Transition policy and procedures are integral for districts promoting students with disabilities to successful post school outcomes in career or in higher education. School districts are given a set of standards that must be addressed in their curriculum but are not clearly delineated by state and national organizations. Additionally, transition programs in the secondary curriculum have not been examined extensively, and most research investigated particular individual disabilities in higher education settings or studies involving independent living or employment after school has been completed. This qualitative appreciative inquiry study sought to understand commonalities in the policies and procedures of the implementation of transition strategies by school districts in central Kentucky. In this study, nine school districts with seventeen stakeholders involved with setting and implementing transition practices for students with disabilities were surveyed using open-ended questions and a conversational approach. Participants in each of the groupings indicated that self-determination is used for interactions with students to focus on life skills and that career exploration and post-secondary goal setting has been a district initiative. These findings could be instructive for policy implementation when designing transition strategies for high school districts in the area of special education. Finally, limitations and suggestions for further research are presented.
","abstract_html":"<p>Transition policy and procedures are integral for districts promoting students with disabilities to successful post school outcomes in career or in higher education. School districts are given a set of standards that must be addressed in their curriculum but are not clearly delineated by state and national organizations. Additionally, transition programs in the secondary curriculum have not been examined extensively, and most research investigated particular individual disabilities in higher education settings or studies involving independent living or employment after school has been completed. This qualitative appreciative inquiry study sought to understand commonalities in the policies and procedures of the implementation of transition strategies by school districts in central Kentucky. In this study, nine school districts with seventeen stakeholders involved with setting and implementing transition practices for students with disabilities were surveyed using open-ended questions and a conversational approach. Participants in each of the groupings indicated that self-determination is used for interactions with students to focus on life skills and that career exploration and post-secondary goal setting has been a district initiative. These findings could be instructive for policy implementation when designing transition strategies for high school districts in the area of special education. Finally, limitations and suggestions for further research are presented. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Petrey, Jerry"],"institution":"Eastern Kentucky University","degree_name":"Doctor of Education (EdD)","degree_level":"Doctoral's","degree_discipline":"Educational Leadership and Policy Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:00Z","subjects":["appreciative inquiry","transition","special educatio","self-determination","causal agency theory","Disability and Equity in Education"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright 2021 Jerry Petrey"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/749","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Petrey, Jerry"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Leadership and Policy Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education (EdD)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Eastern Kentucky University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["appreciative inquiry","transition","special educatio","self-determination","causal agency theory","Disability and Equity in Education"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2021 Jerry Petrey"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/749"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Transition policy and procedures are integral for districts promoting students with disabilities to successful post school outcomes in career or in higher education. School districts are given a set of standards that must be addressed in their curriculum but are not clearly delineated by state and national organizations. Additionally, transition programs in the secondary curriculum have not been examined extensively, and most research investigated particular individual disabilities in higher education settings or studies involving independent living or employment after school has been completed. This qualitative appreciative inquiry study sought to understand commonalities in the policies and procedures of the implementation of transition strategies by school districts in central Kentucky. In this study, nine school districts with seventeen stakeholders involved with setting and implementing transition practices for students with disabilities were surveyed using open-ended questions and a conversational approach. Participants in each of the groupings indicated that self-determination is used for interactions with students to focus on life skills and that career exploration and post-secondary goal setting has been a district initiative. These findings could be instructive for policy implementation when designing transition strategies for high school districts in the area of special education. Finally, limitations and suggestions for further research are presented.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/PDF"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Appreciative Inquiry: Transition Strategies for Students with Disabilities"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Petrey, Jerry"],"dc:description.abstract":["Transition policy and procedures are integral for districts promoting students with disabilities to successful post school outcomes in career or in higher education. School districts are given a set of standards that must be addressed in their curriculum but are not clearly delineated by state and national organizations. Additionally, transition programs in the secondary curriculum have not been examined extensively, and most research investigated particular individual disabilities in higher education settings or studies involving independent living or employment after school has been completed. This qualitative appreciative inquiry study sought to understand commonalities in the policies and procedures of the implementation of transition strategies by school districts in central Kentucky. In this study, nine school districts with seventeen stakeholders involved with setting and implementing transition practices for students with disabilities were surveyed using open-ended questions and a conversational approach. Participants in each of the groupings indicated that self-determination is used for interactions with students to focus on life skills and that career exploration and post-secondary goal setting has been a district initiative. These findings could be instructive for policy implementation when designing transition strategies for high school districts in the area of special education. Finally, limitations and suggestions for further research are presented.
"],"dc:format":["application/PDF"],"dc:identifier":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/749"],"dc:publisher":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2021 Jerry Petrey"],"dc:source":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"],"dc:subject":["appreciative inquiry","transition","special educatio","self-determination","causal agency theory","Disability and Equity in Education"],"dc:title":["Appreciative Inquiry: Transition Strategies for Students with Disabilities"],"dc:type":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Leadership and Policy Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral's"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Education (EdD)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Eastern Kentucky University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:00Z"}