Jennifer Lynn Coyle

Doctoral Dissertation Announcement

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Candidate: Jennifer Lynn Coyle

Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Special Education and Literacy Studies

Title: Identifying In-School Predictors of Postsecondary Success for Students with Hearing Impairments

Committee:
Dr. Paula Kohler, Chair
Dr. Brooks Applegate
Dr. David Test
Dr. Elizabeth Whitten

Date: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 10:00 a.m. to noon
3120 Sangren Hall

Abstract:
Students with hearing impairments are historically a low incidence disability group. Gaps in knowledge of evidence-based practices for implementing transition education and services for this population is limited, primarily as a function of the size of the population; they hove not received much attention from the educational research community. Students with hearing impairments often experience more successful outcomes in postsecondary education and employment than other disability groups, but less than those without a disability; however, we know little of the specific educational experiences associated with such success. In contrast, a body of work on predictors of post-school success for students with disabilities in general has emerged in the field of special education. This study will use information from that work to develop a set of secondary education predictor variables.  Subsequently, using data from a national longitudinal transition study, these variables will be tested via a number of models to determine whether any strongly predict post-secondary education and employment outcomes for students with hearing impairments.

This study has the potential to expand the limited research in the field of transition education for students with hearing impairments and should lead to additional research to further expand knowledge of the challenges that students with hearing impairments face in high school.  Finally, this study should impact the field by bringing attention to programs and provision of special and regular education that definitively benefit students with hearing impairments, as opposed to interventions in settings that do not meet their needs.