Research
Williams-Diehm and colleagues (2008) collected self-determination scores from 276 secondary students with disabilities. The students were grouped into one of the two groups according to their levels of participation in their IEP meetings, “high student involvement group” and “low student involvement group.” After comparing scores on The Arc’s Self-Determination Scale and The AIR Self-Determination Scale, the results showed that students who were more actively involved in their educational/transition planning meetings also demonstrated higher self-determination levels.
Williams-Diehm, K., Wehmeyer, M. L., Palmer, S., Soukup, J. H., & Garner, N. (2008). Self-determination
and student involvement in transition planning: A multivariate analysis. Journal
on Developmental Disabilities, 14, 25-36.
A review of literature conducted by Test, Mason, Hughes, Konrad, Neale, and Wood (2004) examined 16 research studies designed to improve students’ involvement in individualized education program (IEP) process for students with varying disabilities. Results indicated the effectiveness of using published curriculum (ChoiceMaker Instructional Series, Self-Directed IEP, Choosing Employment Goals, Whose Future Is It Anyway? Take Charge For the Future, Next S.T.E.P., Student Led IEPs: A Guide for Student Involvement) to prepare students self-determination related skills for active participation in educational planning. Moreover, the results also suggested increased students’ involvement using a method of person-centered planning (Whole-Life Planning, Personal Futures Planning, McGill Action Planning System). Overall, students with different types of disabilities could enhance their participation in educational planning when given instructions and skills training.
Test,
D. W., Mason, C., Hughes, C., Konrad, M., Neale, M., & Wood, W. M. (2004).
Student involvement in Individualized Education Program meetings. Exceptional
Children, 70, 391-412.
Martin, Van Dycke, Christensen, and colleagues (2006) conducted an experimental study to examine the effectiveness of teaching self-directed IEP meeting skills from 130 middle and high school transition-age students. While the intervention group received self-directed IEP intervention using multimedia lesson package with 12 instructional steps, the other half of students remained in the teacher-directed IEP control group. Direct observation results, verified by the ChoiceMaker Self-Determination Assessment and post-meeting survey, showed that the group employing self-directed IEP had a strong increase in the percentage of time students talked, initiated, and led the meetings. However, direct observation results showed that even the student in the self-directed IEP group only talked about transition topics 10% of the time, meaning that students needed more instructional supports to prepare for transition discussion.
Martin,
J. E., Van Dycke, J. L., Christensen, W. R., Greene, B. A., Gardner, J. E.,
& Lovett, D. L. (2006). Increasing student participation in IEP
meetings: Establishing the Self-Directed IEP as an evidence-based
practice. Exceptional Children, 72, 299-316.