SELF-CONCEPT, ATTRIBUTION, AND PERSISTENCE IN LEARNING-DISABLED STUDENTS

Differences in self-concept, attributions, and teacher-rated persistence were examined in students with learning disabilities (n=49) and in nonhandicapped students (n=57). Discriminant analysis revealed that students with learning disabilities reported lower self-concepts on items related to academic achievement, and were rated by their teachers as less persistent than their normally achieving peers. Students with learning disabilities also reported more stable attributions for failure situations. These findings are consistent with a conceptualization of students with learning disabilities as inactive, or learned-helpless, learners. © 1990.