Can a 3rd space community of practice facilitate transition of students
with disabilities from second level education to higher education?
Hello
I would like to introduce you to a research project that I am undertaking as the
basis of a doctoral thesis, and to ask if you would be willing to participate in this
research.
Introduction.
The period of transition from secondary to third level can be complex and
highly stressful. Many of the objectives connected with transition should ideally
begin in Transition Year and continue throughout the senior cycle of education.
However more often than not the activities, tasks and strategies required for
successful application to college take place during the Leaving Certificate year.
This can make life very stressful for students and their parents.
For students with disabilities, this experience has additional challenges with
regard to identifying access routes, supports and information specific to their
needs. This can have a significant effect on successful application to and
participation at college.
The National Access Plan has set a number of targets relating to participation
rates for people with disabilities in Higher Education, and plan to double the
numbers of people with sensory, physical and multiple disabilities in HE by
2013. Despite the introduction of the Disability Access Route to Education
(DARE) scheme, these groups remain under-represented.
What am I researching?
In 2005 the National Disability Authority recommended that:
* Careful and systematic transition planning is crucial between educational
settings and levels – considerations include establishing links between the
sending and receiving settings, facilitating access to the new environment, and
ensuring participation in the new environment.
* Transition planning is especially important for post-school outcomes, and
as such transition planning should be established at least by the end of
compulsory school age, and preferably sooner.
The objective is to identify issues related to transition for students with
disabilities in order to inform future practices within second and third level
education providers. By identifying the main issues and examining the
frequency of co-occurring experiences it may be determined whether such
experiences are generalisable to all students with disabilities. The principal
aims therefore are:
1. To investigate personal perceptions of the impact of disability during second
level education by examining personal statements submitted to DARE.
2. To investigate the transition experiences of students with disabilities at the
conclusion of their first year of undergraduate education, through a thematic
analysis of in depth interviews.
3. To document access to initiatives, advice, support and guidance associated
with the transition experience from the perspective of stakeholders, via a web
based survey and discussion forum.
4. To examine individual perspectives of disability and to determine how these
affect academic aspiration and achievement.
5. To use a methodology that ensures that students with a disability are
provided with a voice that contributes to an understanding of difficulties in
transitioning from second to third level education.
Key research questions include:
·
Are transition initiatives / practices working for students with disabilities?
·
Is there a need for a dedicated ‘transition’ web site?
·
Is there a need for a dedicated transition assessment and planning tool?
·
Is there equity of access between disability groups?
·
What lessons can be learned from listening to the student voice?
·
What difference does the DARE scheme make?
As you can see, this is an important piece of research and one that has real
potential to change approaches to the transition process.
I would like to ask for your help in the research.
How.
I will be inviting second level students with disabilities who are applying to
college, parents and carers, community groups and other stakeholders in the
transition process, to complete an online survey. This survey will explore your
experiences of exploring options at third level and completing your college
application. In addition you are invited to participate in the discussion forum.
How much time will it involve?
The survey will take approximately 15 minutes.
Ethics.
Your input is absolutely vital to this research project. Above all, I hope that you
will see this as an opportunity to ‘tell it as it is’. To ensure that everything that I
do is ethical, there are specific ethical guidelines that govern this research. A
copy of the Code of Ethics is available as a separate document.
What do I do now?
If you would like to take part in this research then please complete the surveys
on the welcome page. If you would like to participate in interviews or focus
groups, please contact me at pathways@tcd.ie
Thank you for taking the time to read through this.
Alison Doyle
School of Education
Trinity College Dublin