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Assistive technologies, educational engagement and psychosocial outcomes among students with disabilities in higher education

McNicholl, Aoife orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-1799-1483, Desmond, Deirdre orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-6746-7006 and Gallagher, Pamela orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-5558-1269 (2020) Assistive technologies, educational engagement and psychosocial outcomes among students with disabilities in higher education. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 18 (1). pp. 50-58. ISSN 1748-3107

Abstract
Purpose: Increasing numbers of students with disabilities are accessing higher education each year, yet little is known about their assistive technology (AT) needs and its influence on relevant outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine met/unmet AT needs on educational engagement, academic self-efficacy and well-being and the impact of AT use in the areas of competence, adaptability and self-esteem for students with disabilities in higher education in Ireland. Methods: 111 students with disabilities completed a cross-sectional online survey comprising the College Learning Effectiveness Inventory, the Student Course Engagement Questionnaire, the Self-Efficacy for Learning Form Abridged, the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale, and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. Results: AT use was found to have a positive psychosocial impact in the areas of competence, adaptability and self-esteem. Those whose AT needs were fully met scored significantly higher on academic self-efficacy, well-being, and on 4 of the 10 educational engagement subscales compared to those who had unmet AT needs. Met/unmet AT needs were not predictive of educational engagement. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of AT from both educational engagement and psychosocial perspectives for students with a wide variety of disability diagnoses. The wide-reaching benefits of AT must be considered by governmental departments when making funding allocations to disability services within higher education institutions.
Metadata
Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:assistive technology; educational engagement; academic self-efficacy; well-being; quality of life; higher education; disability
Subjects:Medical Sciences > Psychology
Social Sciences > Education
Social Sciences > Educational technology
Social Sciences > Social psychology
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Nursing and Human Sciences
DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Psychology
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
Official URL:https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2020.1854874
Copyright Information:© 2020 Taylor & Francis.
Funders:Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship (Project ID GOIPG/2019/2471).
ID Code:29476
Deposited On:18 Jan 2024 12:13 by Aoife Mcnicholl . Last Modified 18 Jan 2024 14:15
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