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Understanding the Construct of Self-Determination

Examining the Relationship Between the Arc's Self-Determination Scale and the American Institutes for Research Self-Determination Scale

University of Texas at Austin, shogren{at}mail.utexas.edu

Michael L. Wehmeyer

University of Kansas, Lawrence

Susan B. Palmer

University of Kansas, Lawrence

Jane Helen Soukup

University of Kansas, Lawrence

Todd D. Little

University of Kansas, Lawrence

Nancy Garner

University of Kansas, Lawrence

Margaret Lawrence

University of Kansas, Lawrence

Since the early 1990s, attention has been focused on the importance of self-determination in the education of students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to further our understanding of the construct of self-determination by examining the relationship between the Arc's Self-Determination Scale and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) Self-Determination Scale student and educator versions. Using structural equation modeling, we found that the theoretical structure of the Arc's Self-Determination Scale and the AIR Self-Determination–Student Scale was supported by the data, while the proposed theoretical structure of the AIR Self-Determination–Educator Scale was not. The analyses suggested that each of the measures of self-determination was measuring a different aspect of the self-determination construct (i.e., it was not possible to create a higher order factor comprising each of the assessments); thus issues related to the goals of the research and the underlying theoretical perspective of each measure must be considered when determining the most appropriate measure of self-determination in research and practice. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Key Words: self-determination • assessment • structural equation modeling • special education • students with disabilities

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