essential to self-determination.
  When acting on the basis of these skills and
  attitudes, individuals have greater ability to
  take control of their lives and assume the role
  of successful adults in our society.

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• My reviews of various definitions yielded 6
  common points
• Self-determination concerns an individuals
  control over his or her own life
• In order to control ones own life, an individual
  needs to have certain attitudes, characteristics,
  and abilities
• An individual needs to interact with the
  environment in an appropriate way
• A person needs to have freedom and independence
• One needs to know and value oneself and be able
  to make choices and decisions based on ones own
  interests and preferences
• A person has to be able to set and achieve goals
  which lead to achievement of adult outcomes.

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Essential Characteristics of Behaviors that are
Self-Determined

• Make choices and decisions as needed
• Exhibit some personal and internal control over
  actions
• Feel capable and act that way
• Understand the effects of own action

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Component Elements of SD

• Choice-making
• Decision Making
• Problem-solving
• Goal setting and attainment
• Self-regulation
• Self-advocacy
• Self-understanding awareness
• Self-efficacy

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Self-Determination Models

• Wehmeyer's (1997) self-determination model
  focuses on the conceptualization of the concept
  of self-determination. This model is developed to
  explain self-determined behaviors in general. It
  identifies four essential characteristics that
  self-determined people possess and 12 component
  elements of self-determination.

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• Field and Hoffmans (1994) self-determination
  model focuses on skills, knowledge, and values
  that lead to self-determination. It has five
  major components know yourself, value yourself,
  plan, act, and experience outcomes and learn. The
  following figure presents the five components and
  their sub-components and the relationship among
  the five components.

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I know what Self-determination is. But
??
Does it lead to better student outcomes?
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SD Leads to Better Transition Outcomes

• Life following formal education is uncertain and
  overwhelming for many young people with
  disabilities, and support services are typically
  hard to find (Powers, Sowers et al., 1996). In
  order to be successful, it is critical that youth
  are self-determined so that they are able to
  manage the challenges they will face on a
  day-to-day basis.

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• Generally the opportunity to make choices,
  express preferences, set goals, and self-regulate
  learning and behavior have all been linked to
  more favorable educational and adult outcomes.

-- Wehmeyer (1997)
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Two Follow-Up Studies

• Wehmeyer and Schwartz (1997) conducted a
  follow-up study of youth with mental retardation
  or learning disabilities. They collected data
  prior to their exit from high school and one year
  after exit. Findings showed that individuals with
  higher level of self-determination were more
  likely to have experienced a greater number of
  positive adult outcomes, including a higher
  likelihood of being employed and earning more per
  hour than those who were not self-determined.

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• Wehmeyer Palmer (2003) published a follow-up
  study of 94 high school completers one- and
  three-years after exiting school. They found
• Individuals in the high SD group fared much
  better than individuals in the low SD group in 6
  out of 8 adult living areas one-year after left
  school and fared better in all 8 adult living
  areas three-years after left school.
• More individuals in the high SD group paid their
  phone bills and groceries and had a bank account
  one-year after school. At three-year after
  school, even more individuals in the high SD
  group did these things. In addition, more
  individuals in the high SD group paid their rent
  and utilities.
• Individuals in the high SD group also enjoyed
  better overall benefits at three-years after
  school. They also had better specific benefits in
  vacation, sick leaves, and health insurance.

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• McMillan Reed (1994) found that some students
  could be classified as at-risk, but developed
  characteristics and coping skills that enable
  them to succeed. They term these students as
  resilient.
• Their Common characteristics Include
• High intrinsic motivation and internal locus of
  control
• Higher educational aspirations
• Motivated by a desire to succeed, to be
  self-starting, and to be personally responsible
  for their achievements
• A strong sense of self-efficacy
• Clear, realistic goals and are optimistic about
  the future

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Hardre and Reeve (2003) Study

• Used self-determination theory and tested a
  motivational model to explain the conditions
  under which rural students formulate their
  intentions to persist in, versus drop out of,
  high school.
• The model argues that motivational variables
  underlie students' intentions to drop out and
  that students' motivation can be either supported
  in the classroom by autonomy-supportive teachers
  or frustrated by controlling teachers.

