A study of 158 students reveals that the learning-disabled students perceive their locus of control to be significantly more external than do their non-disabled counterparts. (Author/MLF)

Self-concept and attributions made about academic successes and failures were compared in 46 students with learning disabilities and 47 normally achieving students (mean age 12 years). Attributions regarding internal versus external causes for successes and failures and stable (ability) versus unstable (effort) causes for failures did not…

The article offers suggestions for dealing with learning disabled children's apparent lack of achievement motivation, which may be a lack of belief that their actions affect academic and nonacademic achievement. Suggestions include establishing appropriate standards, focusing on effort rather than outcome, and promoting self-acceptance of credit…

Comparison of 54 students with learning disabilities (LD) and 71 non-disabled students found the LD group demonstrated higher school anger levels, more negative behavior, less positive behavior, and lower motivation for on-task performance. Students who reported both high anger and high perceived control tended to exhibit the most negative…

Sixty learning disabled children (8-11 years old) were randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions; the experimental group leaders were trained in REE (Rational-Emotive Education.) The REE intervention appeared to be beneficial in both enhancing self-concept and encouraging an internal locus of control orientation in LD students.…

Children were interviewed in two studies to compare the attribution patterns of those with and without learning problems. Normally achieving children in both studies followed the expected pattern of attributing success more internally and failure more externally. Learning disabled children did not follow the expected pattern for failure.…

The study involving 28 educationally handicapped (EH) and 25 learning disabled LD/EH children (mean ages 13 and 12 years) included among its results that EH Ss took significantly more personal responsibility for academic failure than did LD/EH Ss; EH Ss attributed success to ability but failure to both lack of ability and lack of effort.…

The study with 51 boys (ages 7 to 9 years) found that subjects classified as having both attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity and learning disabilities demonstrated the most external locus of control with subjects classified as only learning-disabled intermediate and subjects classified as only having attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity…

The Survey of Achievement Responsibility was used to compare causal attribution patterns of 376 learning disabled (LD) boys and 177 LD girls (grades 4-11). Girls had higher effort and luck attributions in academic success situations than did boys and higher ability attributions for academic failure situations. (Author/JW)

The author of EC 608 658 reflects on her interest in the social life of students with learning disabilities, the relationship of her study to other studies on social behavior and self-concept, the finding that students with learning disabilities attribute both internal and external factors for successful outcomes, and the importance of attribution…

A methodological analysis of 22 comparative and descriptive studies of locus of control among students with learning disabilities identified serious deficiencies regarding participant selection and description and concerns regarding the use and nature of locus-of-control measures. The analysis concluded that available data do not support the…

This study examined the social attributions of 32 students with learning disabilities (LD) compared to those of 29 nonlearning-disabled low achieving and 33 average-achieving students. Students with LD were more likely to use external factors in explaining their social successes and failures, while attributing their successes to internal factors.…

Examined how group counseling that emphasized eliminating self-defeating behavior affected self-esteem and locus of control among learning disabled children. Indicated that participants in the group counseling sessions felt better about themselves and had more internal perception of locus of control than did control group participants. (ABB)

Studies of learning disabled students' self concept and attributions suggest that the passive learning style may reflect their beliefs that they are not in control of their destinies. The paper reviews strategies to help LD children acquire more adaptive notions about the causes of their successes and failures. (Author/CL)