LEARNING DISABILITY STUDENT

Learning Disability Student

Learning Disability Student

For decades studies have shown that college students learn more when they direct their efforts to a variety of educationally purposeful activities. Research also suggests that the engaged behavior of students with disabilities is the single best predictor of academic gains (Siegal 1999). High motivation and engagement in learning have consistently been linked to reduced dropout rates and increased levels of student success (Wong 2006). Thus, if general education classrooms promote the active engagement of students with disabilities, it would be expected that academic achievement would also be improved. (Hall 2003) suggests that the very act of being engaged adds to the foundation of skills and dispositions essential to living a productive, satisfying life after college.

Students with learning disabilities have been found to report lower levels of self-esteem, experiencing less emotional support, and having greater academic and personal-emotional adjustment dysfunctions than their peers without learning disabilities. Feelings of social isolation and not fitting in with others also present barriers. Limited protective factors that aid in resiliency coupled with adverse experiences may serve to restrict and weaken academic performance.

Little research has examined the impact of learning disabilities on resiliency. Resilient individuals are those who experience successful outcomes despite adverse experiences. Most research generally concedes that resiliency is affected by the opposing mechanisms of protective factors and stress. Level of stress is determined by risk factors and is usually associated with negative life outcomes. A learning disability is considered a risk factor associated with negative outcomes throughout the lifespan.

Protective factors are personal characteristics that encourage individuals to overcome stressful life events.. Effective social problem-solving skills and effective personal coping strategies have also been identified as protective factors. In addition, stress-resilient children were found to have significantly fewer learning problems and higher achievement test scores than stress-afflicted children. Students with learning disabilities are often lacking in these interpersonal coping mechanisms.

Locus of control has been extensively studied in terms of its role as a protective factor. For example, research has shown that an internal locus of control contributes to resilience. This change in feelings of self-efficacy leads to more emphasis on self-regulation, which in turn leads to attributing successes to self-efforts and establishing a more internal locus of control with regard to academic successes. Individuals with a learning disability have been found to be more likely to have an external rather than an internal locus of control, which can negatively impact self-regulation strategies.

Research shows that students with disabilities are more engaged in academic activities in inclusive classrooms than in segregated classrooms. They were also found to spend more time with the class doing the same activities rather than parallel or separate activities. This is a significant outcome, as students' sense of belonging, self-esteem, and engagement are all affected by participating in the regular activities of the classroom alongside their peers. The more students study a subject, the more they learn about it. Likewise, the more students practice and get feedback on their writing, analyzing or ...