Lynn C. Koch

First-to-Second-Year Persistence of Students With Disabilities in Postsecondary Institutions in the United States

The authors used the data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study survey (BPS:04/06) to (a) examine the characteristics of the national sample of college students with disabilities and (b) identify the factors that influenced their first-to-second-year persistence in U.S. postsecondary institutions. Students with disabilities in their study display many of the characteristics that are recognized as potential risk factors for attrition in higher education. The results from chisquare tests reveal that academic and social integration and disability-related accommodations are significantly associated with first-to-second-year persistence of students with disabilities; however, when controlling for other demographic, entry, and in-college characteristics, they do not hold significant in the final logistic regression model. Among in-college characteristics, on-campus living, full-time enrollment, degree expectations, first-year GPA, and net price of attendance emerge as significant predictors of persistence of students with disabilities. Recommendations for rehabilitation counselors and disability services staff in higher education are provided.

Determinants of Employment Status among People with Multiple Sclerosis.

This study identified factors predicting employment or lack thereof among adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). Data for the analysis were provided by 139 individuals with MS who were considered available for the workforce (i.e., were no older than 62 and did not declare themselves retired). Results from a backward, stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis included the following variables as the best predictors of employment: symptom persistence, severity of symptoms, educational attainment, and presence of cognitive limitations. The relevance of the findings for rehabilitation assessment and intervention strategies is discussed.

Returning to Work After the Onset of Illness Experiences of Right Hemisphere Stroke Survivors

Experiences of right hemisphere stroke survivors in their attempts to return to work after the onset of stroke were explored through an interdisciplinary qualitative investigation. Key findings indicate that (a) participants experienced an array of functional limitations that precipitated employment changes; (b) employment changes had a substantial psychosocial impact on both the stroke survivor and the primary caregiver; and (c) successful integration into employment was associated with both internal resources (e.g., patience, determination, sense of humor) and external resources (e.g., emotional support and encouragement from caregivers, family, and friends; emotional and instrumental support from healthcare professionals; employer willingness to provide reasonable accommodations). The findings support the use of an ecological approach to facilitate successful return to work for this population.

The Preferences and Anticipations of People Referred for Vocational Rehabilitation

Client expectations are beginning to receive increasing attention in rehabilitation research and practice. This study provides preliminary data about the expectations, conceptualized as preferences and anticipations, of individuals seeking vocational rehabilitation (VR) services. Sixty-five people (33 women and 32 men) referred to a state VR agency completed an open-ended survey. A grounded-theory, qualitative methodology was used to identify and categorize the themes that emerged from the survey responses. The results suggest that individuals (a) enter the VR process with their own unique sets of preferences and anticipations, (b) have fairly clear ideas about what services they wish to receive but are uncertain about what services they will receive, and (c) want clear and specific information about all aspects of the VR process.

Students With Disabilities at 2-Year Institutions in the United States Factors Related to Success

This study used data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study to examine the demographic and in-college characteristics of students with disabilities at 2-year institutions, identify the types of educational services available to them, and determine how students’ disability conditions and their selected demographic and in-college characteristics related to their persistence. Nearly 25% of the students with disabilities in the sample did not persist beyond their first year, and almost 51% left without return by the end of their third year. The results from chi-square tests revealed that nonpersistence was associated with depression, physical or orthopedic conditions, and other conditions not specified in the survey. Delayed enrollment decreased the likelihood of both first-to-second and 3-year persistence. Conversely, full-time enrollment, high grade point averages (GPAs), high degree aspirations, and meetings with academic advisors were positively related to persistence. Recommendations for faculty members, administrators, and disability services staff members at 2-year institutions are provided.

Understanding and Reporting Qualitative Research An Analytical Review and Recommendations for Submitting Authors

Qualitative research methodology is an often misunderstood and underutilized set of philosophies, approaches, and procedures that lends itself quite readily to the study of phenomena of substantial interest to rehabilitation researchers, research consumers, and individuals with disabilities. For that reason, we propose general guidelines for developing and preparing manuscripts to be submitted for journal publication. We discuss important elements to address in introducing the study, describing the research methods, presenting the findings, and discussing the findings. Throughout the article, we use examples from qualitative research articles to illustrate both the process and reporting of qualitative research.

Engaging New Faculty in the Scholarship of Teaching.

This article describes how scholarly teaching projects were conceived, implemented, and evaluated by junior faculty from a variety of disciplines at a medium-sized midwestern university. The authors explore: considerations in designing scholarly teaching projects, methods used to evaluate teaching effectiveness, and outcomes of the teaching projects. Finally, two of the teaching projects illustrate how junior faculty with diverse courses, class sizes, and teaching concerns approached the task of improving their teaching.

Persistence to degree completion: A profile of students with psychiatric disabilities in higher education

Accumulating evidence indicates that although the enrollment of students with psychiatric disabilities in U.S. postsec- ondary institutions is on the rise, these students are not persisting to degree completion at the same rate as their peers without psychiatric disabilities. However, a national investigation of the persistence rates and characteristics of students with disabilities has yet to be conducted. This research study summarizes descriptive data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitu- dinal Study (BPS: 04/09) data set on the characteristics and persistence rates of students with psychiatric disabilities (N = 350) enrolled in U.S. postsecondary institutions. The first-to-second year persistence rate of these students was 76.6% while the three year cumulative persistence and persistence to degree completion rates were 61% and 54.7%, respectively. The demographic and background characteristics of the participants resembled those of typical at-risk students in postsecondary education. Although their academic and social integration into their institutions was limited, chi-square analyses did reveal a significant association between first-to-second year persistence and how often students met with their academic advisors in their first year. These analy- ses also demonstrated a significant relationship between first-to-second year persistence and all three social integration variables examined in the study.

The working alliance: an interdisciplinary case management strategy for health professionals

This article describes strategies for building working alliances among stakeholders in the rehabilitation process. Beginning with the intake interview and progressing through clarifying expectations, establishing bonds, setting goals, formulating tasks and resolving conflicts, the working alliance provides a model for meeting a wide range of client needs in a comprehensive, cost-effective manner.

A narrative literature review regarding job retention strategies for people with chronic illnesses.

Job retention is a major concern for individuals with chronic illnesses, who represent a rapidly growing vocational rehabilitation (VR) consumer population. The purpose of this article is to examine selected job retention considerations for consumers with chronic illnesses. The authors (a) describe distinguishing characteristics of chronic illnesses in terms of populations affected and psychosocial implications, (b) discuss the vocational implications of chronic illnesses, (c) provide general considerations for the provision of job retention services, and (d) examine job retention strategies aimed at improving employment outcomes for individuals with chronic illnesses.