Motivational and Attitudinal Factors in College Students with and without Learning Disabilities

The current study examined the emotional resiliency, stress levels, locus of control and need for achievement in 17 college students with learning disabilities (LD) by comparing them with 17 of their peers without learning disabilities. Dependent variables included performance on the "Hall Resi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Learning disability quarterly 2002-05, Vol.25 (2), p.79-86
Main Authors: Hall, Cathy W., Spruill, Keely L., Webster, Raymond E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Academic motivation
Achievement Need
College Environment
College Students
Colleges
Colleges & universities
Disabilities
Emotional Adjustment
Exceptional children
Higher Education
Learning Disabilities
Locus of Control
Motivation
Motivation (Psychology)
Personality
Personality and motivation
Problem solving
Resilience (Personality)
Special needs students
Stress
Stress Management
Stress Variables
Wechsler scales
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Summary:The current study examined the emotional resiliency, stress levels, locus of control and need for achievement in 17 college students with learning disabilities (LD) by comparing them with 17 of their peers without learning disabilities. Dependent variables included performance on the "Hall Resiliency Scale," the "Nowicki-Duke Locus of Control Scale," the "Need for Achievement Scale," and a shortened version of a stress scale focusing on typical college stressors. Results indicated that students with learning disabilities obtained significantly higher resiliency scores and significantly higher scores on the "Need for Achievement Scale" than their counterparts without learning disabilities. These findings suggest that LD college students show a strong goal-directed approach and problem-solving initiative. Surprisingly, college students with LD self-reported significantly fewer college stressors than the students without LD. College students with LD also demonstrated a higher need for achievement than their college peers. No significant difference was found between the two groups with regard to locus of control. Both groups obtained moderate scores on the locus of control measure, suggesting realistic assessment of environmental events as these impact their lives.
ISSN:0731-9487
2168-376X
DOI:10.2307/1511275