Self-Determination and College Students with Disabilities: Research Trends and Construct Measurement

The literature on postsecondary students with disabilities stresses the importance of self-determination skills on the college experiences and outcomes of these students. However, the theoretical framework undergirding much of this research emerged largely from the K-12 special education literature, and differs from the Self-Determination Theory used more commonly with respect to college students in general. Thus, this article systematically reviews the literature regarding trends and instruments developed for measuring self-determination for these students. One hundred articles met the study's inclusion criteria and most publications were descriptive in nature, with only nine testing the efficacy of interventions. A variety of definitions of self-determination with varying components and assessment measures were employed in the studies examined. Notably, all of these definitions were developed for secondary students and are now being applied in postsecondary settings. Implications of the findings for student affairs research and practice are discussed.