Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.12, No.33, 2021 108 Self-Assessment of Self-Advocacy Skills Among Students with Special Needs Dr. Burhan Mahmoud Hamadneh Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education, Najran University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pox 1988, Najran,22451, Najran University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Abstract Although universities provide an equivalent opportunity to provide students with the necessary education services and support, students with learning disabilities still experience academic and personal challenges at the university settings. However, students need to know how to advocate themselves in order to acquire the necessary assistant. Therefore, this study aimed at developing framework to provide students with learning disabilities with the required supports and service at the different levels of the university as well as to improve self-advocacy skills among students with learning disabilities. 8 students participated in this study and qualitative method was adopted. The finding showed that students scored moderate level of self-advocacy as well as some suggestion and recommendation were reported by the students as additional supports and services are needed at the university level. Keywords: Self-Advocacy, Education, Student, University. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-33-12 Publication date: November 30 th 2021 1. Introduction In the past thirty years, focus and concern has been consistently placed on paving opportunities for all people to acquire education, with the inclusion of those that are disable (Boer & Kuijper, 2020; Barnett, 2014; Reed et al., 2011). The majority of students and students with disability have learning problems (Jdaitawi, 2020; Jdaitawi, 2020; Sloane, 2016; Jdaitawi, 2019; Jdaitawi, et al., 2013; Jdaitawi et al., 2014), they are more susceptible to suffer from psychosocial and academic challenges compared to their peers (Reed et al., 2015; Thompson-Ebanks, 2013). Therefore, students have a key and active role to play in searching for and obtaining academic support, calling for the development and usage of effective self-advocacy skills (Kinney&Eakman,2016). Self-advocacy is referred to as the ability of the individual to communicate his/her needs and wants in an effective manner to reach decisions concerning the required support in social and academic achievements (Haas and Phinney, 2013). Self-advocacy in academia can boost students’ success as documented by several studies and among the benefits mentioned are developed self-esteem, easing the way to master a difficult academic skill, maximizing social activity, and enhanced academic success of students (e.g., Robert et al., 2016; Andrews, 2018). Students that display self-advocacy skills can express their perceived academic strengths and weaknesses clearer than those who do not (Andrews, 2018). According to Roberts, Song and Zhang (2016), effective self- advocacy instruction in students having specific learning disabilities often lead to behavior that is consistent with increased study achievement and successful academic endeavors. In relation to the above, self-advocacy instruction outcomes in students with distinct learning disabilities reflect actions that are consistent with increased education and academic achievement and success, more so in the college level although majority of studies were conducted on students in school level. This was highlighted in Geffen’s (2013) study, which mentioned that studies on the way students acquire self-advocacy skills, the timing, and the reason behind their use at the student’s level are still a few and far between. Also, only a few research studies have mentioned the youth acquisition of self-advocacy skills, with fewer that examined the way and the timing that students use such skills in the university setting (Daly-Cano et al., 2015). Similar statements were mentioned by Roberts et al. (2016), who indicated limited studies identifying the way students with disabilities acquire self-advocacy skills if their acquisition does not involve their peers, instructors or members of their families. Self-Advocacy was described in the literature as one construct that is being very important for successful transition from school stage to university life for individual with disabilities (Kissel, 2006; Walker & Test, 2011). Literature on self-advocacy argues that students frequently lack self-advocacy and professional remedial coaching interventions are needed to help students to be successful (Vaccaro & Kimball, 2017; Karpicz, 2020). by Gil (2007) and (Roper, 2016) confirmed that the more practice the students have encountered in self- advocating in their study, the more they will success in their transition period. Despite the presence of the need to self-advocate at the student level, research on students’ acquisition of self-advocacy skills (the how, when or why) are still limited (Geffen, 2013). Similar findings were found by prior studies (e.g., Roberts et al., 2016; Hartley & Stuntzner, 2015) in that only a few studies highlighted the how, where and when of students with disabilities when it comes to self-advocacy skills acquisition if such acquisition did not involve educators, peers or family members. Literature along this line showed a need to investigate these skills effectiveness in relation to