ERIC Number: EJ1355712
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2159-4341
EISSN: EISSN-2331-4001
Perceived Self-Determination Growth during an International Expedition for Adolescents with and without Disabilities
Millen, Kaitlyn; Conroy, Paula Wenner
Journal of International Special Needs Education, v25 n1 p14-24 2022
Two factors that positively influence success in school and in post-school settings are self-determination and social programs such as expeditions for students with and without disabilities. This mixed methods study examined the benefits of a two-week international expedition to Nepal for adolescents (ages 14-18) with and without disabilities from the United States. The researchers measured self-determination in student participants utilizing the Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report (Shogren et al., 2020) as a pre/post-program measure and the No Barriers USA Program Evaluation (Duerden et al., 2016) as post-program measure. Twelve adolescents and four adult leaders who participated in the international expedition were interviewed to determine their perceptions of the benefits for students. The self-determination scores of student participants significantly increased (p = 0.007) after participation in the two-week expedition. Four major themes emerged from the data: disability and identity, self-determination growth, accessing supports, and sense of purpose. Using a mixed methods approach, we compared and integrated findings that support previous studies indicating that social programs increase self-determination skills. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Descriptors: Adolescents, Disabilities, Students with Disabilities, Control Groups, Foreign Countries, Travel, Outdoor Education, Field Trips, Adults, Self Determination, Student Participation, Self Actualization, Attitudes, Social Cognition
Division of International Special Education and Services, Council for Exceptional Children. Web site: http://www.jisne.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Nepal; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A