Teaching Practices to Support the Transition of Students With Intellectual Disabilities to Adulthood

Abstract

There is a great need to provide transition planning and enhance the success of individuals with intellectual disabilities in employment and independent living through appropriate practices. This study aims to explore the essential components of effective transition services that teachers should include in their instruction of students with intellectual disabilities. A descriptive quantitative research design was utilized, and data were collected through an online survey from 102 teachers of students with intellectual disabilities. The findings indicated that participants sometimes included most of the five essential components of effective transition service components in their teaching. No statistically significant differences were found in participants’ responses based on school type, years of teaching experience, or qualifications. However, statistically significant differences were found between male and female participants in responses to two of the main components, namely, student-focused planning and interagency collaboration, with male participants reporting higher mean scores than female participants. The study’s implications for practice and future research are also discussed.