A survey of postsecondary programs for students with learning disabilities

Four-year colleges and universities identified as offering special programs for post-secondary students with learning disabilities were surveyed to determine the types of services provided. Results related to students served, assessment and referral procedures used, academic and nonacademic services offered, and procedures employed for staff training are discussed in this article.     

Competencies of postsecondary education personnel serving students with learning disabilities

This paper presents the results of a survey designed to identify the needed competencies of both administrative and direct service personnel in directing and implementing postsecondary support programs for students with learning disabilities. Data were collected from a national sample of 299 practitioners. In addition to information about respondent characteristics, results include ratings for all items on the survey. Competency areas perceived as most desired by learning specialists were assessment skills, cognitive interventions, and instructional skills, while administrative personnel rated management/leadership skills as most desired. Implications for professional development activities are addressed. The need for strengthening linkages between secondary and postsecondary personnel to foster effective transition planning for students with learning disabilities is also explored.     

Correlates of postsecondary employment outcomes for young adults with learning disabilities

The purpose of this study is twofold: (a) to examine the efficiency of a set of selected variables for predicting postsecondary employment success for young adults classified as learning disabled in high school and (b) to provide a portrayal of employment adjustment in the first years after exiting high school. Data on both employment stability and job status were gathered through telephone interviews. Of the 284 students with learning disabilities who exited the four participating high schools between 1986 and 1989, contact was made with 175 (62%). This sample was composed of 75% males, who ranged in age from 18 to 23 years. Statistical tests reveal that students (a) with high math ability, (b) who were employed during high school, and (c) whose parents actively participated in their education were more likely to experience employment success after high school. Overall, 86% of the sample was employed either full- or part-time, with the majority in entry-level, unskilled jobs. In terms of postsecondary education, 26% completed at least one semester of college or technical school, though at the time of follow-up only 13% were enrolled in school.     

Nationwide survey of postsecondary education services for students with learning disabilities

Postsecondary services for students with learning disabilities vary a great deal from campus to campus, and published guides to postsecondary education services are often inaccurate and incomplete. A nationwide survey was conducted to investigate student service provisions in 2-year colleges and 4-year colleges and universities. The purpose of the study was to identify and catalog postsecondary education service goals and options for students with learning disabilities, and to determine differences between the goals service providers have for these students and services actually provided. The findings and their implications for service providers at both high school and college levels are discussed.     

Employment self-disclosure of postsecondary graduates with learning disabilities: rates and rationales

One hundred thirty-two graduates with learning disabilities (LD) of a large, public, competitive postsecondary institution were surveyed to determine if they had self-disclosed their LD to their current employer and to provide the reasons for choosing to self-disclose or not to self-disclose. Based on a response rate of 67.4% (n = 89), the results indicated that 86.5% of the respondents were employed full time. Although nearly 90% of the respondents stated that their LD affected their work in some way, only 30.3% self-disclosed to their employer. Of those who had not self-disclosed, the majority reported that there was no reason or need to self-disclose. However, 46.1% reported not self-disclosing due to fear of a potentially negative impact in the workplace or due to a concern for job security. Specific rationales for disclosure and information related to the use of self-reported accommodations and strategies are presented.     

Sex differences in learning abilities and disabilities

Boys more often than girls are affected by all the cognitive developmental disorders of childhood. Differences in the etiology of learning disabilities as well as general sex differences in learning styles in boys versus girls may explain the male preponderance in the prevalence of learning disabilities. The effects on learning of hormonal sex differences, maturation rate differences, and differences in frequency of perinatal brain injury will be discussed.     

Written expression of students with and without learning disabilities: differences across the grades

This study compares the written expression of 48 students with learning disabilities (LD) and 48 normally achieving (NA) students (Grades 4, 8, and 11). Productivity, syntactic maturity, vocabulary, and mechanics were examined using writing samples obtained in response to a standard stimulus. Results indicate that, compared to their NA peers, students with learning disabilities write fewer words and sentences, write more words per sentence, produce fewer words with seven letters or more and fewer sentence fragments, and have a higher percentage of capitalization and spelling errors. No group differences were found for the number of T-units produced or the number of morphemes per T-unit. Comparison of group differences at each grade level and differences by groups across the grades reveals persistent written expression difficulties and signals a need for a careful review of current instructional practices and how they can be improved.     

