Can Self-Determination Predict Academic Achievement for Students With Disabilities?

• In Event: Contemporary Issues in Special Education

Abstract

This study utilized data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study – 2 to model the relationships among self-concept, self-determination, and academic achievement for adolescents with disabilities after taking into consideration the covariates of gender, income, and urbanicity. In the overall sample (N-5235), the proposed model closely fit the data with all proposed path coefficients being statistically significant. The results indicated that there are significant correlations among the three latent variables (i.e., self-determination, self-concept and academic achievement) with self-determination being a strong predictor of academic achievement for students with learning disabilities, emotional/behavior disorders, mental retardation, and autism.

Authors

• Chunmei Zheng, The University of Kansas

• Amy Gaumer Erickson, University of Kansas

• Neal M. Kingston, The University of Kansas

• Pattie Noonan, The University of Kansas