Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

7-1-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Federico Guerra

Second Advisor

Alejandro Garcia

Third Advisor

Albert Irlas

Abstract

This qualitative multiple-case study examined how secondary special education teachers in three Hidalgo County school districts described their transition-related competencies, professional development experiences, and contextual barriers in supporting students with intellectual disabilities as they transition from high school to adulthood. The study addressed a gap in the transition planning literature by centering teacher perspectives in a Texas–Mexico border region with semi-urban, rural-like characteristics, where resource limitations, fragmented interagency collaboration, and high poverty shape transition services. Guided by three research questions, the study explored the competencies teachers perceive as necessary for effective transition planning, how professional development influences their preparedness and effectiveness, and the contextual and systemic barriers that impede implementation of transition services.

Data were collected through open-ended surveys from 31 secondary special education teachers and a follow-up virtual focus group with 6 participants. Deductive and inductive coding, aligned with the Council for Exceptional Children Professional Preparation Standards and Kohler’s Taxonomy for Transition Programming, supported thematic analysis of teacher narratives. Findings indicated that teachers view effective transition planning as grounded in student-centered planning, relationship-building, and collaboration among students, families, and school teams, and promoting independence and future readiness through real-world skill development and life skills instruction. Participants reported that professional development was often infrequent, compliance-focused, and limited in practical application, leading them to rely on experiential learning, informal mentoring, and peer collaboration to build transition-related expertise. Teachers also identified structural and contextual barriers, including time constraints, large caseloads, staffing shortages, limited access to community-based learning opportunities, inconsistent family participation, and fragmented interagency coordination.

This study extends existing transition-planning research into an underrepresented border-region context and highlights the tension between teachers’ commitment to student-centered, evidence-informed transition practices and systemic conditions that restrict their enactment. Results underscore the need for ongoing, practice-based, context-responsive professional development and structural supports that recognize transition planning as a core responsibility of secondary special educators and strengthen school–family–community partnerships to promote more equitable postschool outcomes for students with intellectual disabilities.

Comments

Copyright 2026 Maritza J. Garza-Guerrero. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3409162498

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