Merit pay in United States postsecondary institutions

Merit pay continues to be a sensitive and fairly common practice in the United States, although the prevalence of the practice has been closely linked to the state of the economy. Merit can be defined as fiscal rewards that are determined yearly on criteria that are designed for that purpose.The article endeavors to help the reader understand the pros and cons of merit, some operational merit pay programs, key issues in making merit pay awards, and components of effective merit pay systems. Finally, a section focuses on alternative ways to recognize differences in performance.     

Variables related to the decision of young adults with learning disabilities to participate in postsecondary education

This article examines the relationship between specific factors and the decision to participate in postsecondary education by young adults with learning disabilities. Data concerning 539 subjects with learning disabilities were included in this study. T test and chi square indicated that involvement in extracurricular activities while in high school, use of community resources, intelligence quotient, and reading and mathematics grade equivalent scores were important factors that differentiated between subjects choosing to participate or not to participate in postsecondary education during the year after high school. Implications and recommendations for secondary school curriculum are discussed.     

Students with learning disabilities and hearing impairment: issues for the secondary and postsecondary teacher

Although the number of students with both learning disability and hearing impairment (LDHI) currently enrolled in secondary and postsecondary programs has not been precisely determined, it is clear that these students are currently receiving inadequate assessment and support in many institutions. The best route for serving these students would seem to be collaborative efforts between deaf educators and learning disabilities specialists, yet serious gaps exist between these two professions in regard to interpretation of laws governing special services, training of professionals, and locations of educational programs. The difficulties of developing collaborative work have been compounded by controversies within each field and the heterogeneity of the populations served by both disciplines. Those interested in creating good LDHI assessments should begin by considering the qualifications needed by those conducting evaluation procedures. The inadequacies of current formal assessment devices for this population need to be recognized; informal procedures, such as teacher observation and curriculum-based assessments, are still some of the best tools available for identification and educational planning.     

Variables related to the type of postsecondary education experience chosen by young adults with learning disabilities

This article examines selected variables related to the type of postsecondary education experience chosen by young adults with learning disabilities (N = 225). A one-way analysis of variance was utilized to identify significant differences between groups participating in alternative postsecondary education experiences. Variables related to use of community resources, community mobility, participation in vocational education while in high school, autonomy, peer influence, and gender were found to be significant factors that differentiate among groups. Recommendations for further research are discussed.     

International student persistence in U.S. postsecondary institutions

The study used the data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study data set to observe the characteristics of international students in their first-year in college and examine the factors that influenced their persistence in U.S. postsecondary institutions. Results from logistic regression analysis revealed that GPA, degree plans, and academic integration were positively related to persistence of international students, while remediation in English and social integration had the negative effects on their persistence outcome. The results of the study signal the importance of encouraging collaboration between offices of international student services and other academic departments or support services on campus. The retention of international students should not be viewed as the responsibility of only international student advisors. Instead, it should become a joint responsibility of faculty, academic advisors, English language program staff, and student affairs professionals on campus.     

Qualitative and quantitative differences in learning associated with multiple-choice testing

This study assesses some effects of the Computer-Assisted Self-Evaluation (CASE) system of frequent multiple-choice testing with immediate computer feedback; it is part of a larger project aiming to combine the principal strengths of individualized instruction with lecture teaching (Fisher, 1979). Learning and retention are examined in two equivalent groups of undergraduates enrolled in an upper division science course. One group (N =34) received 24 CASE quizzes with immediate feedback and the other (N=30) received two CASE-generated midterms with delayed feedback. Quiz students significantly outperformed Midterm students on the posttest; the Quiz section scored nine percentage points higher on rote items and fourteen points higher on meaningful items. Quiz students also had more positive attitudes toward and were more involved in the course. On a retention test given two years later, the Quiz Group scored eight percentage points higher than the Midterm Group on meaningful items. This study suggests that, contrary to popular opinion, multiple-choice questions promote meaningful learning at least as well as, and possibly better than, rote learning. The CASE system appears to be about as effective as other forms of frequent testing and immediate feedback in enhancing learning, and it provides a simple, cost-effective means of individualized testing in large lecture classes.     

