The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the relationship between diploma status, disability status, family configuration, socio-economic status, IQ function, race, participation in a career development program coordinated by the school counselor, and post-secondary educational plans among students with learning disabilities. A further purpose of this study was to assess the educational experiences of students with learning disabilities relative to their post-secondary educational outcomes. to explore these questions, this study used a constructionist theoretical framework as a implemented in Social Cognitive Career Theory. The participants for this study included high school graduates from the years 2001 through 2007 from a rural high school in the southeastern United States. The majority of participants included students who were economically disadvantaged, African-Americans, and first-generation college students. Results indicated that a career development program coordinated by the school counselor made a significant difference in post-secondary educational plans of students with learning disabilities included in the study. Qualitative results based on student interviews revealed perceived barriers, strategies for coping with a stigmatized identity, preferred teacher attributes, and the importance of a supportive and positive educational infrastructure for building self-efficacy and increasing the likelihood of post-secondary educational planning of students with learning disabilities.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:wm.edu/oai:scholarworks.wm.edu:etd-1704 |
| Date | 01 January 2008 |
| Creators | Lamm, Cindy Robins |
| Publisher | W&M ScholarWorks |
| Source Sets | William and Mary |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects |
| Rights | © The Author |
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