Effect of attribution style in learning disabled children’s and teacher-child interaction

Attribution is defined as the perception people have about the causes of the events that happen to themselves or to others. The literature has highlighted that pupils with specific learning disability (SLD) are often characterized by a poor meta-cognitive system, with low levels of attribution to internal factors, such as diligence and personal skills, and high levels of attribution to external factors, such as ease of the task, luck or help provided by others. The study that was carried out aims at analyzing the attributions developed in the school context by pupils that were (or are being) diagnosed with Specific Learning Disability (N=38; Mean Age: 100.24 months; SD=5.828) and at comparing them with those by children without learning disabilities (N=70; 38 of them with the same academic achievements shown by pupils with SLD, and 32 with opposite achievement levels). The pupils attend the second and the third year in primary schools of northwest Italy. The instrument that was employed, in order to assess the attributive style, is the Attribution Test (4-10 years (De Beni et al., 1998). The different attributive inclinations were also evaluated in the light of the results obtained in learning tests which were validated at a national level. Finally, it was controlled if the teacher's perception of the relationship with each pupil can be influenced not only by the presence of the disability itself, but also by the children's attributive style.