Self-perceptions of first- and second-grade children with learning disabilities.

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Children with learning disabilities often face academic challenges.
• Understanding self-perception is crucial for their academic and social development.
• Mainstreaming policies aim to integrate these children into regular classrooms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of developmental positive bias and failure experiences on self-perception in mainstreamed children with learning disabilities.
• To compare the self-perceptions of children with learning disabilities to their non-disabled peers.
• To examine the relationship between cognitive deficits, social acceptance, and self-perception.

Main Methods:

• Assessed self-perceptions of 44 mainstreamed first- and second-grade children with learning disabilities and 36 non-disabled peers.
• Collected teacher evaluations regarding cognitive performance and social acceptance.
• Utilized objective measures for cognitive performance and social acceptance.

Main Results:

• Children with learning disabilities exhibited a greater positive bias and lower self-perception in cognitive competence compared to peers.
• Despite lower sociometric ratings and teacher evaluations, their self-perceptions of peer acceptance were similar to non-disabled peers.
• Findings suggest a complex interplay between cognitive abilities, social experiences, and self-perception.

Conclusions:

• Self-perception in children with learning disabilities is influenced by both cognitive deficits and experiences of failure.
• The globality-specificity dimension of self-perception is relevant for understanding these children's self-views.
• Interventions should consider both cognitive and social-emotional factors for mainstreamed children with learning disabilities.