Individual Skill Predictors of the School- and Career-Related Adjustment of Adolescents With Disabilities

Abstract

In this investigation, the authors examine the relationship between individual skills (i.e., career locus of control [LOC], social skills [SOC], and social problem–solving skills [SPSS]) and the school- and perceived career–related adjustment of 211 students with disabilities. Data pertaining to individual skills were gathered from student reports, and data pertaining to adjustment were gathered from student and teacher perceptions. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that together LOC, SOC, and SPSS accounted for a significant amount of variance in student- and teacher-rated school- and career-related adjustment after controlling for disability type. Evaluation of individual predictors indicated that the strength of these associations varied according to data source and the specific predictor under study.

Keywords

career and vocational high school high incidence

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Agostin

T. K.

Bain

S. K.

(1997). Predicting early school success with developmental and social skills screeners. Psychology in the Schools, 34, 219–228.

Alwell

Cobb

(2009). Social and communication interventions and transition outcomes for youth with disabilities: A systematic review. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 32, 94–107.

Appleton

J. J.

Christenson

S. L.

Kim

Reschly

A. L.

(2006). Measuring cognitive and psychological engagement: Validation of the student engagement instrument. Journal of School Psychology, 44, 427–445.

Beautrais

A. L.

Joyce

P. R.

Mulder

R. T.

(1999). Personality traits and cognitive styles as risk factors for serious suicide attempts among young people. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 29, 37–47.

Benz

M. R.

Yovanoff

Doren

(1997). School-to-work components that predict postschool success for students with and without disabilities. Exceptional Children, 63, 151–164.

Betz

N. E.

Taylor

K. M.

(1994). Manual for the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale. Columbus, OH: Author.

Bronfenbrenner

Morris

P. A.

(1998). The ecology of developmental processes. In Lerner

R. M.

(Ed.), Handbook of child psychology (5th ed., pp. 993–1028). New York, NY: Wiley.

Brown

Leigh

J. E.

(1986). Adaptive Behavior Inventory. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

Bullis

Davis

Bull

Johnson

(1995). School-to-community transition experiences of young adults who are deaf: What variables relate to success? Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 39, 130–150.

10.

Cappella

Weinstein

R. S.

(2001). Turning around reading achievement: Predictors of high school students’ academic resilience. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 758–771.

11.

Crites

S. A.

Dunn

(2004). Teaching social problem solving to individuals with mental retardation. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 39, 301–309.

12.

D’Zurilla

T. J.

Nezu

A. M.

(1990). Development and preliminary evaluation of the Social Problem-Solving Inventory (SPSI). Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2, 156–163.

13.

Ekstrom

R. B.

Goertz

M. E.

Pollack

J. M.

Rock

D. A.

(1986). Who drops out of high school and why? Findings from a national study. Teachers College Record, 87, 356–373.

14.

Evans

W. P.

Marsh

S. C.

Owens

(2005). Environmental factors, locus of control and adolescent suicide risk. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 22, 301–319.

15.

Field

Hoffman

(1996). Steps to self-determination: A curriculum to help adolescents learn to achieve their goals. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

16.

Finn

J. D.

Rock

D. A.

(1997). Academic success among students at risk for school failure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 221–234.

17.

Fredricks

J. A.

Blumenfeld

P. C.

Paris

A. H.

(2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74, 59–109.

18.

Goldstein

Murray

Edgar

(1998). Employment earnings and hours of high school graduates with learning disabilities through the first decade after graduation. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 13, 53–64.

19.

Gresham

F. M.

Elliott

S. N.

(1990). Social Skills Rating System (SSRS). Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance.

20.

Gresham

F. M.

MacMillan

D. L.

(1997). Social competence and affective characteristics of students with mild disabilities. Review of Educational Research, 67, 377–415.

21.

Gresham

F. M.

Sugai

Horner

R. H.

(2001). Interpreting outcomes of social skills training for students with high-incidence disabilities. Exceptional Children, 67, 331–344.

22.

