A Preliminary Validation of Strategies that Support the Transition from School to Adult Life

The purpose of this study was to extend the empirical literature by identifying and socially validating strategies that support the transition from school to adult life. A three-step process was conducted: (a) reviewing 113 empirical articles that addressed secondary transition, (b) developing a candidate list of all support strategies that were empirically supported in the literature, and (c) conducting a national survey of 54 researchers who had published studies in the area of secondary transition (response rate = 92%) to establish the social validity of the proposed list of support strategies. Results of the survey corroborated multiple strategies that support students in the transition to adult life (e.g., family and peer support, student choice and preference, student self-determination). Findings are compared to those derived from the literature review and implications for research and practice are discussed.