1. Recommendations for Schools
A Literature Review of the Transition of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students: Trends, Barriers, and Recommendations
Anna Brady, M.S. Ed. & Lillian Durán, Ph.D.
Introduction
Inclusion Criteria
Barriers
Limitations
Family Specific
Acceptance or feelings of shame/embarrassment about the child’s disability7,8
Level of acculturation8
Limited English proficiency7,9,10,11,12,13,14
Cultural communication styles, such as eye contact and other non-verbal communication methods8,15
School Specific
Staff’s erroneous assumptions complicate their interactions8
Deficits in the cultural reciprocity1,3,7,9,12,16
Transition assessments not culturally sensitive1
Racial and cultural stereotypes7,10,12
Participants:
CLD transition students in special education (ages years)
CLD recent graduates (ages years)
Parents of CLD transition students
Teachers of CLD transition students
Articles:
Published in English language from
Literature review articles accepted
Conducted only in the USA
Included at least one theme (trends, barriers, recommendations)
Dearth of research on CLD transition-aged students with disabilities
Most studies compared White students with all other CLD groups
Lack of randomized controlled trials, therefore, results from the included studies should be interpreted with caution
CLD is “defined and characterized by the interactions and comparisons between people of different cultures within a given environment”1.
In the USA, CLD students are of minority cultures and/or their first language is not English1.
Children who receive special education services must have a disability that is described under one of the 13 categories of IDEA, and their disability must adversely affect their education2.
Students with disabilities fare worse than their nondisabled peers in terms of:
Postsecondary education and
Employment outcomes3,4.
CLD students with disabilities face additional barriers to transitioning than their White peers with disabilities5,6.
Future Research
Explore specific ways that postsecondary outcomes differ between and within minority groups
Assess the effectiveness of the types of interventions recommended for teachers (e.g., culturally responsive transition planning, transition assessments, and teachers’ interpersonal skills)
Explore the effects of training of both pre-service and in-service transition educators
Current Trends
All students with disabilities have post-secondary outcome “gaps” compared with their general education peers7,8,17
“Gaps:” lower postsecondary outcomes in levels of education and economic status8
CLD students:
Disproportionately represented in certain categories in special education1,5,18
Larger percentages are school aged1
Population increasing at a faster rate compared with Whites1
CLD students with disabilities:
Have even greater gaps than White students with disabilities8
Parents less likely to be involved in transition meetings at school than parents of White children with disabilities5
Fare worse than their White peers with disabilities in the areas of employment, postsecondary education, and engagement1,4,17
College attenders are more likely than their White peers to either drop out or spend a longer time completing their program19
Less likely to be employed than their White peers with disabilities4
Less likely to be engaged in both postsecondary education training and employment than their White peers with disabilities4
Research Questions
Recommendations for Schools
1.) What are the current trends of CLD students with disabilities who transition from high school to post-high school environments in the USA?
2.) What are the current barriers faced by CLD students with disabilities who transition from high school to post-high school environments in the USA?
3.) What practices have been found to improve transition outcomes for CLD students with disabilities in the USA?
Ask families their specific plans for their child1,13
Engage in culturally responsive communication during transition assessments, demonstrated by:
Understanding,
Respecting, and
Supporting CLD families’ views about transition1,17,20
Avoid having a deficit view of CLD families6,10,12,16
Increase positive interactions with families by:
Cultivating honesty and
Building trust9,20,21
Become cognizant of prejudices and biases and how these impact their interactions with CLD families14,16,21,22,
Understand underlying Western assumptions in special education and disabilities and how these assumptions compare with other cultures’ views14,21,22,23
Provide pre-service teachers with placements in diverse settings21,24
Methods
Three-step search process
Databases (ERIC, Education Source, Academic Search Premier, Professional Development Collection, and Psych Info)
Ancestral (looking up references)
Hand search of 4 journals
33 sources (articles, NLTS-2, training manuals, and reports) met criteria
Studies included surveys, interviews, and focus groups
Coded for:
Participants’ characteristics
Purpose of the article
Types of barriers, trends, and recommendations
Contact Us!
Anna Brady. M.S. Ed.
Utah State University
Center for Persons with Disabilities
Dr. Lillian Durán
University of Oregon
Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences