Demographic and environmental predictors of self-determination in Turkish students with and without disabilities: A classical and machine learning-based analysis.
A new Turkish self-determination scale is valid for students with and without disabilities, and school placement is the biggest score driver.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Söğüt (2026) gave a Turkish self-determination scale to students with and without disabilities. The team checked if the questions worked the same way for both groups.
They also used computer models to see which facts best predict a student's score. They looked at school type, disability label, family income, and city size.
What they found
The Turkish AIR scale is solid. Questions hang together and measure the same idea for all kids.
Two things drove scores: the kind of school a kid attends and whether the kid has a disability label. Money and city size mattered less.
How this fits with other research
Xu et al. (2022) did the same job in China. They also found their scale fits both groups. Together the two papers give BCBAs valid tools across cultures.
Wong et al. (2005) showed that higher self-determination links to better adult quality of life. Ayşegül’s tool now lets you catch low scores early, before adulthood.
Heinicke et al. (2012) warn that self-management work has slowed. A fresh, free scale can restart goal setting in Turkish schools.
Why it matters
You now have a psychometrically sound Turkish scale. Use it during transition planning to spot students who feel they have little say in their lives. If school placement is the main lever, push for inclusive classrooms or add student-led IEP lessons. One quick win: let the student complete the AIR form before the meeting and circle the lowest items. Turn those into self-advocacy goals you can track.
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Give the 10-minute AIR scale to your Turkish student and target the two lowest items for self-advocacy goals.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The substantial variability in educational opportunities across individual and environmental conditions in Türkiye provides a meaningful context for examining associations between self-determination and contextual factors. However, the absence of culturally adapted student-report measures continues to constrain empirical analyses of these relationships. AIM: This study (1) adapted and validated the Turkish version of the AIR Self-Determination Scale-Student Form and (2) identified contextual predictors of self-determination using both classical statistical analyses and machine learning modeling. Guided by Causal Agency Theory, the study explored the interaction between students' self-determination capacities and perceived opportunities across diverse educational settings in Türkiye. RESULTS: Psychometric analyses (n = 342) confirmed the four-factor capacity-opportunity structure and showed strong internal consistency. In a second sample (n = 501), self-determination scores varied by disability status, age, school type, residential area, and rehabilitation support. Capacity and opportunity were moderately correlated. ML models explained substantial variance in total scores and identified school type and disability status as the strongest predictors. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that self-determination is linked to both individual characteristics and contextual opportunity structures. Enhancing autonomy-supportive practices and using data-informed approaches to identify students with limited opportunities may support stronger self-determination outcomes in Türkiye.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2026 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2025.105198