| This study investigated whether a particular work-based learning intervention of community service learning (CSL), as compared to paid work experience (PWE), was significantly different across group and time in relation to six dimensions of work performance, five dimensions of social competence, and three dimensions of academic achievement for adolescents with emotional disturbance (ED). Purposive sampling identified fifty-seven 11th and 12th grade ED students from eleven different nonpublic special education programs in Maryland.;The instrumentation for this study included (a) a demographic questionnaire, (b) The Work Personality Profile, a situational assessment which measured overall work performance, task orientation, social skills, work motivation, work conformance, and personal presentation, (c) The Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment, a teacher-rated assessment which measured overall social competence, self-control, peer relations, school adjustment, and empathy in adolescents, and (d) The Nelson-Denny Reading Test, an academic achievement test which measured the level of adolescents' ability in overall reading, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Scores were analyzed with MANCOVA and MANOVA procedures.;The study found that a significant interaction effect for group and time favored CSL for work motivation, personal presentation, overall social competence, peer relations, and school adjustment. These results have important implications for the use of CSL as a work-based learning intervention given the postsecondary employment concerns for adolescents with ED. |
