Students with LD are commonly assumed to have poorer self-concept than their non-LD counterparts. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are differences between the self-concept of students with LD in mainstream schools compared to their LD counterparts in special schools.
INTRODUCTION, MOTIVATION FOR AND AIMS OF THE STUDY…. 1
- Motivation for the study undertaken
- Ethical considerations
- Statement of the problem
- The primary objectives of the study
- Hypothesis
- Definition of key terms and concepts
- Research methodology
- Organisation of the dissertation
- Chapter Summary
However, the effects of inclusion or exclusion on the self-concept of students with learning disabilities (LD) remain to be determined, as many aspects of this topic have not been adequately researched (Zyoudi, 2010). In Chapter 2, relevant literature on the self-concept of students with learning disabilities is available.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Self-concept as a construct
Byrne (1984) defined self-concept as an individual's perception of himself, including attitudes, feelings, and knowledge about one's skills, abilities, appearances, and social acceptability. Rogers (1950), a phenomenological theorist, believed that self-concept can be thought of as an organized configuration of self-perceptions which are entirely conscious (cited in Burns 1982, p. 8).
Self-concept and developmental features/age
According to Burns (1982), the main component of self-concept in early childhood is body image. However, evidence suggests that parents can have a very influential role to play in the development of self-concept at this stage.
Self-concept and gender
On the other hand, it was found that girls are less likely to participate in activities that require physical strength and power. Thus, girls who believe that they do not perform quite as well as boys in certain tasks are more likely to have more negative competence beliefs. These gender differences in beliefs are very significant with respect to gender differences in cognition because competence beliefs are strongly related to individual performance on different tasks or activities.
Structure of Self-concept
Bracken believed that self-concept is formed as a result of an individual's experiences through interaction with others in various environmental domains. Children form their unique self-concept through feedback from significant others, whether direct or indirect, regarding the child's own behavior in six primary environmental contexts: social, competent, impaired, academic, family, and physical, as self-concept is viewed from a multidimensional perspective. perspective.
Measures of Self-concept
A large body of research has supported the assumption that the multidimensionality of self-image is more pronounced in children aged 8-14 than in younger children. It assesses self-image in a wide variety of domains such as behavior, intellectual, physical, appearance/attributes, fear, popularity, and happiness and satisfaction domains.
Learning Disabilities
Self-esteem research checklists are the most widely used, with the Piers Harris Children's Self-Esteem Scale being the most widely used tool in measuring the self-esteem of students with learning disabilities (Smith, 2007). In this study, we will use the Piers Harris Children's Self-Esteem Scale –II, as it is consistent with the multidimensional model of self-esteem and with the age group of the sample that will be used in this study.
Self-concept and Learning Disabilities
Additionally, other researchers have pointed out that the discrepancy in findings is due to a failure to view self-esteem as a multidimensional construct and lack of validity/inherent weaknesses on the part of measurement instruments. Cooley and Eyres (1988) supported this idea by suggesting that lower academic self-esteem was the very source of the differences found when students with LD were compared with their typically achieving peers and that the conflicting findings were due to the fact that global measures of self - the concept contains elements related to academic self-concept. The argument was based on the fact that when the academic component was removed, the inconsistency in the global self-concept of students with LD and their peers with normal achievement was not apparent.
The results indicated that students from a special class rated themselves lower in both academic and global self-concept compared to their normally achieving peers.
Self-concept, social competence, and peer acceptance
Similarly, in a study conducted by Ntshangase et al (2008), the results showed that students with LD have poorer self-perceptions at cognitive and physical levels than their typically achieving peers. Despite the significantly low sociometric scores of students with LD, they felt that they were well accepted by their peers as normal achievers. However, the current literature lacks a comparative description of these three groups of students in relation to the aforementioned domains.
Surprisingly, learners with disabilities differed significantly from the other group of learners who were at risk, with the lowest social integration.
Self-concept, attributions, and achievement
Black (1974) already established that there was a relationship between self-concept and performance (Schunk, 2004). The results from this study indicated that students with poor reading ability had significantly lower self-concept than students without reading problems who were of the same age, gender and intelligence (Leminen, 2002). They further suggested that self-concept in areas other than academic may promote or may act as a source of high levels of self-esteem for students with LD. This confirmed a hypothesis that some students with LD would to some extent generalize specific academic weaknesses to more general self-concept and that generalization is related to how they perceive their disability (Leondari, 1993).
Consistently, Ulvinen (1998) found that students who experienced learning difficulties had poorer self-concept than those who did not experience difficulties.
Self-concept and Educational placement
The results showed no significant difference in the self-concept of students with LD regardless of placement in a regular or a special class. This was an indication that neither categorization nor labeling had negative consequences for the self-concept of students with LD. More specifically, Chapman showed that students with LD in mainstreamed settings had relatively lower academic self-concept than those in segregated settings.
The author interpreted results as supporting the compensatory model of self-concept (Byrne and confirming domain-specific trends in self-perception demonstrated in the studies of Leondari (1994) and Montgomery (1994).
Self-concept and Educational implications
The role of significant others (parents, teachers, and peers) in the development of self-concept may be evident if the former case turns out to be true. The higher one's expectations are, the greater the chances of achieving success and thus a positive self-perception (Alpay, 2000). Research conducted by Carl Rogers (1961) may be significant in clarifying the role that parents and teachers play in improving self-concept.
Rogers believes that parents and teachers possess specific traits or qualities that can positively impact student self-esteem.
Chapter summary
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Introduction
- Systems theory
- Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory
- Theories of development
- Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development
- Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
- Bandura’s social learning theory
- Chapter summary
- Introduction
- Research design
- Exclusion criteria
- Participants
- Measuring instrument
- Piers Harris Children Self-concept Scale
- Research procedure
- Stage 1- Permission
- Stage 2 – Data collection
- Stage 3- Data analysis
- Ethics
- Chapter summary
The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale was used to measure self-concept in the present study. 1990).The effect of special classroom placement on the self-concept of children with learning disabilities. My research project is in the area of self-concept (self-esteem) of students experiencing learning difficulties (Reading/Spelling, Writing and Mathematics).
The research will also provide information on the self-concept of children with learning disabilities.
RESULTS
Demographic data
Demographic information pertaining to the final sample is provided below in order to contextualize the sample in this study and provide a framework from which to interpret the results of this study. 126 participants took part in the present research, namely 74 (59%) students with learning difficulties from regular classes and 52 (41%) students from special classes. The results of this study are presented as they relate to both groups (the special class group and the regular class group).
The demographic characteristics of the participants who took part in the current study are presented in the graphs below.
Results
- Self-concept of learners with LD in regular and special classroom
The present study further compared students with learning disabilities who receive their education in a regular school with a special or auxiliary class (LDRS) and those who receive their educational instruction in a special school (LDSS). Caution was exercised in interpreting the results for reliability concerns as there was a discrepancy in the number of students from the two groups, with the LDSS group having a larger number of participants. The results also depict that on all LDSS scales, the group had higher but non-significant pattern of scores compared to the LDRS group.
In addition, negative perceptions were also evident among students with LD in a regular school without any remedial support compared to their counterparts in a regular school with remedial support.
Gender difference relating to self-concept
Age difference and self-concept
83 . academic skills, communication and language skills, and social skills). The self-perceptions or self-concept of younger children were more positive compared to older children with LD in higher grades. Older children scored significantly lower, especially on the "Intellectual and School" and "Happiness and Satisfaction" as well as "Popularity" subscales, but their scores were significantly more positive in the domain of athletic competence. Such differences in self-concept are assumed to be caused by the fact that in middle childhood and upwards, self-concept takes on a more socioevaluative dimension related to social, personal and family relationships, fear of failure and worthlessness.
Self-concept and Culture
School-based interventions to improve the self-esteem of students with learning disabilities: A meta-analysis. Self-concept of students with learning disabilities: A meta-analysis of comparisons across placements. A comparative study of the self-concept of adolescents with and without learning disabilities in an inclusive school.
Self-esteem and peer acceptance in students with learning disabilities: A four- to five-year prospective study.
Reliability analysis of the PHCSCS-II
Chapter summary
Secondary aim: To investigate and determine if there is any relationship between different educational environments and the self-concept of students with learning disabilities. Self-concept and success-failure attributions of students with disabilities and students with learning disabilities. Self-perception of a learning disability and its relation to academic self-concept and self-esteem.
The data obtained will be used to make comparisons between the self-concept of learners with learning disabilities in special schools and mainstream schools.
LIMITATIONS, RECCOMMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
Discussion of the findings
- Findings as related to overall group differences in self-concept…
- Self-concept and age
- Self-concept and culture
- Limitations of the study
LDSS learners scored higher on every part of the Piers Harris Child Self-Concept Scale. The main aim of this study was to investigate the impact of different educational institutions on self-concept of learners with LD. Differences in self-concept among students with and without learning disabilities in Al Karak District in Jordan.
In the South African context, little research (to the researcher's knowledge) has focused specifically on the self-image of students with learning disabilities in different educational settings.
