Self-Determined Learning Model Of Instruction Research Articles

Implementing the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction in Culturally Responsive Ways

Being self-determined can improve in- and post-school outcomes for all students, including racially and ethnically marginalized students with disabilities. The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) is a flexible model of instruction educators can use to promote self-directed goal setting and attainment based on each student’s strengths, assets, family values, cultural knowledge, and learning needs to enhance self-determination. This article describes how educators can implement the SDLMI using culturally responsive teaching practices, building on the assets of all students to enhance self-determination and related goal attainment outcomes by focusing on setting and working toward goals that are culturally responsive in general education classrooms.

A Systematic Review of the Research: The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction Within MTSS

Self-determination is a predictor of postschool success. The importance of self-determination instruction for students with and without disabilities is increasingly being recognized. The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) has been implemented in various settings and at various intensities with all students. Researchers have suggested a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework could be used to organize self-determination instruction for all students. However, a systematic literature review to inform SDLMI implementation within MTSS has not been conducted. This systematic review examined intervention research, synthesizing key features that could inform ongoing research and practice applying an MTSS framework to self-determination instruction. Limitation and implications for research and practice are described.

An Analysis of the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction Coaching Model Principles in High School Classrooms

Coaching is an essential component of supporting teachers to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs) in classrooms. The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI), an EBP designed to promote student self-determination, uses a research-based coaching model with six guiding principles. This qualitative study analyzed the content of coaching conversations between coaches and general and special education high school teachers implementing the SDLMI with autistic students to explore alignment with the guiding principles of the SDLMI coaching model. Findings highlighted the usefulness of the coaching principles in building trust between coaches and teachers, supporting teachers to set meaningful goals and build skills and competencies related to SDLMI implementation, promoting innovation and fidelity, and facilitating reflective dialogue. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Developing the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) Teacher Roles Self-Report Measure

There is a need for a measure that examines teacher roles in implementing the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) to advance equity in opportunities and experiences to build self-determination for all students, including students with disabilities and students of color with disabilities. In this study, the authors introduce a measure, the SDLMI teacher roles self-report measure, developed using the theoretical framework of the causal agency theory and knowledge of SDLMI implementation. This measure focuses on three roles defined in SDLMI implementation: advocate, facilitator, and instructor. Teachers are trained to take on each of these roles when implementing the SDLMI to provide inclusive and culturally responsive opportunities to promote self-determination. Preliminary findings from this study indicate that the advocate, facilitator, and instructor roles are positively correlated, but they are different constructs and demonstrate different patterns of relations with each other. Given these preliminary findings, more work is warranted to examine the relationship between the SDLMI teacher roles self-report measure and teacher implementation and student outcomes.

Setting standards for SDLMI fidelity: Promoting Data‐driven decision making to advance Self‐determination instruction

AbstractThis study used the standard setting to establish cutscores for the fidelity of implementation of an evidence‐based intervention, the Self‐Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) designed to enhance goal‐directed actions in secondary students with and without disabilities. Cutscores were then applied to fidelity data from a large, randomized trial of the SDLMI with teacher implementers. Findings suggest teachers demonstrate a range of fidelity outcomes over time across three dimensions adherence, quality of delivery, and student responsiveness. Almost all teachers (93%) immediately meet cutscores for the adherence dimension after training, but smaller numbers meet cutscores for quality of delivery (64%) and student responsiveness (69%). However, the quality of delivery and student responsiveness showed growth over time with implementation experience and there was a small effect of intensifying implementation support.

Applying the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction to the Psychotherapeutic Context for People with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities

Applying the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction to the Psychotherapeutic Context for People with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities

Examining Student Responses in Technology-Delivered Self-Determination Intervention Using the Goal-Setting Challenge App

The Goal-Setting Challenge App (GSC App) translates the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) to a web-based format, shifting responsibility from teachers to technology to address challenges in scaling-up implementation. The present descriptive study examines transition-age students’ responses to GSC App lessons to explore the degree to which students’ responses reflected learning aligned with the SDLMI. Student responses suggest the GSC App successfully supported students in progressing through the SDLMI and setting goals, building action plans, and evaluating their progress. Implications related to the importance of setting standards for engagement in the GSC App, further exploration of teacher roles in supporting students to engage with the GSC App, and the ongoing provision of teacher implementation supports are highlighted.

