Interpersonal Perception of Skill Efficacy and Behavioral Control of Adolescents with Learning Disabilities: A Social Relations Approach

A social relations approach was used to examine the way adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) rate their own and their peers' attributions toward skill efficacy and behavioral self-control in mainstream public school placements. LD students were analyzed while both viewers and active participants in the social context of academic learning. This approach is in contrast to paradigms where children are asked to report on their interpretations of factors that covary with the occurrence of a personal or situational event. The Social Relations Model was used to gather and analyze data in a round-robin fashion across perceivers and targets. Results indicated that LD students viewed themselves individually as less skilled than they viewed their LD peers as a group. This finding is contrary to data derived with typical populations of children and adults. The Social Relations Model is presented as a useful way to research how individuals with learning disabilities develop social knowledge while engaged with their peers and teachers in a natural learning environment.