Understanding the construct of self-determination: Examining the relationship between the Arc´s self-determination scale and the American institutes for research self-determination scale.
- Författare
- Shogren KA, Wehmeyer ML, Palmer SB, Soukup JH, Little TD, Garner N, et al.
- Titel
- Understanding the construct of self-determination: Examining the relationship between the Arc´s self-determination scale and the American institutes for research self-determination scale.
- Utgivningsår
- 2008
- Tidskrift
- Assessment for Effective Intervention
- Volym
- 33
- Sidor
- 94-107
- Sammanfattning
Since the early 1990s, attention has been focused on the importance of self-determination in the education of students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to further our understanding of the construct of self-determination by examining the relationship between the Arc's Self-Determination Scale and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) Self-Determination Scale student and educator versions. Using structural equation modeling, we found that the theoretical structure of the Arc's Self-Determination Scale and the AIR Self-Determination–Student Scale was supported by the data, while the proposed theoretical structure of the AIR Self-Determination–Educator Scale was not. The analyses suggested that each of the measures of self-determination was measuring a different aspect of the self-determination construct (i.e., it was not possible to create a higher order factor comprising each of the assessments); thus issues related to the goals of the research and the underlying theoretical perspective of each measure must be considered when determining the most appropriate measure of self-determination in research and practice. Implications and future research directions are discussed.