Special education directors' views of community-based vocational instruction

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the views of special education directors toward communitybased vocational instruction (CBVI). Participants included a non-proportional random sample of 47 directors from one state who completed an online or paper-based survey. Independent variables were directors' years of experience, geographic location, whether the district provided CBVI in the summer, and the curriculum of students who participated in CBVI. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics along with a content analysis of open-ended questions. Results indicate that respondents support the use of CBVI and experience few barriers to implementation. Insufficient staff and inadequate public transportation were the highest rated barriers. Views regarding the intensity with which CBVI should be provided and the age and types of students who should receive CBVI differed from practices recommended in the field. Significant group findings were evident for the variables of years of experience and curriculum of students who participated in CBVI. ©2015 The Author(s).

Keywords

Author Keywords

Transition Disabilities Community-based vocational instruction Special education directors

Index Keywords

human curriculum student vocation human experiment summer Content analysis inferential statistics random sample independent variable special education human tissue staff

Author Affiliations

College of Education, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States

Funding & Acknowledgements

U.S. Department of Education, ED

Grant: 325D090087

This research was supported by the Robert P. Larsen Grant for Research in Career Development from The Career Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The contents of this article were also developed under a grant from the US Department of Education, #H325D090087. However, the content does not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Louise J. Tripoli.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, UIUC

This research was supported by the Robert P. Larsen Grant for Research in Career Development from The Career Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The contents of this article were also developed under a grant from the US Department of Education, #H325D090087. However, the content does not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Louise J. Tripoli.

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Special education directors' views of community-based vocational instruction

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