Dissertation Defense: Samantha Shera
The College of Education has scheduled the final oral examination of Samantha Shera for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in School Psychology. The title of the dissertation is “The Mediating Effect of Motivation between SDT Basic Needs and College and Career Readiness for Students with/at-risk for EBD.”
Adolescents with/at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) experience significant academic, behavioral, and social-emotional challenges both in and out of the school setting. Students with/at-risk for EBD are prone to higher rates of dropout, suspensions, and expulsions, and lower academic performance than their peers (Freeman et al., 2019; Mitchell et al., 2019). Additionally, these students often have lower levels of academic self-concept and motivation towards school, which may hinder their current and future educational careers (Daniel & Cooc, 2018; Garwood, 2020). College and career readiness (CCR) has become an important area of focus particularly for students with/at-risk for EBD.
Although research exists on the negative outcomes for students with/at-risk for EBD, there is a lack of focus and understanding on promotive factors that enable academic, behavioral, and social-emotional success. Ryan and Deci’s (2000) Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is often used to understand students’ motivation within the school setting. It is thought that when students’ basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are met, they will be more motivated for current and future academic outcomes. The primary purpose of this study was to examine whether intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, competence (measured by academic self-concept), and relatedness (measured by school connectedness) are associated with CCR for students with/at-risk for EBD. Findings indicate that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation mediated the relationship between school connectedness and the four CCR domains, but not between academic self-concept and CCR. Future implications for research and practice as well as study limitations are also discussed.
