The Effects of Adding a Work Component to the Transition Program on Rates of
Competitive Employment for Disabled Students at Roosevelt High School.
Siiri Rimpila
SCG 410
Dr. Anthony E. Epah
Summer I, 2003
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REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Introduction
An important aspect of high school is to prepare students for work. Benz,
Yovanoff & Doren (1997) cited the School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA) of
1994 as establishing a set of guidelines for schools to form transition programs to better
prepare students for work and possible further education. The STWOA recommends
work-related learning opportunities in both the school and at work settings. Bove,
McNeil, Paolucci-Whitcomb, & Nevin (1991) found that many special education students
are not leading integrated and independent lives after they leave high school (as cited in
Love & Malian, 1997.) One theme to consider is that disabled adults have comparatively
low job placement rates. Transition programs have been formulated to increase rates of
job placement for disabled students. The components of these transition programs will be
further explored in this paper. An important factor of the transition period is cultivating
decision-making skills through the various experiences that are offered to the student.
Unfortunately, not all students benefit equally from these programs. Finally, a review of
the independent and dependent variables of the study will be given.
Job Rates
People with disabilities are not represented equally in the workforce. Marder &
D’Amico (1992) found that only about 33% of students with disabilities are able to find
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substantial work within the first year after graduation as compared to an estimated 67%
of non-disabled graduates, (as cited in Benz, Yovanoff & Doren, 1997.) In addition,
disabled adults are not only underemployed, but also earning very low wages (Haring,
Lovett & Smith, 1990, as cited in Collet-Klingenberg, 1998; Affleck, Edgar, Levine, &
Kottering, 1990, as cited in Blalock & Patton, 1996.) Transition programs help to
decrease these discrepancies, but not all transition programs accomplish this goal.
Transition programs need to be studied in order to reveal which components yield the
most success in terms of post-high school job placement.
Transition Program Components
Many studies have been conducted to identify various components of high school
transition programs. Benz, Yovanoff & Doren (1997) identified strong social skills and
solid job search skills as increasing chances of competitive employment for both disabled
and non-disabled students within one year after graduation. Collet-Klingenberg (1998)
reported that transition teams with strong planning skills tend to have stronger transition
programs and post-high school job outcomes. Knight and Aucoin (1999) indicated the
importance of a strong team effort involving the workplace. In addition, selfdetermination skills, or self-advocacy skills have also been emphasized in various
transition studies, yet not many teachers are incorporating these skills into their
curriculum (Lindstrom & Benz, 2002; Thoma, Baker, & Saddler, 2002; ColletKlingenberg, 1998). Another important component of transition programs is the
availability of on-the-job training and work experiences (Benz, Yovanoff & Doren, 1997;
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Collet-Klingenberg, 1998; Heal & Rusch, 1995 as cited in Corbett, Clark, & Blank,
2002.) However, Heal and Rusch’s (1995) study found no correlation between careerrelated classes and employment rates (as cited in Corbett, Clark, & Blank, 2002.)
Decision-making
The above mentioned transition components allow students to become more
knowledgeable and well-rounded about jobs. This exposure to the types of decisions a
person will need to make after high school is another very important part of transition
programs. Savickas (1999) reports that being aware of future decisions and what
resources are available to make those decisions helps students in coping with the
transition to adult life. Lindstrom and Benz (2002) also talked about the process of
decision-making. They reported that this process should be self-directed and gradual. In
addition, Lindstrom and Benz (2002) report that the process of elimination can help
learning disabled students find a better job match. Having a work opportunity and
curriculum designed to increase job awareness gives students more resources to help
them in their career decision-making after graduation.
Transition Success Rates
Unfortunately, not all students benefit equally from the school to work programs
in high schools. Benz, Yovanoff & Doren (1997) identified disabled women as “five
times less likely to be competitively employed one year out of school than were all other
groups” (p. 157.) In addition, they found that minority students and students taking care
of young children were three times less engaged in some form of productive activity than
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non-minority students and students with no parenting responsibilities. Bounds (1997) and
Halloran & Johnson (1992) have found that nearly 62% of students that had some form of
work experience while in high school were able to remain in competitive jobs after high
school. Only about 45% of students with no high school work experience maintained
competitive employment (as cited in Knight & Aucoin, 1999). These discrepancies need
to be further explored so that all special education students can benefit equally from the
programs that are provided for them.
Independent Variable
The independent variable of the study will be a work experience program. Special
education seniors at Roosevelt High School will all continue to participate in the existing
transition program. One group will also participate in a work component and a second
group will not. Many studies have indicated that work opportunities in high school are
important in helping students to transition into the working world (Lindstrom & Benz,
2002; Collet-Klingenberg, 1998.) The study will examine how adding a strong work
component to a current transition program affects the rate of competitive employment
among disabled students. Roosevelt High School currently does not have a work
component as part of its transition program. Roosevelt has been selected so that the
addition of a work component can be isolated and measured.
Dependent Variable
The dependent variable of the study will be the level of job readiness and rates of
competitive employment. Sampson, Peterson, Reardon, & Lenz (2000) report that
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readiness assessments can be used to determine the success of career programming
interventions. Job readiness will be measured through a job readiness inventory given as
a pretest and a posttest to both groups. Group scores will reveal how much improvement
students have made in terms of job readiness, as well as if the addition of a work
component increased student levels of job readiness.
Post high school employment outcomes for each group will also be tallied. The
students will be called one year after graduation to determine how many from the control
group (transition program only) and the experimental group (transition program plus
work experience) are actually working 15 or more hours per week. Based on current
research, the hypothesis is that students participating in the experimental group, in which
a work component is added, will have higher rates of competitive employment one year
after they graduate high school.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many factors that contribute to increasing the rates of
employment for disabled students after they graduate high school. It is important to finetune transition programs since there are so many disabled adults who are either
unemployed or underemployed and underpaid. Many studies have identified important
emphases in transition programs. A work component has been highlighted in a number of
these studies as being an invaluable opportunity. So far, no study has isolated the variable
of a work component within high schools to account for confounding factors (such as
number of job available to young adults in that region, etc.) This study seeks to better
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understand what effects the addition of a work component has on rates of competitive
employment for disabled high school students at Roosevelt High School. Further studies
at larger schools would be recommended in the future.
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