There is an established and still-growing evidence base that promoting self-determination has positive school and post-school benefits for students with disabilities, and yet efforts to do so remain sporadic, at best. This article examines the evidence that promoting self-determination is critically important for students with disabilities,…

This study examined individual and instructional predictors of the self-determination of students with disabilities, as measured by the "Arc's Self-Determination Scale" and the student version of the "AIR Self-Determination Scale." The general findings indicated that instructional, knowledge, and dispositional factors were stronger predictors of…

Promoting self-determination has been identified as best practice in special education and transition services and as a means to promote goal attainment and access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities. There have been, however, limited evaluations of the effects of interventions to promote self-determination on…

This study investigated the behaviors of parents and teachers in the United States and Taiwan in fostering the self-determination of elementary and secondary school students. Participants were parents and teachers of 203 students from the United States and 90 students from Taiwan. Findings indicated that U.S. teachers reported similar levels of…

This paper offers a framework for measuring outcomes for students with disabilities using quality of life principles identified in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, namely: (1) equality of opportunity; (2) full participation; (3) independent living; and (4) economic self-sufficiency. It urges that these goals guide curriculum and…

This paper describes and validates a model of teaching in early elementary grades that infuses the self-determination skills of problem solving and goal setting into existing curricula and programs. Use of the "Self-Determination Learning Model of Instruction with 5- and 6-year-olds found the model effective in identifying student interests,…

This study examined the degree to which middle school students with mental retardation have access to the general curriculum and the impact of the classroom setting and student ability on such access. The study found many students with mental retardation, especially when less severe, were engaged in general curriculum activities, but there…