Facilitating Student Participation in Individualized Education Programs through Motivation Strategy Instruction

Public Law 101–467, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990, specifies that students with disabilities, especially secondary-level students, should have an opportunity to participate in IEP conferences. This study investigated the effectiveness of strategy instruction designed to foster students' active participation in IEP conferences. High school students with learning disabilities and their parents participated in either strategy instruction or an orientation lecture/discussion. Results indicate that strategy-instructed students identified more goals and communicated more effectively during their conferences than did the contrast students.