Halpern

A. S.

Yovanoff

Doren

Benz

M. R.

(1995). Predicting participation in postsecondary education for school leavers with disabilities. Exceptional Children, 62, 151–164.

23.

Henry

(1999). Relationship between perceived problem-solving and career maturity: Implications for minority and disadvantaged premedical students. Psychological Reports, 84, 1040–1046.

24.

Heppner

M. J.

Lee

Heppner

McKinnon

L. C.

Multon

K. D.

Gysbers

N. C.

(2004). The role of problem-solving appraisal in the process and outcome of career counseling. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65, 217–238.

25.

Huang

Cuvo

A. J.

(1997). Social skills training for adults with mental retardation in job-related settings. Behavior Modification, 21, 3–44.

26.

Huebner

E. S.

Ash

Laughlin

J. E.

(2001). Life experiences, locus of control, and school satisfaction in adolescence. Social Indicators Research, 55, 167–183.

27.

Institute for Research and Reform in Education. (1998). Research assessment package for schools (RAPS). Toms River, NJ: Author.

28.

Joe

V. C.

(1971). Review of the internal-external control construct as a personality variable. Psychological Reports, 28, 619–640.

29.

Johnson

M. D.

Bullis

Benz

M. R.

Hollenbeck

(2004). Working at gaining employment skills (W.A.G.E.S.): A job-related social skills curriculum for adolescents. Longmont, CO: Sopris West.

30.

Kaufman

Alt

M. N.

Chapman

C. D.

(2002). Dropout rates in the United States: 2000. Education Statistics Quarterly, 3(4), 41–44.

31.

Kavale

K. A.

Forness

S. R.

(1996). Social skill deficits and learning disabilities: A meta-analysis. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 29, 226–237.

32.

Konold

T. R.

Jamison

K. R.

Stanton-Chapman

T. L.

Rimm-Kaufman

S. E.

(2010). Relationships among informant based measures of social skills and student achievement: A longitudinal examination of differential effects by sex. Applied Developmental Science, 14, 18–34.

33.

Lebedina-Manzoni

(2004). To what students attribute their academic success and unsuccess. Education, 124, 699–708.

34.

Luzzo

D. A.

James

Luna

(1996). Effects of attributional retraining on the career beliefs and career exploration behavior of college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43, 415–422.

35.

Luzzo

D. A.

McWhirter

E. H.

Hutcheson

K. G.

(1997). Evaluating career decision-making factors associated with employment among first-year college students. Journal of College Student Development, 38, 166–177.

36.

McWhirter

E. H.

Rasheed

Crothers

(2000). The effects of high school career education on social-cognitive variables. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47, 330–341.

37.

Miles

S. B.

Stipek

(2006). Contemporaneous and longitudinal associations between social behavior and literacy achievement in a sample of low-income elementary school children. Child Development, 77, 103–117.

38.

Millar

Shevlin

(2007). The development and factor structure of a career locus of control scale for use with school pupils. Journal of Career Development, 33, 224–249.

39.

Murray

Goldstein

Nourse

Edgar

(2000). Postsecondary school attendance and graduation rates of high school graduates with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 15, 119–127.

40.

Newman

Wagner

Cameto

Knokey

A.-M.

(2009). The post-high school outcomes of youth with disabilities up to 4 years after high school. A Report of findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) (NCSER 2009-3017). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.

41.

Newman

Wagner

Cameto

Knokey

A.-M.

Shaver

(2010). Comparisons across time of the outcomes of youth with disabilities up to 4 years after high school: A report of findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) (NCSER 2010-3008). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.

42.

T. W.

Sorensen

K. L.

Eby

L. T.

(2006). Locus of control at work: A meta-analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27, 1057–1087.

43.

Ochs

L. A.

Roessler

R. T.

(2001). Students with disabilities: How ready are they for the 21st century? Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 44, 170–176.

44.

Orfield

Losen

Wald

Swanson

(2004). Losing our future: How minority youth are being left behind by the graduation crisis. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University.

45.

