Teaching self-determination to students with disabilities has long been a focus of the fields of special education and psychology, with much of the research focusing on why self-determination is important, the effects of self-determination skills on academic and adult outcomes, and identifying strategies teachers can use to teach self-determination in the classroom. The current study attempted to develop a greater understanding of how special education teacher candidates define and discuss self-determination within the context of a course on secondary special education and transition planning for students with significant intellectual disabilities. Researchers examined teachers' understanding of self-determination, their ability to incorporate self-determination into their daily instruction, and if their understanding reflected common misconceptions and misinterpretations.
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