Date

2-13-2026

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Susan Stanley

Keywords

special education, work-based learning, disabilities, post-secondary employment

Disciplines

Special Education and Teaching

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to discover how work-based learning during high school was utilized to support successful post-secondary employment outcomes for young adults with high-incidence disabilities in a suburban area of a southeastern state. The theory guiding this study was Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory as it explains how observational learning, self-efficacy, self-regulation, and reciprocal determination affect the learning process. The central research question for this study was: How was work-based learning utilized to support successful post-secondary employment for young adults with high-incidence disabilities in a suburban area of a southeastern state. To answer the research questions, an instrumental case study was used. Participants included ten young adults with high-incidence disabilities who were completers of occupational credentials from five different high schools in a suburban area of a southeastern state. Document analysis, individual interviews, and direct observation were used during the data collection process. Cross-case synthesis, coding, thematic analysis, and pattern matching were used during data analysis to answer research questions in alignment with social cognitive theory. This study found strong connections between high school work-based experiences and successful post-secondary employment for individuals with high-incidence disabilities who completed occupational special education programs throughout high school. Findings indicated themes of development of employability skills, building self-efficacy and confidence, and supportive environments and relationships as characteristics of successful high school work-based learning experiences for the ten participants of this study.

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