Item
Post-School Visions and Expectations of Latino Students With Learning Disabilities, Their Parents, and Teachers
Metadados
Título
Post-School Visions and Expectations of Latino Students With Learning Disabilities, Their Parents, and Teachers
Descrição
Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals. - © Hammill Institute on Disabilities
Autor
Joanna Mossmond Keel, PhD1, Lisa Sharon Cushing, PhD1, and Jessica M. Awsumb, PhD1
Língua
Ano que foi publicado
2017
País de Origem
Tipo de pesquisa
Metodologia
This study explored perspectives about the desired components of adult life for 12th-grade Latino students with learning disabilities, their parents, and special education teachers.Focus groups and individual interviews were used to understand the similarities and differences in post-school visions and expectations among participants. Five student, parent(s), and teacher triads (n = 16) who were related (student-parent) and worked together (student-teacher) participated in this study.
Amostra
The study was conducted in two high schools located in a metropolitan high school district in the Midwest. The student enrollment of High School A was 3,400 students and High School B was 3,600 students. Approximately 8% of the students had IEPs at High School A, and 14% had IEPs at High School B. The school district defined “low-income” as being eligible for free or reduced lunch, living in substitute care, or families receiving public aid (Illinois State Board of Education [ISBE], 2015). Based on this definition, 93% of High School A’s and 81% of High School B’s student population were considered low income. While 96% of High School A and 78% of High School B’s students identified as Latino, 85% of the teachers from both high schools were White (ISBE, 2015). Across the two high schools, a total of 16 participants (n = 16) were recruited to participate in the study. Participants included senior Latino students with LD (n = 5), their parent(s) (n = 6), and their special education teachers (n = 5). Participants were linked as student-parent-teacher triads. Four female and one male student participated in the study. Four students’ mothers, and one student’s mother and father participated. Three mothers were stay-at-home mothers, and one mother was employed. For the couple, the mother was a graduate stu dent, and the father was employed. The average student age was 18, and all students were on track to graduate. All students and parents spoke English fluently except two mothers who spoke Spanish only in the study. All students and parents were either from Puerto Rican and/or Mexican ethnic backgrounds. Teacher participants included two male and three female spe cial educators, all identifying as White. Teachers’ experience ranged from 8 to 27 years and all, excluding one, taught in the current district for their entire teaching career. Teachers taught in a variety of settings including co-teaching in general educa tion classes, resource room, self-contained consumer educa tion courses, and self-contained vocational work program courses.
Método de Pesquisa
Grounded theory was used to examine the perspectives of 12th-grade Latino students with LD, their parents, and spe cial educators.
Principais Descobertas
Results uncovered differences in teachers’ expectations of what students’ lives should look like after high school, and the desires of the students and parents themselves. Overall, teachers expressed a lack of cultural understanding regarding students’ and parents’ choices for after high school.
Comentário Avaliativo
Given the results of this study, several implications for future research have been identified. First, comparative studies on the same topic should be conducted in a broad range of school districts with samples including students and parents of Latino and other CLD backgrounds. Furthermore, the results of the current study touched on a wide range of domains in secondary transition (e.g., employment, living). Extending any of these domains as areas of further inquiry with Latinos or other CLD populations would be extremely valuable to add to the research base in transition and CLD students and families.