Self-Advocacy and Self-Management Training Based on Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction(SDLMI) on Self-Determination and Self-Monitoring Behavior of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities in Residential Facilities

Self-Advocacy and Self-Management Training Based on Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction(SDLMI) on Self-Determination and Self-Monitoring Behavior of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities in Residential Facilities

Student-Led Transition Planning Using the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction

All students go through a variety of transitions throughout their life (i.e., middle school to high school, high school to the workforce). However, students with disabilities tend to experience disparities compared to their peers without disabilities in regard to in-school and postschool outcomes. One way to enhance outcomes for students with disabilities is providing opportunities for students to enhance their self-determination. One evidence-based practice to enhance self-determination is the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI). To support self-determination in transition planning, teachers can use the SDLMI to enable students to direct their own learning and work towards self-selected transition goals related to enhanced in-school and postschool outcomes, such as goal attainment, competitive integrated employment, and community participation. This article describes how teachers can support students in setting and working towards goals while also supporting progress in their IEP to enhance student voice and student-directed transition planning

The Goal Setting Challenge App: Impact on Transition Goal Attainment Outcomes of Students With Disabilities

Promoting self-determination is essential to effective transition services and supports. The Goal Setting Challenge App (GSC App) was developed to deliver self-determination instruction via technology, building on the evidence-based Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI). This article presents data on goal attainment outcomes for students with disabilities who participated in a small, cluster-randomized controlled trial (C-RCT) of the GSC App during the 2020 to 2021 academic year and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Findings suggest it is highly probable the GSC App enhances student transition goal attainment outcomes after one semester, with students three times more likely to attain their self-identified transition goals in the GSC App than in the business-as-usual condition. The impact of COVID-19 on implementation and sample loss is described, as are implications for research and practice.

Personal Agency as a Component of Applied Behavior Analysis

Applied behavior analysis (ABA), a mainstay treatment used in the education of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has grown in popularity in recent years. Paralleling the growth of ABA are increasing concerns regarding its inequitable treatment of vulnerable, and otherwise marginalized, populations of students. Although ABA has been shown to provide observable educational benefit, a growing number of professionals argue against its solitary use, believing it undermines respect for autonomy and social justice. In this column, a critical analysis of ABA practice is presented, through the lens of equity and the self-determined learning model of instruction. More specifically, advocacy for heightened emphasis on choice and personal agency, paired with strategies to support active learning within ABA-informed interventions, are discussed.

Supporting All Students to Be Self-Determined: Using the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction Within Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports

Opportunities for youth with and without disabilities to develop and practice abilities, skills, and attitudes associated with self-determination (e.g., decision-making, goal setting, problem-solving) lead to positive in- and postschool outcomes. However, implementation of whole-school interventions to promote self-determination is complex. A multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSSs) framework can support the identification of solutions to address these complexities to positively impact self-determination outcomes for all students, inclusive of students with extensive support needs (ESNs). In this article, we describe how an evidence-based intervention, the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI), can be provided through MTSS to support all students in becoming more self-determined. We translate research into practice by describing how to use universal screening data collected using validated self-determination assessment to guide the delivery of impactful self-determination intervention using the SDLMI across tiers of support in inclusive contexts to enhance self-determination for all students, including students with ESN.

