Co-Principal Investigator(s): Wehmeyer, Michael; Shogren, Karrie; Wei, Yan

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of Possible Selves: Nurturing Student Motivation (PS)plus the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (PS+SDLMI) for improving the academic and transition outcomes of high school students with learning disabilities (LD). Research has consistently shown that students with LD demonstrate less college and career readiness compared to students without disabilities. For example, although the number of high school graduates with LD entering college has increased slightly over the years, students with LD who complete college are less likely to be competitively employed 3-5 years after graduation, and when they are employed, typically have careers in areas with lower average salary. Self-determination has been shown to be related to positive school and transition outcomes for students with LD, yet students with LD are less self-determined than peers without disabilities and they have too few opportunities to learn and practice essential skills such as goal setting and attainment, problem-solving, and self-regulation. Motivation for learning is also important for school success and may play a role in student engagement in the transition process. The current study will test the efficacy of an intervention, PS+SDLMI, that infuses a goal setting and attainment process (SDLMI) into an intervention that focuses on identity development and motivation to engage in transition learning (PS) to determine whether it improves the academic and transition outcomes of high school students with LD.

Project Activities: The research team will evaluate the efficacy of PS+SDLMI using a randomized controlled trial where schools are randomized to one of the three groups (PS+SDLMI, PS, and control). Interventions are implemented with the same students over a 3-year period. Data will be collected pre-intervention and, at the end of each of the three intervention years (Years 2, 3, and 4), and at 1-year post-high school graduation (Year 5). Researchers will analyze data to determine the effects of PS+SDLMI on student academic and transition outcomes, and the costs and cost-effectiveness of the interventions.

Products: This project will provide evidence of the efficacy of PS+SDLMI for improving the academic and transition outcomes of students with LD. The project will result in a final dataset to be shared, peer-reviewed publications and presentations, and additional dissemination products that reach education stakeholders such as practitioners and policymakers.

Structured Abstract

Setting: The research will take place in 60 high schools in Arizona, Missouri, and Connecticut.

Sample: Within each participating school, 2-4 special education teachers and 18-24 tenth-grade students with LD will participate.

Intervention: PS is a widely used research-based intervention designed to increase student motivation by having students examine their futures and think about goals that are important to them. The PS program is typically implemented in late adolescence, during the time in which identity development is a critical developmental task. The teacher-led lessons are designed to help students (a) define success, (b) define who they are, (c) determine who they want to become, (d) reflect on their goals, (e) develop action plans for attaining their goals, and (f) monitor and revise their action plans. SDLMI was designed to enable teachers to help students direct their own learning. Specifically, students learn to use a self-regulated problem-solving process that involves answering a set of questions that guide them to set a goal, create a plan to achieve that goal, and self-monitor and self-evaluate progress toward that goal, altering the plan or the goal as needed. The combined PS+SDLMI will merge the global hopes, expectations, and fears for the future that are solicited in PS with the self-directed and self-regulated problem-solving behaviors taught in SDLMI, to enable students to turn those hopes, expectations and fears into concrete goals, plans, and actions to achieve a better future.

Research Design and Methods: This study will use a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of PS+SDLMI. In Year 1 of the project, the research team will recruit schools and randomly assign them to PS+SDLMI, PS, or control). In-service training on interventions and assessments will occur in the spring of Year 1. The interventions will then be implemented beginning the fall of Year 2 and continue with the same students through Years 3 and 4 (students' 11th and 12th grade years). Follow up data will be collected in the spring of Year 5 after students have graduated or exited high school. Throughout the implementation, goal attainment data will be collected as students complete goals. Data on grades and attendance will be collected at the end of each year. At the end of Years 2 and 3, in-service training will be provided for any new teachers. Fidelity of implementation will be measured twice annually in randomly selected schools. Data will be analyzed to determine the effects of PS+SDLMI on student academic and transition outcomes compared to PS alone and a control group, as well as the costs and cost-effectiveness of the interventions.

Control Condition: Schools in the control condition receive business-as-usual transition supports.

Key Measures: Classroom observations, checklists, and field notes will be used to assess intervention usability, fidelity, and student engagement. A variety of measures will be used to assess student outcomes including (a) Survey of Graduates/School Leavers in High School to understand the transition experiences of students who are no longer enrolled in high school; (b) Goal Attainment Scaling to asses student progress on goals; (c) Student Mission Statement, a questionnaire that assesses student self-knowledge, role-identification, and self-identity; (d) Self Determination Inventory to assess self-determination knowledge and skills; and (e) Transition Empowerment Scale to measure sense of empowerment. Teacher and student satisfaction will be measured with researcher-developed interview protocols. Student grades and attendance will be collected from school records and transcripts. Intervention costs will be assessed using budget data and personnel time for training and implementation support.

Data Analytic Strategy: A series of multilevel models will be conducted to examine the main effects of the intervention on student outcomes. The ingredients method will be used to determine intervention costs and a cost-effectiveness ratio will be calculated to determine cost-effectiveness.