Abstract:

Future expectations play an important role in determining young adults' life satisfaction and well-being (Cinamon, 2006). Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent et al., 1994) offers a useful framework concerning future expectations. It emphasizes the influence of contextual and environmental factors on individuals’ career choices and behaviors. It especially stresses self-efficacy as a critical factor that mediates individuals’ interests, goals, and actions.

Despite its importance, most of the knowledge about future expectations is based on populations with typical development. Individuals with learning disabilities (LD) and/or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) face academic challenges due to attention, inhibition, and self-monitoring difficulties (e.g., Berninger et al., 2015). This may affect their academic self-efficacy and consequently their future career expectations. The current study examined future career expectations of college students with and without LD and/or ADD/ADHD while focusing on the contribution of internal factors, specifically academic self-efficacy and self-advocacy, and an external factor - family support. Another external factor, assistance from support centers, was also examined among students with disabilities.

Participants were 342 college students: 179 with LD and/or ADD/ADHD and 163 without disabilities. They completed a self-determination and self-advocacy questionnaire, a general academic self-efficacy scale, a future expectations scale, and a background questionnaire.

A significant difference was found in academic self-efficacy [t(340)=4.28, p<.001] with higher levels among participants without disabilities (M=4.10, SD=0.64) than participants with disabilities (M=3.77, SD=0.76). However, no significant difference was found [t(340)=0.47, p= 32] in future career expectations.
One component of self-advocacy (knowledge of self; β=.32, p<.001), family support (β =.11, p<.05), and academic self-efficacy (β=.34, p<.001) were significant predictors of participants' future career expectations [F(7,341)=25.30, p<.001], explaining 35% of its variance. When participants with disabilities were examined separately, only knowledge of self (β=.29, p <.001) and academic self-efficacy (β=.34, p<.001) were significant predictors [F(7,178)=13.50, p<.001]. They explained 36% of the variance in future expectations.

Findings emphasized that both internal factors and external factors may contribute to future career expectations, although family support, as measured in this study, seems to mostly impact participants without disabilities. Additionally, knowledge of self was found as the most significant self-advocacy component in predicting participants' future career expectations. The study's results also imply that the mere usage of support centers does not significantly impact future expectations of colleges students with LD and/or ADD/ADHD.

Some implications can be derived from this study. For example, we suggest providing increased support to students concerning knowledge of self and academic self-efficacy already in high school to better prepare them for college and strengthen their future expectations. Future studies should examine other sources of support, such as spousal and friends' support, since they may also be influential in young adults' future expectations.

Keywords:

Learning disabilities, Future expectations, Academic self-efficacy, Self-advocacy, Family support, Support centers.