Evaluation of Program Costs for Implementing a Self-Determination Intervention Using the Ingredients Method

In this study, we estimated the cost of implementing the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI), an evidence-based practice in secondary transition, at scale in 17 U.S. school districts to enhance self-determination and transition goal attainment outcomes among 340 transition-age adolescents with intellectual disability. An advantage of the SDLMI is that it can be overlaid upon any curriculum and, therefore, can minimize opportunity costs for self-determination instruction. Using the ingredients method, the current study: (a) identified and described the essential ingredients of SDLMI implementation in typical high school settings, (b) assigned and described the cost of needed ingredients, and (c) calculated a generalizable estimate of the average cost of using the SDLMI with 340 students for one school year across 17 school districts to be $40,221.26 (or $118.30 per student). We discuss how decision-makers considering using the SDLMI in their context can minimize costs while maximizing effects on transition goal attainment outcomes. Several implications of these findings for the field of transition are also described.

Using Novel Implementation Tools for Evidence-based Intervention Delivery (UNITED) across public service systems for three evidence-based autism interventions in under-resourced communities: study protocol

BackgroundThere are a growing number of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for autistic individuals, but few are successfully implemented with fidelity in under-resourced communities and with families from traditionally disenfranchised groups. Implementation science offers tools to increase EBI use in communities, but most implementation strategies are designed specific to a single EBI. It is not feasible to develop a new implementation strategy each time a new EBI is introduced in the community. Therefore, to test the effectiveness and generalizability of implementation strategies we are developing and testing a multifaceted implementation strategy with three EBIs concurrently. The goal of this protocol paper is to describe the randomized field trial of an implementation strategy for use across autism EBIs, diverse settings and participants, with the goal of increasing rapid uptake of effective practices to reach our most vulnerable children.MethodsWe developed a multifaceted implementation strategy called Using Novel Implementation Tools for Evidence-based intervention Delivery (UNITED) to facilitate the implementation and sustainment of three EBIs in under-resourced settings. We will compare fidelity to, and effectiveness of, each intervention [Mind the Gap (MTG), Remaking Recess (RR), Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI)] with and without UNITED in a randomized field trial. Randomization will be stratified using a minimization allocation method. We will train community practitioners using remote delivery of modules specific to the intervention, and active coaching via Zoom for at least 6 sessions and up to 12 as dictated by each EBI. Our primary outcome is fidelity to each EBI, and our secondary outcome is at the child or family level (family empowerment for MTG, child peer social engagement for RR, and adolescent self-determination for SDLMI, respectively). We will measure progress through the implementation phases using the Stages of Implementation Completion and cost-effectiveness of UNITED.DiscussionThe results of this study will provide rigorous data on the effectiveness and generalizability of one relatively light-touch implementation strategy in increasing use of autism EBIs and associated outcomes in diverse under resourced public service settings for underrepresented autistic youth.Trial registrationMind the Gap: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT04972825 (Date registered July 22, 2021); Remaking Recess: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT04972838 (Date registered July 22, 2021); Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT04972851 (Date registered July 22, 2021).

Self-Report and Administrative Data on Disability and IEP Status: Examining Differences and Impacts on Intervention Outcomes

Differences in perceptions of disability between students and administrators can play a role in youth’s educational experience. This study used data from a cluster randomized controlled trial (C-RCT) of the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) to first compare student self-report of disability status to matched administrative data and second to examine the impact of the data source utilized on trial outcomes. The findings demonstrate substantive gaps between self-reports and administrative reports of disability. While some differences might be expected, the size of the differences is notable, especially given that many students identified as having an Individualized Education Program in administrative data did not self-identify as receiving services or having a disability. The findings advance understanding of discrepancies in self-reported disability and administrative data in secondary intervention research. We also found the interpretation of group differences (students with vs. without disabilities) on trial outcomes was sensitive to the source of the data (self vs. administrative) used to establish disability status. This finding can inform future research and policy, as the data source selected to define disability populations across research studies likely has substantive impacts on conclusions drawn about the impact of interventions on students with disabilities. We cannot identify all the factors driving these differences. Nonetheless, the findings underscore the importance of providing clarity about decisions made in defining disability populations in intervention research.