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• Analyses of questionnaire data from 483 rural
  high school students showed that the provision of
  autonomy support within classrooms predicted
  students' self-determined motivation and
  perceived competence. These motivational
  resources, in turn, predicted students'
  intentions to persist, versus drop out, and they
  did so even after controlling for the effect of
  achievement.

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Risk Factors for Dropout

• Family Factors Poverty, inadequate family
  guidance, lack of role models
• School Factors Inadequate school practices and
  policies (e.g., a student has more than one
  teacher makes it hard for parents to connect
  with one adult instruction is irrelevant)
• Student Factors repeated failure, learned
  helplessness, lack of future goals, inadequate
  choices, poor judgment, poor peer relations, lack
  of problem-solving skills, external locus of
  control, low self-esteem

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Why Do Students with Disabilities Drop out of
School?

• Two studies have provided specific information on
  the primary reasons for dropping out of school
  among special education youth.
• One study asked California special education
  administrators to identify why youth left school
  (Jay and Padilla, 1987). They reported the
  following reasons in order of influence dislike
  of school, preference for a job, inability to get
  along with teachers, and friends who dropped out.
  
• The National Longitudinal Transition Study showed
  that parents of students with emotional
  disabilities reported that most of their children
  had dropped out because of their dislike of
  school (32) or because of behavior problems
  (27 Wagner, 1989).

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Activity

• Discussion Identification of At-Risk Factors
  for Dropout for Students with Disabilities
• Which Elements of Self-Determination Can Be Used
  to Mediate/Reduce the Risks and How?

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Addressing Risk Factors by Teaching Component
Elements of SD

• Choice-making, decision-making, and
  problem-solving
• Goal setting and attainment
• Self-Regulation
• Self-advocacy
• Self-understanding and awareness
• Self-efficacy

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Self-Determination and Standards-Based Reform

• Component elements of self-determined behavior
  are found in virtual all state and local
  standards across multiple content areas
• Students who are self-determined are more likely
  to be able to successfully engage with the
  curriculum
• Learning-to-learn or self-regulation strategies
• Goal oriented, problem-solving focused
• Study skills, organization skills

--Wehmeyer (2004)
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No Content Left Behind

• All students need instruction to become
  self-determined
• Component elements in standards
• Enhanced capacity to interact with and engage in
  the curriculum
• Valued societal outcome
• Need to develop and implement school-wide
  interventions Not just disability-focused, not
  just IEP-focused

--Wehmeyer (2004)
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• Acquiring the personal characteristics which lead
  to self-determination is a developmental process.
  Children should be given opportunities to engage
  in activities that promote SD and should be
  taught SD

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Approaches to Promoting SD

• Fostering SD in daily educational activities
  starting from early elementary years
• Infusing SD skills instruction into existing
  curricula
• Teaching SD by implementing an SD curriculum
• Practicing SD skills through participation in
  transitional and educational planning
• School/district wide implementation

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Fostering Self-Determination

• Start early!
• Early Childhood (2 -5)
• Early Elementary Years (6 - 8)
• Late Elementary Years (9 - 11)
• Secondary Years (12 Over)

-- Doll, Sands, Wehmeyer, and Palmer (1996)
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Early Childhood

• provide opportunities to make structured choices
• provide opportunities to generate choices that
  are both positive and negative
• provide formative and constructive feedback on
  the consequences of choices made in the recent
  past
• provide opportunities for planning activities
  that are pending
• provide opportunities to self-evaluate task
  performance to a model
• ask directive questions so that the child compare
  his or her performance to a model

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Early Elementary

• provide opportunities to choose from among
  several different strategies for a task
• ask children to reconsider choices theyve made
  in the recent past
• encourage children to think aloud with you
• provide opportunities to talk about how they
  learn
• provide opportunities to systematically evaluate
  their work
• help students set simple goals for themselves and
  check to see whether they are reaching them.

