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Empowerment Through Self-advocacy: Fostering Inclusive Education for Young Adolescents With Mild to Moderate Support Needs

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigated the effects of a teacher-led six-week intervention designed to improve the self-advocacy skills of students with mild to moderate support needs. The intervention was delivered through multiple methods, including role modeling, explicit instruction, sentence scripts, and class discussion. Pre-intervention data showed that participants had a limited understanding of their IEPs, infrequent communication with teachers, and minimal engagement in requesting accommodations. After the implementation of the intervention, significant improvements were observed, with 90% of participants requesting accommodations and communicating regularly with teachers. Additionally, there was an increase in student behaviors in setting academic goals and reflecting on their self-advocacy behaviors. The participants also improved their academic performance in general education classrooms following the intervention. These findings underscore the potential of self-advocacy intervention to empower young adolescents to engage more effectively with their educational plans and achieve positive academic outcomes in the future. Recommendations for future research are provided. Article visualizations:

Source: European Journal of Special Education Research

DOI: 10.46827/ejse.v11i2.5883

Authors: Yeunjoo Lee, Danyel Diane Dahlen, Sarana Eyire Roberts

Institution: California State University, Bakersfield

Language: English

Topic: Disability Education and Employment

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Reduced inequalities, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: California State University, Bakersfield