The self concept of the adolescent with learning disabilities

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Self-esteem is crucial for adolescent development.
• Learning disabilities can impact a student's self-perception and academic journey.
• Understanding self-concept dimensions is key to supporting students with learning disabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the self-esteem levels of adolescents with and without learning disabilities.
• To identify specific self-concept dimensions where differences in self-esteem may occur.
• To examine the relationship between time in special education and self-concept in learning disabled adolescents.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory (CSEI).
• Administered to two groups: adolescents with learning disabilities (n=23) and normally achieving peers (n=70).
• Employed a 2x2 fixed effects non-orthogonal multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).

Main Results:

• A statistically significant difference (p < .05) in "social self-peer" self-concept was found, favoring normally achieving students.
• A trend indicated more negative "general self" and "school-academic" self-concepts among students with learning disabilities.
• No significant association was found between the number of years in special education and self-concept.

Conclusions:

• Adolescents with learning disabilities exhibit lower self-esteem in peer and academic domains compared to their normally achieving counterparts.
• Self-concept differences are most pronounced in social and academic areas.
• The duration of special education placement does not appear to influence self-concept as measured by the CSEI.