ABSTRACT

The achievement-related perceptions of children with learning problems have received considerable attention over the past decade. Several theorists (e.g., Licht, 1983; Thomas, 1979) have proposed that when children experience repeated failures during the early school years, they will develop the perception that they do not have the ability to master their schoolwork. This perception will lead to low levels of effort and persistence, particularly on difficult tasks. Consistent with this, children with learning problems often show high rates of off-task behavior (Bryan, 1974; McKinney & Feagans, 1984). High rates of off-task behavior will, in turn, contribute to further academic difficulties (Hoge & Luce, 1979), which will reinforce the children's perceptions that they are incapable of succeeding in school. Although it may be realistic for children with learning problems to doubt their abilities, this self-perception can lead them to perform more poorly than one would predict on the basis of their original learning problems. 1