Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies: Home

Abstract:
Students with disabilities are an underrepresented group that often experience several barriers that can impede or prevent them from obtaining a college degree. Additionally, prior studies indicate that the longer it takes a student to finish degree requirements, the less likely they are to graduate. Thus, indicating it is imperative to analyze degree duration among students with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to determine if students with disabilities take longer to graduate than other student demographics. Using the 2015 wave from the Baccalaureate and Beyonddataset, chi-square testing and a linear regression were applied in order to determine variables that influenced the number of months it took students to complete degree requirements for their bachelor�s degree. In order to focus on students with disabilities, disability status was used as a moderating variable in the linear regression. The chi-square testing indicated a positive correlation with disability status and the number of months it took for students to graduate. Results of the overalllinear regression model were statistically significant. These findings demonstrate that despite the accommodations students with disabilities receive; they are still taking longer to graduate than all other student groups. The study concluded that having a disability resulted in a longer degree duration time in comparison to other student demographics. The significance of these findings indicate that it is possible that the degree duration among students with disabilities may attribute to their lower completion rates. Implications for future higher educational practice and research are discussed.

Keywords: Disability; Undergraduate Education; Degree Achievement, Special Education, Academic Achievement, Adult Learning

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