Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Billie V. Andersson

Abstract

AbstractStudents with disabilities in the United States continue to encounter less than favorable success in employment and education after high school. Only 35% of students with disabilities graduating from high school have workforce skills. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate high school special educators’ perceptions of the transition planning process for students with disabilities in preparation for postsecondary life. The conceptual framework was Schlossberg’s transition theory and Kohler’s taxonomy for transition programming 2.0 model. The research questions focused on the types of transition planning practices that are currently being used by high school special education teachers and how these teachers evaluate the sufficiency of the transition process. Purposeful sampling was used in this study. Through semistructured interviews, qualitative data were collected from 10 high school special education teachers with at least one year of experience working with transition plans and the planning process to support students with disabilities. Open coding and thematic analysis revealed five themes: assessment, barriers, training, programs, and support. Findings revealed that connections between transition predictors for postschool success and secondary transition evidence-based practices were missing in the transition process. Also, special educators needed training in program creation, and evaluation, through professional development, in the field. The implication for positive social change is that special education teachers who use effective transition planning consistently can enrich educational decision-making practices that support students with disabilities so they can achieve long-term success, improving their post school outcomes.

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