Pierson

M. R.

Carter

E. W.

Lane

K. L.

Glaeser

B. C.

(2008). Factors influencing the self-determination of transition-age youth with high-incidence disabilities. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 31, 115–125.

46.

Repetto

J. B.

Webb

K. W.

Garvan

C. W.

Washington

(2002). Connecting student outcomes with transition practices in Florida. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 25, 123–139.

47.

Ross

C. E.

Broh

B. A.

(2000). The roles of self-esteem and sense of personal control in the academic achievement process. Sociology of Education, 73, 270–284.

48.

Rotter

J. B.

(1954). Social learning and clinical psychology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

49.

Rotter

J. B.

(1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80, 1–28.

50.

Rotter

J. B.

(1975). Some problems and misconceptions related to the construct of internal versus external control of reinforcement. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43, 56–67.

51.

Segrin

Flora

(2000). Poor social skills are a vulnerability factor in the development of psychosocial problems. Human Communication Research, 26(3), 489-514.

52.

Shandra

C. L.

Hogan

D. P.

(2008). School-to-work program participation and the post-high school employment of young adults with disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 29, 117–130.

53.

Shandra

C. L.

Hogan

D. P.

(2009). Educational attainment process among adolescents with disabilities and children of parents with disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 56, 363–379.

54.

Shepherd

Fitch

T. J.

Owen

Marshall

J. L.

(2006). Locus of control and academic achievement in high school students. Psychological Reports, 98, 318–322.

55.

Skinner

A. L.

(2003). Using locus of control to improve self-determination and outcomes for consumers with learning disabilities. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 34, 27–32.

56.

Strahan

E. Y.

(2002). The effects of social anxiety and social skills on academic performance. Personality and Individual Differences, 34, 347–366.

57.

Test

D. W.

Mazzotti

V. L.

Mustian

A. L.

Fowler

C. H.

Kortering

Kohler

(2009). Evidence-based secondary transition predictors for improving postschool outcomes for students with disabilities. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 32, 160–181.

58.

Tony

T. S. K.

(2003). Locus of control, attributional style and discipline problems in secondary schools. Early Child Development and Care, 173, 455–466.

59.

Toro

P. A.

Weissberg

R. P.

Guare

Liebenstein

N. L.

(1990). A comparison of children with and without learning disabilities on social problem-solving skill, school behavior, and family background. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 23, 115–120.

60.

Trice

A. D.

Haire

J. R.

Elliott

K. A.

(1989). A career locus of control scale for undergraduate students. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 69, 555–561.

61.

Wagner

Marder

Blackorby

Cameto

Newman

Levine

Davies-Mercier

(2003). The achievements of youth with disabilities during secondary school: A report from the National Longitudinal Transition Study–2 (NLTS2). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.

62.

Wagner

Newman

Cameto

Garza

Levine

(2005). After high school: A first look at the postschool experiences of youth with disabilities: A report from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.

63.

Wagner

Newman

Cameto

Levine

Garza

(2006). An overview of findings from wave 2 of the National Longitudinal Transition Study–2 (NLTS2). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.

64.

Wehmeyer

M. L.

Kelchner

(1995). Interpersonal cognitive problem-solving skills of individuals with mental retardation. Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 29, 265–278.

65.

Wehmeyer

M. L.

Lawrence

Kelchner

Palmer

Garner

Soukup

(2004). Whose future is it anyway? A student directed transition planning process (2nd ed.). Lawrence, KS: Beach Center on Disability.

66.

Wehmeyer

M. L.

Palmer

S. B.

Lee

Willams-Diehm

Shogren

(2011). A randomized trial evaluation of the effect of whose future is it anyway? On self-determination. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 34, 45–56.

67.

Wehmeyer

M. L.

Schwartz

(1997). Self-determination and positive adult outcomes: A follow-up study of youth with mental retardation or learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 63, 245–255.

68.

White

Weiner

J. S.

(2004). Influence of least restrictive environment and community based training on integrated employment outcomes for transitioning students with severe disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 21, 149–156.