Teacher Attitudes Toward Post Secondary Transition Planning
pg. 2 Chapter 1: Introduction pg. 4 Statement of the Problem pg. 5 Purpose of the Study pg. 6 Rationale for the Study pg. 6 Research Question pg. 7 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature pg. 8 Transition Planning pg. 8 Self Determination pg. 14 Teacher Attitudes pg. 22 Summary pg. 28 Chapter 3: Methods pg. 29 Research Question pg. 29 Research Design pg. 29 Settings and Participants pg. 29 Procedures pg. 30 Teacher Questionnaire pg. 30 Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Results pg. 32 Chapter 5: Discussion pg. 39 References pg. 42 Appendices pg. 48 Teacher Attitudes and Transition Planning 4 Chapter 1: Introduction The school years can often seem as though there are transitions of varying levels: from preschool to elementary school, elementary school to middle school, middle school to high school and high school to post secondary endeavors (Test, 2012) These transitions often are accompanied by anxiety and stress which increases with each level of transition. With this in consideration, secondary transition was designed to provide services and supports to individuals with disabilities to help the transition to adulthood be as seamless as possible (Rusch Braddock, 2004) Transition planning is intended to be an outcome oriented process with the goal of preparing students for their post school lives (Kohler Field, 2003) The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act of 2004 mandates that measurable post secondary goals should be established and updated on an annual basis in order to determine the progress that students are making toward transition planning (US Department of Education, 2004) These goals should be based on each student's strengths, weaknesses, preferences and individual interests in reference to how they intend to transition to adulthood. When planning for transition services it is important for educators to assist students with developing self determination skills. Self determination is defined as skills that empower students to make their own decisions regarding the quality of life that they desire. It is important to promote self determination while preparing the transition plan because this is when the students and their parents are actively involved in planning for the students' futures following school (Shogren, 2013) Teachers often have a difficult time instructing the core curriculum which includes; reading/language arts, math, science and social studies, while simultaneously preparing students to meet the transition goals identified and agreed upon during the Individual Education Program (IEP) meeting (Thoma, Bartholomew Scott, 2009) Teachers can create an Teacher Attitudes and Transition Planning 5 atmosphere of learning by incorporating a variety of instructional approaches, utilizing technology and encouraging student involvement in community based opportunities (Thoma, Bartholomew Scott, 2009) Positive attitudes among educators regarding transition planning and self determination instruction is paramount to the success of students transitioning to adulthood. Statement of the Problem As previously stated, teachers often find it difficult to incorporate self determination instruction with core curriculum instruction because they are unsure of the most meaningful way to accomplish this. Teachers often fail to incorporate self determination instruction because they are not sure that this will lead to positive outcomes for students and those who do incorporate it often withdraw this instruction if they feel as though they are not making progress (Shogren, 2013) In addition, time constraints continue to be an obstacle for self determination instruction mainly because teachers often feel as though they do not have enough time to focus on core curriculum instruction. Teachers are required to teach and master the core curriculum and due to this competing demand, it would be beneficial to provide training on the importance of selfdetermination (Shogren, 2013) It is significant that teachers be active participants when learning about self determination and it is suggested that teachers be provided with instruction on how to incorporate selfdetermination instruction with the core curriculum (Karvonen, Test, Wood, Browder Algozzine, 2004) This can be accomplished by providing in service training and professional development activities focusing on self determination instruction. There are five suggested indicators of the self determination skills of teachers including: 1) knowing themselves and their Teacher Attitudes and Transition Planning 6 students, 2) valuing themselves, 3) putting their knowledge and beliefs into a plan, 4) putting their plan into action and 5) evaluating their efforts (Field Hoffman, 2002a) Teachers who have self awareness, self management skills and goal setting experience should be able to use these attributes to create a learning atmosphere that allows for effective instruction on selfdetermination (Field Hoffman, 2002a) Teachers who are confident with their own selfdetermination skills can be excellent role models for students who lack self determination. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to investigate teacher attitudes and perceptions regarding selfdetermination instruction as a component of transition planning during the IEP process. By utilizing surveys completed by teachers in a rural high school in an impoverished area of southern West Virginia, this study will address the question of how teacher attitudes and perceptions are directly related to their knowledge of transition planning. For the purpose of this research, self determination will be defined as actions that are identified by four essential characteristics: (a) the student acts autonomously, (b) the behavior(s) are self regulated, (c) the student initiates and responds to the event(s) in a socially appropriate manner and (d) the student acts in a self realizing manner. These actions may include, but are not limited to, classroom assignments, extra curricular activities and social interactions with peers and staff members. Rational for the Study It is legally required to provide instruction to students with disabilities in accordance to the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act of 2004 (US Department of Education, 2004) but it is also imperative to incorporate self determination instruction with the 21 st Century standards that are taught on a daily basis. This gives students the opportunity to learn functional skills that Teacher Attitudes and Transition Planning 7 will become very important in their postsecondary environments. Transition planning is a legal requirement of the IEP process and educators are beginning to recognize the importance of transition planning as more than just a component of the IEP. Effective and appropriate transition planning during the IEP process often forges the future pathway for students receiving special education services and helps them become functional adults.