Teachers’ Ratings of Students’ Learning Disabilities and Self-Reported Learned Helplessness of Polish Junior High School Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of self-assessed dimensions of learned helplessness in a Polish sample of junior high school students. To qualify the students for the learning-disabled (LD) and the nonlearning-disabled (NLD) groups, the teachers’ ratings of the students’ learning disabilities (LDs) and comorbid disorders symptoms severity were used. The subjects were compared with respect to the three areas of learned helplessness: (a) contingency, (b) cognition, and (c) behavior. The T-tests analysis yielded that the students of LD group reported higher levels of learned helplessness in each of the three dimensions compared to the NLD group. In addition, the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) effects of gender and group on the levels of learned helplessness were examined. Study limitations and the implications for teaching practice were also presented.