Learned helplessness in learning disabled children

This study was designed to determine if learned helplessness, attributional patterns, and childrens' theories of intelligence could predict the relationships between the intrapersonal problems (i.e. anxiety, activities), and interpersonal problems (i.e. acting out), often seen in learning disabled children. A group of learning disabled boys (n = 15) and a group of nonlearning disabled boys (n = 15), drawn from the fifth and sixth grades, were compared. Both groups were given measures which assessed self perceptions of academic abilities, attributions for academic success and failure, and concepts of intelligence, as well as problem solving tasks designed to assess learned helplessness. Their classroom teachers were asked to fill out a measure which assessed the subjects' levels of intrapersonal, interpersonal and motivational problems. The results demonstrated that the subjects' theories of intelligence were not useful in understanding relationships between intrapersonal, interpersonal, and motivational problems and learning disabilities. The learning disabled subjects were found to have higher levels of learned helplessness and interpersonal and intrapersonal problems than the nonlearning disabled subjects. Attributions of failure due to luck were found to be the major predictors of learned helplessness. Attributions of success due to luck and interpersonal problems were found to be the major predictors of intrapersonal problems. Intrapersonal problems were found to be the major predictors of interpersonal problems. These findings are discussed in terms of their relevance to current theories of achievement motivation and their implications for future research on and treatment of the intrapersonal, interpersonal and motivational problems found in learning disabled children.