Evaluation of Academic Capabilities in Science by Students with and without Learning Disabilities and their Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether students with and without learning disabilities (LD) who attended general education science classes differed in their evaluations of their learning capabilities, whether changes in selfevaluation occurred over a 3year period, and whether over this period the teachers' ratings of the students with LD differed from those of the students without LD. Two cohorts of students (including students with and without LD) were followed for 3 years (Grades 4 to 6 and 6 to 8); in each year they and their teachers were asked to evaluate their capabilities and efforts in science. The results showed that the students with LD in the younger cohort rated themselves as less capable in science than did the students without LD in all 3 years, but the students with and without LD in the older cohort differed only in the first year. For both cohorts, the teachers consistently rated the students with LD as having significantly less adequate learning capabilities, and they placed the students with LD at lower levels of achievement than their peers without LD. Comparisons of student and teacher ratings suggest that teachers often have higher expectations for students than students have for themselves and that the students with LD fall particularly short of these standards. Implications for helping students with LD adjust to learning in general education science classes and for further research studies are discussed.