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Late Elementary

• provide guidance in systematic analyses of
  decisions
• use the same systematic structure to analyze past
  decisions now that their consequences are evident
• provide opportunities to commit to personal or
  academic goals
• provide opportunities to systematically analyze
  adult perspectives
• provide opportunities to evaluate task
  performance in affectively safe ways

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Secondary

• provide oppy. to make decisions that have
  important impact on their day-to-day activities
• make it easy for students to see the link between
  their goals and daily decisions
• provide guidance in breaking students long-term
  goals into a number of short-term objectives
• assist student in realistically recognizing and
  accepting weaknesses in key skills
• assist student in requesting academic and social
  supports from teachers

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Self-Determination Curricula

• Next S.T.E.P.
• Steps to Self-Determination
• Take Charge for the Future
• Choice Maker
• Whose Future Is It Anyway
• 1-2-3 BREAK

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NEXT S.T.E.P.

• The Next S.T.E.P. (Helper et al., 1997) is a
  self-determination curriculum that is designed to
  teach adolescents with and without disabilities,
  ages 14 to 21.
• Teach skills that they need to participate
  successfully in a self-directed transition
  planning process.
• Students learn to define their hopes and dreams,
  engage in self-evaluation, set goals and plan
  activities that will help them accomplish the
  goals.
• Consists of 19 lessons clustered into four units.

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• The Next S.T.E.P. curriculum materials include a
  teachers manual, student workbooks, and a video.
  The teachers manual contains lesson plans,
  masters for overhead transparencies, and
  guidelines for involving parents or other family
  members in a students transition planning
  process. The student workbooks include worksheets
  used in the lessons, plan sheets, and other forms
  that students will need to produce their
  transition plans. The video contains a number of
  vignettes that play a motivational and
  instructional role in some lessons.

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Choice Maker Self-Determination Curriculum

• Purpose Designed to teach self-determination
  skills they need to be successful in adult life
• Components Choice and decision-making goal
  setting problem-solving self-evaluation
  self-advocacy IEP planning self-awareness

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• Overview Three strands with five units
• Choosing Goals Choosing employment goals
• Choosing personal goals
• Choosing education goals
• Expressing Goals Self-directed IEP
• Taking Action Take action

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Whose Future is it Anyway?A Student-Directed
Transition Planning Process

• Overview Written for students to read and work
  through at their own pace teachers role
• Facilitate student success
• Teach information requested by student
• Advocate for students

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• Purpose
• Students have opportunities supports to
• Gain self-awareness of unique strengths support
  needs and identify abilities, interests,
  preferences
• Learn skills to take a meaningful role in
  IEP/transition planning process
• Prepare for a more active role at planning meeting

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The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction

• Is used in classrooms for goal setting for
  academic and transition outcomes (employment,
  post-secondary training or education, living,
  recreation/leisure)
• Can be used in variety of settings and for a
  variety of goal areas

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• Three phases Set a goal, take action, and adjust
  goal or plan
• Each phase has three components
• Student questions 12, written in first person
  voice for student focus
• Teacher objectives provide guidance for teacher
  on each question
• Educational supports support students to work
  through the goals

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1-2-3 BREAKby Dalun Zhang Nancy Woodruff
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Goal of the Project

• To design, field-test, and disseminate an
  after-school youth empowerment program that
  teaches essential and practical
  self-determination skills to school-age youth
  with developmental disabilities (ages 14 to 21)
  to enhance their participation in planning their
  educational and transitional services.

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Objectives

• Program design
• Curriculum development
• Pilot-test the entire program and each of the
  core elements of the program
• Disseminate program information to counties
  across the state and other parts of the nation.

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Program Design

• Review of the literature to identify key factors
  that influence youth with developmental
  disabilities acquisition of self-determination
  skills.
• Target Population. The project will target
  school-age youth with developmental disabilities
  ages 14 to 21. This group has repeatedly
  identified as low achievers in the important
  adult outcome areas such as employment,
  postsecondary education, independent living, and
  community integration
• Determine the core elements of the after-school
  youth empowerment program.

