Perceived Barriers to Career Self-Exploration for Adults with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Research regarding the career exploration process for adults with reading disabilities and ADHD who participate in Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs is limited. Due to a lack of career development resources in ABE programs, adults with reading disabilities and ADHD do not always have the opportunity to engage in career exploration activities that might help them make satisfying career decisions. In career development theory, self-determination is the capacity to identify personal goals and is considered crucial to overcoming barriers and making meaningful career choices. In the present study, a model was proposed and tested that examined self-determination as a mediator of the hypothesized relationships between perceived career and educational barriers and career development outcomes. Adults with reading disabilities and ADHD from ABE programs (N = 83) completed a demographic questionnaire and screening measures intended to classify them according to type of disability (i.e., reading, ADHD, and combined reading and ADHD). They also completed measures of perceived educational and career barriers, components of self-determination, and career self-efficacy. Multivariate multiple regression analyses were used to investigate hypotheses derived from the proposed model. The results revealed that experiences of perceived educational barriers, but not career barriers, were related to low levels of career decision-making self-efficacy and self-determination; the competence component of self-determination was associated with higher levels of career decision-making self-efficacy. Overall, the results suggested that self-determination partially mediated the relationship between perceived educational barriers and career decision-making self-efficacy. The findings indicate that, for ABE adults with reading disabilities and ADHD, having a sense of one’s own expertise is important for overcoming barriers and feeling confident in making career decisions. Discussions included methodological limitations and implications for practice and research.