The influence of reasons for attending university on university experience: A comparison between students with and without disabilities

Abstract

Students choose to go to university for many reasons. They include those with disabilities and those without. The reasons why students with disabilities go to university and how these reasons impact university experience, including coping (academic resourcefulness), adapting, academic ability beliefs (academic self-efficacy), and grades, are investigated. Results show that unlike non-disabled peers, first-year students with disabilities who go to university for internal reasons (e.g. for the challenge, because they like learning) show higher academic resourcefulness and self-efficacy, and that those disabled students who choose to go to university in order to get a better job show higher academic self-efficacy. Upper-year students with disabilities less often choose to go to university for others and in order to get a better job than counterparts without disabilities. Upper-year students with disabilities less often choose to go to university for the university features (e.g. student services) than first-year students with disabilities. Upper-year students with disabilities choosing to go to university in order to delay responsibilities are less adapted, and those choosing to go for the reason of getting a better job have lower grades. Recommendations on strategies to increase student coping and self-efficacy and the need for qualitative research are made.