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Curriculum Development

• Based on Review of the Literature, Identified 10
  topics
• Developed 15 Lessons to Address the Topics
• Major Features Activity-Based, Interactive,
  Standard Procedures, and Theme repetition
• Draft Was Reviewed by Many
• Field-Testing in Oconee Pickens

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The 10 Topics

• Personal Strengths and Weaknesses
• Identifying Needs and Wants
• Goals
• Characteristics, Setting, Planning, Accomplishing
• Choice-Making
• Decision-Making
• Problem-solving
• Educational Planning
• Employment Goal Planning
• Problem Solving at Work
• Independent Living Goals

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Curriculum Components

• 15 Directed Lessons
• Objectives
• Materials
• Focus
• Guided Practice
• Independent Practice
• Closure
• 14 Workbook Activities
• Individual
• Group
• Pretest and Posttest

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The 15 Lessons

• Kickoff to Self-Determination
• Who Am I My Metaphors
• Needs and Wants
• What is Success? (S-T Goals)
• What is Success? (L-T Goals)
• Decision-Making and Choice-Making (1)
• Decision-Making and Choice-Making (2)

• Problem Solving
• Educational Goal Planning
• Educational Planning and Transition Portfolio
• Goals Setting for Employment
• Coping with Problems at Work
• Independent Living Skills
• SD Review, Reflections, and Posttest
• Celebration

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Standard Procedures

• Students with disabilities need a structure to
  follow
• The structures in this program is 1-2-3 Break
• The structures emphasize steps need to take for
  making choices and decision, setting goals, and
  attaining goals.

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1, 2, 3 BREAK

• 1 Know yourself
• 2 Value yourself
• 3 Plan your life
• B Be in control
• R Realize your options
• E Evaluate your options
• A Act out the best choice
• K Know you did the best

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Activities and Interactions

• The Hall of Fame Posters
• Guest Speakers
• Role Playing
• Videos
• Digital Pictures for Self-Reflections
• Independent Goal Setting
• Class Discussions
• Workbook Activities

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Field-Test Student Information

• Districts
• Classes
• Regular High School Career Center
• LD MD
• Gender
• Placement
• Teacher Support

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Major Activities

• Kickoff in Seneca Coach Jones and Radio (Video)
• Poster Famous People with Disabilities
• Strengths and Weaknesses Pictures
• Student Participation Level

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What Works, What Not

• Keeping Activities Realistic
• Be Engaging
• Encourage Group Involvement
• Focus on Abilities, not Disabilities

• Lecture
• Extensive Reading
• Extensive Writing

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Issues and Considerations in Self-Determination
Assessment What to Assess?

• Observable Behaviors versus Internal Processing
• Typical Performance versus Highest Potential
• Objective versus Subjective
• Personal Expectations versus Societal
  Expectations
• Exceptional versus Typical (Do typical people do
  these?)
• School versus Home/Community
• Home Living Routines versus Job Performance
• Family Background versus Cultural Norm

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Issues and Considerations in Self-Determination
Assessment How to Assess?

• Qualitative (In-Depth) or Quantitative
  (Checklist)?
• Commercially Available versus Self-Developed
• Scenario-Based versus Multiple-Choice
• Curriculum-Based versus Standard-Based
• Norm-Referenced versus Criterion-Referenced

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Issues and Considerations in Self-Determination
Assessment Who to Involve?

• Student Role in Self-Determination Assessment
• Familys role in Self-Determination Assessment
• Educators Role in Self-Determination Assessment
• Service Personnels Role in Self-Determination
  Assessment

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So, What, Who and How?

• Purpose determines focus areas for assessment
• Purpose dictates participants of assessment
• Purpose determines methods of data collection
• Purpose dictates usage of assessment results

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Purpose of Assessment

• Promoting self-awareness
• Instructional planning
• Service Determination
• Student progress and evaluation of
  interventions/services
• Making accommodations in the environment

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Examples of Available Instruments

• The Arcs Self-Determination Scale (Wheeler,
  1995)
• The Self-Determination Battery (Hoffman, Field,
  Swallows, 1995)
• The Self-Determination Profile Package An
  Assessment Package (Curtis, 1996)
• Choice Maker Self-Determination Assessment
  (Martin Marshall, 1996)