Students With LD and Decision Making for After High School: Emotions and Basic Psychological Needs

Little is known about how grade 12 students with learning disabilities (LD) face the complex and emotional task of deciding what to do after high school. To expand on current research, we explored the experiences, emotions, and support of Canadian students with LD from the theoretical perspective of basic psychological needs (BPNs). We conducted a triangulation mixed-method study that included survey data and interviews. Participants were asked to identify their emotions, and if their BPNs of autonomy (e.g., feeling in control), competence (e.g., feeling capable), and relatedness (e.g., feeling connected to others) were satisfied or frustrated. Based on survey questions, participants indicated high satisfaction with their BPNs during decision-making and low levels of negative emotions. We used a deductive analysis to link participant interviews to BPNs and found greater satisfaction with these needs than frustration. Moreover, the mixed-method analysis integrating the results in a joint display uncovered that participants identified more positive emotions when their BPNs of autonomy and relatedness were satisfied, and more negative emotions when their BPNs of relatedness and competence were frustrated. We discuss the emotional experience of making decisions after high school. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.