Students with disabilities are less likely than their peers to access or succeed in postsecondary education settings. In one county, students with disabilities are taught within inclusive high school environments where deficits in reading skills, self-determination attributes, and study skills are not included in the curriculum. In place of these…

This study addressed the effects of Project APPLE, an intervention created by the researcher and supported by the Guide to Project APPLE, a handbook which provided research-based teaching strategies, modificaitons to the learning environment, and transitional supports for students with ASD, and the teachers with whom their care and education is…

Hinds Community College (HCC) engaged in a study that produced the transitional program. This program was in response to high rates of attrition of the college's freshmen classes because of poor academic performance. This dissertation evaluated the effectiveness of the transitional program's main component-the learning community created by placing…

The transition to middle school is often associated with negative effects on academic achievement, motivation, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. Educators at a Grade 6 through 8 middle school in the northeastern United States observed students struggle with the adjustment to middle school. Research suggests that developmentally responsive…

At both a national and state level there is a growing need for skilled workers in the labor force. Educating low skilled adults is one way to address this need. Adult education programs teach low skilled adults basic academic skills to prepare them for work and life in U.S. society. Until recently little attention was paid to transitioning…

This study examines the perceptions of identity of a category of students that has rarely been studied in the context of higher education. These are adults who have participated in GED preparation or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses in Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs. A college education is increasingly necessary for…

Previous high school research has highlighted the importance of students' freshman year. Limited research has supported the implementation of a smaller learning community, also known as a freshman academy. The theoretical framework of the study was based on stage environment fit, adolescence development and smaller learning community theories. The…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to analyze the perceptions (through survey data) of Disability Support Services (DSS) personnel regarding the transition process for students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from secondary to postsecondary institutions. Participants from 408 postsecondary institutions completed the…

This dissertation consists of four chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the self-determination literature documenting the importance of promoting the self-determination of transition and secondary age students with disabilities, as well as a summary of research examining the self-determination of students with disabilities across…

The dissertation explores as ethnography the transformative process of ten student in a program for students with Asperger Syndrome transitioning from high school to college located in an urban high school to include the extracurricular extension referred to as Ethos. The dissertation considers the experience in the context of specialized…

Students with disabilities are faced with many challenges as they transition from high school to postsecondary education, enter the workforce, and begin independent living. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 (IDEA) initially addressed these challenges by mandating that transition planning be included as a part of the…

American students are increasingly beginning higher education pursuits at community colleges before transferring to four-year universities. The purpose of this study was to identify differences in persistence rates between those students who participated in a transfer transition program and those who did not. The researcher adopted a mixed-methods…

Problem: Transitioning into kindergarten marks an important time in the lives of young children and their families. While many families and teachers participate in transition events little is known about the ways that transition activities actually inform and support key stakeholders. The purpose of this study was to describe district transition…

Federal and state regulations were established to address the transition service needs of students with disabilities, yet many young adults with disabilities still exit high school unprepared for adult life and do not find employment. To address this concern, this qualitative case study explored the perceptions of six participants actively…

This study examined programming practices that have identified in the research as critical for school success for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Secondary purposes of the study were to identify the extent to which these practices were used and to examine student social/emotional and academic outcome data in a public day…