Promoting Self-Determination in Community Contexts: Experiences With Implementing the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction

Abstract This article describes a pilot project focused on creating opportunities for self-determination to enhance the community participation outcomes of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities using the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI). The pilot project grew out of a partnership between researchers at a university and the state's developmental disabilities services system in their state and emerged from collaborative discussions of needs in the community. The purpose of the project was to (a) investigate effective ways to deliver the SDLMI in a community context and (b) identify the systemic changes needed to enable scaling-up of supports for self-determination. This article introduces a framework for implementing the SDLMI in the community and highlight lessons learned through community-based implementation.

Empowering Transition-Age Students to Use Self-Determination Assessment to Lead IEP Goal Development

Self-determination is a predictor of positive in- and post-school outcomes, including access to general education, competitive employment, and community participation. Emerging research has focused on promoting self-determination for all students given alignments with college and career readiness frameworks and equity-based education. However, it is also important to enhance self-determination as students participate in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) goal development process. Empowering transition-age students to lead the IEP goal development process with support from school personnel has the potential to enhance the alignment of IEP goals based on students’ strengths, preferences, values, and needs and enhance transition planning and college and career readiness. In this article, we provide an example of how to use a self-determination assessment, the Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report (SDI:SR), and an intervention, the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI), in the IEP goal development and implementation process to enhance transition planning and college and career readiness.

Equity for People of Color With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

We are pleased to share the September 2021 special issue of Inclusion, which focuses on strategies that can promote equity and inclusion of people of color with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This special issue developed as a goal of ours even before we became co-editors of Inclusion. An essential aspect of the work we wanted to accomplish was to expand and strengthen research focused on race and contextual factors that impact equity in research, policy, and practice for people of color with IDD. Our mission to advance work on this topic has not changed; we have committed our work as co-editors and as researchers to support efforts that ensure children, youth, and adults of color with IDD, and their families, are afforded the inherent civil liberties, freedoms, and protections they are warranted.Recent events in our country remind us daily that our nation has never fully delivered on promises to improve the lives of people of color with disabilities, especially people of color with IDD. For example, the racial injustice crisis in the United States continues to worsen while, simultaneously, people of color battle to offset the disparities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. For that reason, it is even more important that, as researchers, advocates, practitioners, policymakers, and leaders, we lean into eradicating racism and unjust actions that are grossly affecting people of color—including those whose race intersects with a disability. This special issue is intended to highlight the growing body of research focused on identifying strategies to better support inclusive opportunities for people of color with IDD, as well as to offer guidance for those seeking to construct research meant to identify and hopefully eradicate many of the root causes of racism that have resulted in disparities for people of color with IDD.Taken together, our collection of articles for this special issue is only the beginning of the discussion about equity for people of color with IDD that will hopefully continue throughout our field, in published research as well as in conference presentations and webinar training events. There remains a great deal of work we will need to do collectively to gain an understanding of all of the contextual factors that contribute to and/or mediate differences in outcomes across race and ethnicity for people with IDD. The field must embrace research that seeks to understand sociocultural factors and outcomes for people of color with IDD. We must continue to support researchers whose aim is to develop support systems in their research where people of color and their families are more represented. This research must also be conducted from a place of understanding the root causes of the inequities that exist. In essence, we will continue to seek novel research where people of color are centered, where Whiteness is decentered, and the assets of people of color with IDD and their communities are leveraged—while also deconstructing racism. The collection of articles for this special issue is only the beginning of what we hope to be a discussion in which we all participate.We are therefore pleased to introduce this special issue of Inclusion and highlight the selected articles. The first article, titled “Propositions for Race-Based Research in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities” by Johnson and colleagues, explores race-based methodological considerations for disparities research with Black people with IDD. The authors tackle issues of racism in research related to Black people with IDD and provide critical guidance to the field on ways to improve the discussion of race within research, while also providing recommendations for transforming change with IDD research. The authors draw on work from Tukufu Zuberi and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva (2008), providing a framework for contextualizing and guiding their discussion.In the second article, titled “I'm Trying to Make Myself Happy: Black Students With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Families on Promoting Self-Determination During Transition,” Scott and colleagues hear directly from Black youth with IDD and their families about practices for improving self-determination opportunities during the transition process. Drawing on Disabilities Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) as a theoretical framework that engages critical race theory and views of ableism, youth and mothers report their experiences and opportunities to leverage their sociocultural identities to understand what self-determination may look like based on their needs. Efforts to understand self-determination are marred by a lack of understanding of the experiences of people of color (Trainor et al., 2020), making this manuscript a novel contribution to the profession.In the third article, “Exploring Self-Determination Outcomes of Racially and Ethnically Marginalized Students With Disabilities in Inclusive, General Education Classrooms,” Shogren and colleagues further the discussion about self-determination and race/ability. The authors explored self-determination outcomes for racially and ethnically marginalized youth with disabilities after the youth engaged in the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) process in schools. The authors' findings highlighted an important conversation about leveraging the strengths of youth of color (with IDD) early on that may offer a different insight into developing training for teachers and looking at measures like the SDLMI.In the fourth article, titled “Parents Taking Action: Adapting a Peer-to-Peer Program for Parents Raising Black Children With Autism,” Dababnah and colleagues report on engaging stakeholders to adapt and pilot an intervention to improve parents' stress and increase advocacy skills, amongst other primary action items. Noting the effects of racism and its effects on poverty, the authors provide key considerations for disrupting the status quo when engaging with parents.In the final article, titled “Effects of a Self-Advocacy Intervention on Abilities of Black College Students With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to Request Academic Accommodations,” Brendli and colleagues categorize an intervention to analyze and promote self-advocacy for college youth with IDD, with a particular focus on Black youth. The authors make connections between barriers that exist for college-aged Black youth with IDD and the significance of requesting academic accommodations. The research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and offers useful strategies for how youth with IDD may go about requesting academic accommodations virtually.In conclusion, we offer that this collection of articles is only a small pebble on the path to speaking out about improving ways to promote equity for people of color with IDD. In reflecting on these articles, we understand that more has to be done to improve research that considers race and context for people of color. We also understand the complexities that exist within and between race and ethnicity, thus, it is important to include other demographic groups (e.g., Latinx, Asian) at the intersection of IDD to understand and support equity. We hope that the field as a whole embraces the journey of equity for people of color with IDD, and that this issue serves as a first step on that journey for our field.

