Brief report: A growth mixture model of occupational aspirations of individuals with high-incidence disabilities

A previous longitudinal study of the occupational aspirations of individuals with high-incidence disabilities revealed multiple longitudinal patterns for individuals with learning disabilities or emotional–behavioral disorders. Growth mixture modeling was used to determine whether individuals in these two high-incidence disabilities groups (N = 585) possessed heterogeneous aspirations trajectories. Two distinct classes emerged. Among selected covariates (inc., gender, SES, locus of control, self-concept, mathematics achievement), only gender and SES significantly distinguished group membership. While no covariates were significantly related to the growth factors for latent class 2 (low aspirations), math achievement and SES were significantly related to initial aspirations in latent class 1 (high aspirations). Moreover, for latent class 1, the occupational aspirations of individuals with learning disabilities became increasingly lower than adolescents with emotional-behavior disorders after high school. Possible explanations for this phenomenon are considered.