Date of Award:

5-2014

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Special Education and Rehabilitation

Committee Chair(s)

Jared C. Schultz

Committee

Jared C. Schultz

Committee

Julie Smart

Committee

Judith Holt

Committee

Robert Morgan

Committee

Scot Allgood

Abstract

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, calls for participants to become “active and full partners in the vocational rehabilitation process.” This study represents the first research to specifically address the actual meaning and importance of participant engagement in the state-federal Vocational Rehabilitation program. Defining the construct of participant engagement is an important first step in creating more effective services for persons with disabilities. It was proposed that engagement in vocational rehabilitation would include three factors: (a) attendance at meetings with the counselor, (b) fulfillment of an expected contribution during meetings, and (c) completion of homework tasks between meetings. Through an online survey, vocational rehabilitation counselors provided information about participants’ current levels of engagement. Results indicated that engagement can be defined and measured through the three proposed factors. The participants’ fulfillment of their expected contribution had the strongest direct effect on overall ratings of engagement, and this factor also mediated the influence of attendance and homework on engagement. The current findings suggest the need to explore how instructing and supporting participants in their role might facilitate high levels of engagement. Ensuring high levels of participant engagement may increase the effectiveness and efficiency of state-federal vocational rehabilitation programs.

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