Exploring Self-Determination Outcomes of Racially and Ethnically Marginalized Students With Disabilities in Inclusive, General Education Classrooms

Abstract Opportunities and experiences for all students, including students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, to build self-determination abilities and skills are critical to enable positive postsecondary outcomes (e.g., competitive and integrated employment, community access participation). However, racially and ethnically marginalized students with disabilities might experience fewer opportunities to build self-determination due to systemic issues (e.g., absence of policies emphasizing equity and racial justice, lack of understanding of students' social and cultural capital). The present study is an initial, exploratory analysis to determine if students with disabilities from racially and ethnically marginalized backgrounds reported different self-determination outcomes as they engaged in the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) in inclusive, general education classrooms. Findings suggested African American/Black students with and without disabilities as well as Hispanic/Latinx students without disabilities scored highest in self-determination at the beginning of the academic year (baseline) and that including disability status crossed with race/ethnicity as a predictor of self-determination baseline improved understanding of the data patterns. Implications for systemic changes to enable equitable education across research and practice are discussed.

Development of the Goal-Setting Challenge App: Engaging Users to Promote Self-Determination

ABSTRACT To promote and enhance self-determination, the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) was developed for teachers to teach students the skills needed to engage in goal-directed actions. The SDLMI was originally designed to be delivered by teachers, but technologies are emerging that can provide an alternative medium to delivering instructional content and promoting individualised learning experiences. This study: (a) describes the iterative development of the Goal-Setting Challenge (GSC) App, which ‘translates’ the SDLMI into a web-based platform; and (b) shares findings from focus groups with students and teachers to support student engagement with the App with a focus on usability and feasibility. The first phase of an iterative multi-year project to develop the GSC App for students with disabilities is described. Two themes (motivation and engagement, modifications and accessibility) emerged from participant focus groups and informed iterative development. Limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed.