Transition is a transformation of
characteristic behaviors and skills among students as they move from a school
system to adult life where their roles and responsibilities are principally
different. In her findings, Will (1984) described transition as an outcome
oriented process which includes a wide range of services and experiences that
facilitate employment. She further described transition as the period between
high school, graduation, additional post high school education or adult
services, and the early years of employment. Transition for exceptional
students should be a shared responsibility. This responsibility should be
shared between the parents of the students the employers, and the professionals
in the agencies that aim to impart the various skills on the students. Transition
does not merely focus on being a bridge from school to employment. It
encompasses the development of the whole person and the development of other
skills such as general adult living, maintaining a home, becoming appropriately
involved in the community, and attainment of full personal potential in life
(AFCEC Online Journal, 2002).
The definitions of transition have
changed considerably with time. The definition by Will (1984) identified the
different levels of services which excluded special services, but included
time-limited services, and ongoing services that an exceptional student would
need to obtain their desired employment goal. Halpern (1985) improved on Wills
definition by including community adjustment as a desired outcome. His approach
was more comprehensive and included residential adjustment as well as
establishment of desired social and interpersonal networks. Halpern (1989)
would later improve his definition further to focus on the students’ self
esteem and having them empowered to make their own decisions regarding their
goals. Brolin (1989) later included the correlation between the school-to-work
transition to the career development concepts that are implemented in various
institutions and agencies. Brolin (1995) would later identify the components
for facilitation of successful transition services as interagency cooperation,
individualized plans and a functional curriculum among others. The Division of
Career Development and Transition (AFCEC Online Journal, 2002) adopted a
definition in 1994 that defines transition as a process that enables students
to assume emerging adult roles.
Carl D. Perkins was referred to as
the father of post war federal education because of his efforts in championing
the introduction of government funded education programs to aid financially
disadvantaged students. He also championed the legislation of the Vocation
Education Act of 1984. This act provides for federal funding for vocational
education and also provides for equal opportunity for persons with disabilities
in employment, enrollment and placement in vocational programs,
apprenticeships, guidance and counseling and other activities (NAPCSE, 2004).
This ensures special students are able to access opportunities necessary for
them to develop and actualize themselves. The Act was amended in 1990 and in
1998 with both amendments reauthorizing different proportionate amounts of
funding to sex equity and displaced homemaker programs among others, each of
which required a higher concentration on guidance and counseling for
exceptional students.
AFCEC Online Journal, (2002). Transition: A frame of reference. Retrieved January 18, 2011 from http://www.afcec.org/pubs/journal/vol1/02F_definition1.pdf
on 18 Jan 2011
Brolin, D.E. (1995). Careeer Education: A functional life skills approach (3rd
Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall, Inc
Brolin, D.E., & Schatzman, B. (1989). Lifelong
career development. In D.E. Berkell & J.M Brown
(Eds.), Transitions from school to work
for persons with disabilities (pp. 22- 23). New York: Longman.
National Association of Parents with Children in
Special Education NAPCSE, (2004). Special
Education and the Law for Parents
Perkins Vocational Education Act.P.L.98-524: Retrieved January 18, 2011 from http://www.napcse.org/specialeducationlaw/perkinsvocational.php
Will, M. (1984). OSERS
programming for the transition of youth with disabilities: Bridges from school to working life. Washington, DC:
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services,
U.S Office of Education
Among the numerous definitions of
career education, there is a broad consensus on the features of a comprehensive
career education program (Department of Education and Training, 2005.). These
features include Self Awareness, Opportunity Awareness, Decision Learning, and
Transition Learning. Self awareness involves: identifying one’s personal attributes
such as emotional characteristics, interests and values, and physical skills;
creating a link between their personal attributes to the skills they require to
be effective in their work, and evaluating their learning capabilities in
various life and work situations. Opportunity
awareness involves experiencing and researching a range of work environments,
researching various occupations and training opportunities, and analyzing
prospective changes in work environments(Department of Education and Training, 2005.).
Decision learning involves understanding the factors that influence decisions
and how other people make decisions, understanding decision styles and
strategies, generating a range of career options for themselves. Transition
learning involves learning the various transitions that one may encounter with
time, exploring the various ways one can respond to such transitions, and
developing the skills that would enable them go through the transition
smoothly.
Trait- Factor Theory is a model of
psychological testing that focus on individual’s own perception of their
character traits vis-à-vis their prevailing environment. These traits are
believed to be stable over a long range of time. These traits can be identified
through a five-dimension personality model which includes openness to
experience (imaginative, independent), conscientiousness (organized, careful,
disciplined), extraversion (sociable, fun-loving, affectionate), agreeableness
(softhearted, trusting, helpful), and neuroticism (calm, secure,
self-satisfied), (Santrok, 2008.). On the other hand, Behavioral Traits focus
on how individuals react to stimuli from the surrounding environment. There are
three types of behavioral learning theories (Cunia, 2005): Contiguity which
states that stimulus and response will usually be associated; Classical
Conditioning, and Operant Conditioning which associates a certain behavior with
its consequences.
When having to make a preference
between the Trait-Factor theory and the behavioral trait approach, one should
consider the qualities and intended purpose for which the choice should be made
(Santrok, 2008.). Trait-Factor theory presents itself as a better tool to use
since it gives a fairly stable result that spans across different environmental
stimuli. This is as opposed to behavioral approach which can only give a
specific result based on only the prevailing condition, and can therefore not
reliably help determine the core character of the person in question (Santrock,
2008.).
For more theory and case studies on: http://expertresearchers.blogspot.com/
Cunia, E. (2005). Behavioral learning theory. Principles
of Instruction and Learning: A Web Quest.
Retrieved January 18, 2011 from http://suedstudent.syr.edu/~ebarrett/ide621/behavior.htm
Department of Education and Training, (2005). Components and Principles of Career Education. Retrieved January 18, 2011 from
http://education.qld.gov.au/students/service/career/principles.html.
Quensland Government.
Santrock, J.W. (2008). The Self, Identity, and
Personality. In Mike Ryan (Ed). A Topical
Approach to Life-Span Development. (pp.
411-412). New York: McGraw-Hill
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