In transition: examining students with learning disabilities' transition from high school to college through Schlossberg's transition theory

The goal of this study was to find out what selected freshmen students with learning disabilities reported about their experiences while transitioning from high school to college and the circumstances or situations that impact such experiences in relation to Schlossberg's Transition Theory. The participants in this study were six freshmen students between 18 and 22 years old registered with Rowan University's Office of Disability Resources who self-identified as having one or more learning disability during the spring 2015 semester. Data were collected using an adapted interview protocol with permission from Samantha DeVilbiss' (2014) dissertation, The Transition Experience: Understanding the Transition from High School to College for Conditionally-Admitted Students Using the Lens of Schlossberg's Transition Theory. The interview protocol consisted of two interview schedules with roughly 12 questions each, which totaled to about 24 questions. The questions asked about the feelings and experiences related to the participants' transition from high school to college. Content analysis reported that multiple themes related to the four Ss of Schlossberg's Transition Theory impacted participants' transition experiences. The most significant themes were trigger, independence, assessment of the transition, awareness and acceptance of disability, institutional support, and community involvement.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A. Higher Education

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Services, Administration, and Higher Education

Year dc:date.available

2015

Author dc:creator

• Bonanni, Margaret

Contributors dc:contributor

• Sisco, Burton

• Learning disabled youth; College freshmen
• Higher Education
• Student Counseling and Personnel Services

Repository record dc:identifier

https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/514

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:rdw.rowan.edu:etd-1513