Perceived Levels of Adult Learning Skills Among College Students with Different Types of Disabilities

Introduction: The number of college students with disabilities is growing, and they are reported to comprise approximately 19% of the college student population. Compared to their peers, college students with disabilities are at higher risk of not completing college, but are more likely to be successful with support. A common form of support is proactive advising, which targets adult learning skills necessary for success in higher education before issues arise. Despite this knowledge of both the need and efficacy of support for college students with disabilities, there is a limited body of research on interventions for college students with disabilities. In addition, most intervention studies focus on one or two specific disability categories, typically ADHD and learning disabilities. A novel intervention called 2-4-8 supports college students with any disability in a private higher education institution. 2-4-8 is a proactive advising model that targets adult learning skills to support successful experiences for college students with disabilities. However, it is unknown whether adult learning skills differ by disability. This study thus investigates if there are differences in perceived levels of adult learning skills depending on a student’s disability category.

Methods: The data came from a study on the effectiveness of the 2-4-8. 174 students with disabilities participated between 2018-2020. Before starting the 2-4-8 program, participating students completed a survey that collected information about their perceived levels of adult learning skills and diagnosis category. Participants were asked which diagnosis categories they were receiving accommodations for; they could mark multiple categories. A Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was conducted to determine the number of disability groups. Participants were also asked to rate perceived levels of strength for 11 adult learning skills on a 5-point Likert Scale. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was utilized to identify the number of dimensions within adult learning skills assessed. Using the findings of the LCA and EFA, a Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was conducted to compare the different disability groups of students in their perceived levels of adult learning skills.

Results: Two disability groups emerged based on the results of the LCA: students with ADHD, learning disabilities, and/or psychological diagnoses, and those with other diagnoses. The EFA identified two dimensions of adult learning skills: learning skills and communication skills. The MANOVA was conducted to compare the two disability groups of students in their learning and communication skills, and the groups were not significantly different in both areas of adult learning skills (Learning Skills F = 2.54, p = .11; Communication Skills F = .34, p = .56).

Conclusions: This study found that there were no significant differences in adult learning skills between disability groups, supporting universal interventions for college students with any types of disability such as 2-4-8. While traditional interventions often target a specific diagnosis group (e.g. ADHD), high education institutions should consider implementing a more universal approach, providing interventions for students with any disability. Universal approaches would ensure that college students with disabilities have the support necessary for success in higher education.