Nontraditional students: How postsecondary institutions are meeting the challenge

Summary This study surveyed 226 private, four-year institutions in the Southeastern United States, and to the extent that these findings may be generalized, it appears that adults make up a significant and growing minority segment of the student population on a majority of campuses. Many institutional planners and policy makers have shown sensitivity to the unique needs of nontraditional students through the number and variety of support services available for these students. It appears that it will become increasingly necessary to continue to design new programs and servics and restructure existing policies for the recruitment and retention of nontraditional students.Ann Puryear is Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at Southeast Missouri State University, and Carl McDaniels is Professor and Program Leader of Counselor Education at Virginia Tech.     

Individual differences in a positional learning task across the adult lifespan

This study aimed at modeling individual and average non-linear trajectories of positional learning using a structured latent growth curve approach. The model is based on an exponential function which encompasses three parameters: Initial performance, learning rate, and asymptotic performance. These learning parameters were compared in a positional learning task administered to a sample comprising the whole adult lifespan (N = 527; age range: 20 years to 89.3 years; M_age = 52.95, SD_age = 17.37). Additionally, three explanatory variables, age, speed of information processing, and educational level were included in the analyses. All three learning parameters showed reliable individual differences. The correlations between the learning parameters indicated that those participants with high learning rates needed more trials to achieve their asymptotic performance and those who recalled more items initially also had a higher asymptotic performance. Older persons showed lower initial performance and lower asymptotic performance, whereas speed of information processing was positively associated only with initial performance. Persons with more years of formal education had a higher initial performance and a higher asymptotic performance. The learning rate, in turn, appeared to be unaffected by all three predictor variables.     

Effects of extracurricular activities on postsecondary completion for students with disabilities

The authors focused on participation in extracurricular activities as a way of improving the educational outcomes of children with disabilities. Regarding students in the general population, adolescent involvement in extracurricular activities has been shown to have a positive association with school involvement and adolescent self-esteem, academic achievement, and adolescent development. Using the Educational Longitudinal Study dataset, the authors conducted logistic regression analyses to examine the relationship between participation in high school–sponsored extracurricular activities and postsecondary degree completion for students with disabilities. Findings show a statistically significant association between postsecondary degree completion for students with disabilities and extracurricular activity participation, including extent and type of extracurricular activity. Students with disabilities who participate in high school extracurricular activities may have increased likelihood of completing a postsecondary degree. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.     

Navigating privacy tensions when responding to online aggression at postsecondary institutions

Postsecondary institutions have a legal responsibility to ensure that students have access to a safe learning environment. While institutions adopt policies and hire administrators to protect students from harm, many are underprepared to support students when these harmful incidents happen online. This is of increased concern now that online aggression is pervasive across universities worldwide. While faculty, administrators and students agree that online aggression is a significant issue and that institutions ought to provide prevention and response services, there is concern that these efforts might violate privacy norms. We used the theory of privacy as contextual integrity (CI) to explore the tensions that postsecondary students and staff perceive regarding student privacy when responding to incidents of online aggression. To do so, we conducted focus groups with undergraduate students and student affairs administrators from a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the Mid-Atlantic USA. Our analysis surfaced three considerations that inform students' and staff's decision to report an incident of online aggression: their closeness to the person making the post, their perception of the online post content as a real threat and their knowledge of an authority figure who could help resolve the situation. We used CI theory to explain how these considerations can inform institutional policy, practice and future research.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Online aggression is a pervasive issue at postsecondary institutions worldwide that can contribute to psychological, academic and developmental issues.
• Postsecondary students and staff are unsure of how to respond to incidents of online aggression.
• There is a gap in policies and procedures for responding to online aggression at postsecondary institutions.

What this paper adds

• A novel use of Nissenbaum's (2010) theory of contextual integrity to understand students' and staff's perceptions of privacy.
• Students' and staff's decisions to intervene or report an online aggression incident are determined by their relationship to the perpetrator, the severity of the social media post and their knowledge of who to tell on campus.
• Students and staff are reluctant to inform the police out of fear of violence against the perpetrator.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• Raise awareness about responding to online aggression incidents.
• Implement online bystander intervention training programs to increase awareness and self-efficacy to intervene in unclear situations.
• Develop clear policies regarding online aggression, as well as a trustworthy procedure for how to respond.