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The Role of Program and Alterable Personal Factors in Postschool Employment Outcomes

University of Oregon

Lauren Lindstrom

Claire Zane

Pamela Johnson

Case study research design was used to examine the role of program and alterable personal factors in the postschool employment outcomes of young adults with learning disabilities. Seventy-one in-depth interviews were conducted with young adults and multiple key informants. A set of program factors clustered together to form two distinct patterns that the authors identified as targeted and restricted services, and a set of alterable personal factors clustered together to form two distinct patterns that they identified as active and passive career orientation. Overall, young adults who were identified with targeted services and active career orientation experienced more positive employment outcomes than did young adults identified with restricted services, passive career orientation, or both. Implications for instruction, student experiences, and professional development are discussed. Future research is suggested to generalize the findings to other samples and to conduct experimental research to disentangle cause and effect.

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Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, Vol. 30, No. 3, 171-183 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/08857288070300030601


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Doren, B. Articles by Johnson, P. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?