An Intervention Program on Assisting Retention and Transition for the First-Year College Students With Disabilities

Abstract

This study examined outcomes of a transition intervention program (i.e., Engage 100 course) for college students with disabilities during their first-semester transition to postsecondary education through a longitudinal experimental research design. Fifty students, 14 in an experimental group and 36 in a control group, were recruited from a public university in the southeastern part of the United States. The findings revealed promising results in fostering social and academic integration, perceived support from friends and significant others, and mindfulness for participants in the experimental group. However, participants in the experimental group demonstrated lower scores in perceived support from family and self-esteem. Practical and research implications were discussed.

Keywords

freshmen disability transition social and academic integration well-being perceived support mindfulness

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Agarwal

Calvo

B. A.

Kumar

(2013). Paving the road to success: A students with disabilities organization in a university setting. College Student Journal, 48(1), 34–44.

Ashbaugh

Koegel

R. L.

Koegel

L. K.

(2017). Increasing social integration for college students with autism spectrum disorder. Behavioral Development Bulletin, 22(1), 183–196. https://doi.org/10.1037/bdb0000057

Baker

T. T.

(2019, July 28). Academic integration among college students with disabilities and the effect of time to program completion . International Center for Global Leadership. http://www.icglconferences.com/articles/academic-integration-among-college-students-disabilities-effect-time-program-completion/

Bialka

C. S.

Morro

Brown

Hannah

(2017). Breaking barriers and building bridges: Understanding how a student organization attends to the social integration of college students with disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 30(2), 157–172.

Borglum

Kubala

(2000). Academic and social integration of community college students: A case study. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 24(7), 567–576. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668920050139712

Bromley

K. W.

Murray

Rochelle

Lombardi

(2020). Social support among college students with disabilities: Structural patterns and satisfaction. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 58(5), 477–490. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2020.1778485

Brown

K. W.

(n.d.). Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) (Trait version). http://www.kirkwarrenbrown.vcu.edu/resources

Brown

K. W.

Ryan

R. M.

(2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822–848. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822

Canty-Mitchell

Zimet

G. D.

(2000). Psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support in urban adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 28(3), 391–400. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005109522457

10.

Ciarrochi

Heaven

P. C. L.

Davies

(2007). The impact of hope, self-esteem, and attributional style on adolescents’ school grades and emotional well-being: A longitudinal study. Journal of Research in Personality, 41(6), 1161–1178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2007.02.001

11.

DaDeppo

L. M.

(2009). Integration factors related to the academic success and intent to persist of college students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 24(3), 122–131. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5826.2009.00286.x

12.

Diener

Emmons

R. A.

Larsen

R. J.

Griffin

(1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13

13.

Dong

Lucas

M. S.

(2014). Psychological profile of university students with different types of disabilities. Journal of College Student Development, 55(5), 481–485. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2014.0044

14.

Dong

Lucas

M. S.

(2016). An analysis of disability, academic performance, and seeking support in one university setting. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 39(1), 47–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165143413475658

15.

DuPaul

G. J.

Dahlstrom-Hakki

Gormley

M. J.

Pinho

T. D.

Banerjee

(2017). College students with ADHD and LD: Effects of support services on academic performance. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 32(4), 246–256. https://doi.org/10.1111/ldrp.12143

16.

Dvořáková

Kishida

Elavsky

Broderick

Agrusti

M. M.

Greenberg

(2017). Promoting healthy transition to college through mindfulness training with first-year college students: Pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of American College Health, 65(4), 259–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2017.1278605

17.

Enders, C. K. (2010). Applied missing data analysis. Guilford Press.

18.

Fleming

A. R.

Coduti

W. A.

Herbert

J. T.

(2018). Development of a first year success seminar for college students with disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 31(4), 309–320.

19.

Fong

C. J.

Davis

C. W.

Kim

Y. W.

Marriott

Kim

(2017). Psychosocial factors and community college student success: A meta-analytic investigation. Review of Educational Research, 87(2), 388–424. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316653479

20.

Gabriely

Tarrasch

Velicki

Ovadia-Blechman

(2020). The influence of mindfulness meditation on inattention and physiological markers of stress on students with learning disabilities and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 100, 103630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103630

21.

Grant-Vallone

Reid

Umali

Pohlert

(2003). An analysis of the effects of self-esteem, social support, and participation in student support services on students’ adjustment and commitment to college. Journal of College Student Retention, 5(3), 255–274. https://doi.org/https//doi.org/10.2190/C0T7-YX50-F71V-00CW

22.

Gray-Little

Williams

V. S. L.

Hancock

T. D.

(1997). An item response theory analysis of the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23(5), 443–451. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167297235001

23.

Harrison

A. G.

Areepattamannil

Freeman

(2012). Effects of the learning opportunities task force (LOTF) programs on postsecondary students with learning disabilities. Exceptionality Education International, 22(1), 55–69. https://doi.org/10.5206/Eei.v22i1.768822

24.

Hatfield

Murray

Ciccarelli

Falkmer

(2017). Pilot of the BOOST-A: An online transition planning program for adolescents with autism. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 64(6), 448–456. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12410

25.

Herridge

(2017). First-year performance: Students with disabilities transitioning to college from high school. College Student Affairs Leadership, 4(1). https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/csal/vol4/iss1/4

26.

Houtenville

Rafal

(2020). Annual report on people with disabilities in America: 2020. University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.

27.

Institute on Disability. (2019). Institute on Disability/ UCED 2018 annual report. University of New Hampshire, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center.

28.

Ishitani

T. T.

(2016). Time-varying effects of academic and social integration on student persistence for first and second years in college: National data approach. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 18(3), 263–286. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025115622781

29.

Lei, J., Brosnan, M., Ashwin, C., & Russell, A. (2020). Evaluating the role of autistic traits, social anxiety, and social network changes during transition to first year of university in typically developing students and students on the autism spectrum. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(8), 2832–2851. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04391-w

30.

Lombardi

Gerdes

Murray

(2011). Validating an assessment of individual actions, postsecondary, and social supports of college students with disabilities. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 48(1), 107–126. https://doi.org/10.2202/1949-6605.6214

31.

MacQuarrie

Blinn

MacLellan

Flynn

Meisner

Own

Spencer

(2021). Starting from the same spot: Exploring mindfulness meditation and student transitions in the introductory health promotion classroom. Canadian Journal of Education, 44(1), 256–276. https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.v44i1.4303

32.

Mamboleo

Dong

Anderson

Molder

(2020). Accommodations experience: Challenges and facilitators of requesting accommodations among college students with disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 53(1), 43–54. https://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-201084

33.

Mamboleo

Dong

Fais

(2019). Factors associated with disability self-disclosure to their professors among college students with disabilities. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 43(2), 78–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165143419893360

34.

Marshak

Van Wieren

Raeke Ferrell

Swiss

Dugan

(2010). Exploring barriers to college student use of disability services and accommodations. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 22(3), 151–165.

35.

Medlicott

Phillips

Crane

Hinze

Taylor

Tickell

Montero-Marin

Kuyken

(2021). The mental health and wellbeing of university students: Acceptability, effectiveness, and mechanisms of a mindfulness-based course. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(11), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18116023

36.

Murray

Lombardi

Bender

Gerdes

(2013). Social support: Main and moderating effects on the relation between financial stress and adjustment among college students with disabilities. Social Psychology of Education: An International Journal, 16(2), 277–295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-012-9204-4

37.

Nguyen

(2022). College promise students’ social integration in college success courses [Doctoral dissertation] (Publication No. 29215458). Grand Canyon University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

38.

Patrick

Wessel

R. D.

(2013). Faculty mentorship and transition experiences of students with disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 26(2), 105–118.

39.

Pavot

Diener

Colvin

Sandvik

(1991). Further validation of the satisfaction with life scale: Evidence for the cross-method convergence of well-being measures. Journal of Personality Assessment, 57(1), 149–161. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5701_17

40.

Plotner

A. J.

May

(2019). A comparison of the college experience for students with and without disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 23(1), 57–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744629517719346

41.

Ramler

T. R.

Tennison

L. R.

Lynch

Murphy

(2015). Mindfulness and the college transition: The efficacy of an adapted mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention in fostering adjustment among first-year students. Mindfulness, 7(1), 179–188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0398-3

42.

Reed

M. J.

Kennett

D. J.

Lewis

Lund-Lucas

Stallberg

Newbold

I. L.

(2009). The relative effects of university success courses and individualized interventions for students with learning disabilities. Higher Education Research & Development, 28(4), 385–400. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360903067013

43.

Rosenberg

(1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton University Press.

44.

Saracoglu

Minden

Wilchesky

(1989). The adjustment of students with learning disabilities to university and its relationship to self-esteem and self-efficacy. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 22(9), 590–592. https://doi.org/10.1177/002221948902200913

45.

Shattuck

P. T.

Steinberg

Wei

Cooper

B. P.

Newman

Roux

A. M.

(2014). Disability identification and self-efficacy among college students on the autism spectrum. Autism Research and Treatment, 2014(6), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/924182

46.

Shepler

D. K.

Woosley

S. A.

(2012). Understanding the early integration experiences of college students with disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 25(1), 37–50.

47.

Shevlin

Miles

J. N. V.

(1998). Effects of sample size, model specification and factor loadings on the GFI in confirmatory factor analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 25(1), 85–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(98)00055-5

48.

Tinto

(1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89–125. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543045001089

49.

Tinto

(1988). Stages of student departure: Reflections on the longitudinal character of student learning. The Journal of Higher Education, 59(4), 438–455. https://doi.org/10.2307/1981920

50.

Tinto

(1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. University of Chicago press.

51.

Troiano

P. F.

Liefeld

J. A.

Trachtenberg

J. V.

(2010). Academic support and college success for postsecondary students with learning disabilities. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 40(2), 35–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790195.2010.10850329

52.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2015). People with a disability less likely to have completed a bachelor's degree. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2015/people-with-a-disability-less-likely-to-have-completed-a-bachelors-degree.htm

53.

Wessel

R. D.

Jones

J. A.

Markle

Westfall

(2009). Retention and graduation of students with disabilities: Facilitating student success. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 21(3), 116–125.

54.

White

S. W.

Elias

Capriola-Hall

N. N.

Smith

I. C.

Conner

C. M.

Asselin

S. B.

Howlin

Getzel

E. E.

Mazefsky

C. A.

(2017). Development of a college transition and support program for students with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(10), 3072–3078. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3236-8

55.

Williamson-Ashe

S. R.

(2008). The influence of academic and social integration, educational objectives, and intent on community college student persistence [Doctoral dissertation] (Publication No. 3325445). The George Washington University, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

56.

Zimet

G. D.

Dahlem

N. W.

Zimet

S. G.

Farley

G. K.

(1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2

57.

Zimet

G. D.

Powell

S. S.

Farley

G. K.

Werkman

Berkoff

K. A.

(1990). Psychometric characteristics of the Multidimensional Scale of Social Support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 55(3-4), 610–617. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.1990.9674095