Inculcating Positive Thinking in the Self-Concept of Children with Learning Difficulties

Mohaned Ghazi Abed*
Assistant Professor, Program of Educational Graduate Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Periodicity:November - January'2017
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jpsy.10.3.10378

Abstract

Inculcating positive thinking can act as a valuable tool in enhancing the overall self-concept of children with learning disabilities. The value of positive psychology is recognized as the basis for recent research conducted in the field of strength development. Positive psychology is centered on the view that individual lives can be improved by simply teaching them how to focus and expand on their strengths. The primary aim of this study is to measure the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions in relation to the self-concept of children with learning disabilities. This approach has been developed specifically for children between the age of 12 and 14 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Notably, the sample population comprised 40 children. Each participant was randomly assigned to either the control or experimental group. The intervention group underwent a five-week long intervention course on positive psychology. The Values in Action (VIA) Inventory of Character Strengths' Survey-earlier carried out among youth-was also completed in an effort to establish each child's individual strengths. Furthermore, the group was evaluated using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) both prior to and following the intervention initiative. The current research revealed that, the adoption of the VIA Survey along with three class lectures on positive psychology led to improved post-test self-concept scores in comparison with pre-test scores among the intermediate school children.

Keywords

Positive Thinking, Self-Concept, Children with Learning Difficulties.

How to Cite this Article?

Abed, M.G., (2017). Inculcating Positive Thinking in the Self-Concept of Children with Learning Difficulties. i-manager’s Journal on Educational Psychology, 10(3), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.26634/jpsy.10.3.10378

References

[1]. American Psychiatric Association, (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
[2]. Baumeister, R.F., (1999). The Self in Social Psychology. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press.
[3]. Berndt, T.J., and Burgy, L., (1996). “The social selfconcept”. In B.A. Bracken (Ed.), Handbook of Self- Concept, pp.171-209, New York: Wiley.
[4]. Brooks, R., (2002). Dr. Robert Brooks on Self-esteem and Resilience. Retrieved from http://stevenson3rd. weebly.com/uploads/3/4/9/3/3493724/self_esteem_and _resilience.pdf
[5]. Bryan, T.H., Wong, B.Y.L., and Donahue, M., (2002). The Social Dimensions of Learning Disabilities-Essays in Honor of Tanis Bryan. Mahwah, N.J: L. Erlbaum Associates.
[6]. Cosden, M., Brown, C., and Elliot, K., (2002). “Development of self-understanding and self esteem in children and adults with learning disabilities”. In B. Wong & M. Donahue (Eds.), The Social Dimensions of Learning Disabilities; Essays in Honor of Tanis Bryan, pp. 33-51, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
[7]. Cowen, E.L., and Kilmer, R.P., (2002). “Positive Psychology: Some plusses and some open issues”. Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 449–460.
[8]. Creswell, J.W., (2008). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.
[9]. Elbaum, B., and Vaughn, S., (2003). “For which students with learning disabilities are self-concept interventions effective?” Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 101-108.
[10]. Gable, S.L., and Haidt, J., (2005). “What (and why) is positive psychology?” Review of General Psychology, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 103-110.
[11]. Gall, M.D., Gall, J.P., and Borg, W.R., (2002). Educational Research: An Introduction. Princeton, N.J: Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic.
[12]. Gilbert, D.T., Fiske, S.T., and Lindzey, G., (1998). The Handbook of Social Psychology. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
[13]. Goodman, R., (1997). “The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A research note”. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 38, pp. 581-586.
[14]. Goodman, R., (2001). “Psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire”. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 40, No. 11, pp. 1337–1345.
[15]. Goodman, R., Meltzer, H., and Bailey, V., (1998). “The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A pilot study on the validity of the self-report version”. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 125–130.
[16]. Greca, A.M., (1990). Through the Eyes of the Child: Obtaining Self-reports from Children and Adolescents. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
[17]. Harter, S., (1999). The Construction of the Self: A Developmental Perspective. New York: Guilford Press.
[18]. Harter, S., (1990). “Issues in the Assessment of the Self- Concept of Children and Adolescents”. In A.M. Greca (Ed.), Through the Eyes of the Child: Obtaining Self-reports from Children and Adolescents, pp. 292-325, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.
[19]. Huitt, W., (2004). “Self-concept and self- esteem”. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University.
[20]. Learning Disability Association of Canada, (2003). Road Map on Learning Disability for Employers. LDAC.
[21]. Marsh, H.W., (1992). Self-Description Questionnaire- II: Manual. Sydney, Australia: University of Western Sydney.
[22]. Marsh, H.W., Ellis, L.A., Parada, R.H., Richards, G., and Heubeck, B.G., (2005). “A short version of the Self - Description Questionnaire II: Operationalizing criteria for short-form evaluation with new applications of confirmatory factor analyses”. Psychological Assessment, Vol. 17, pp. 81–102.
[23]. Mather, N., and Ofiesh, N., (2005). “Resilience and the child with learning disabilities”. In S.Goldstein & R. B. Brooks (Eds.), Handbook of Resilience in Children, pp. 239-255. New York, USA: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
[24]. Musholt, W., (1974). “Self-Concept and the Middle School”. Nassp Bulletin, Vol. 58, No. 381, pp. 67–71.
[25]. Park, N., and Peterson, C., (2005). “The Values in Action Inventory of Character Strengths for Youth”. In K. A. Moore & L.H. Lippman (Eds.), What do Children Need to Flourish? Conceptualizing and Measuring Indicators of Positive Development, pp. 13-23, New York: Springer.
[26]. Park, N., and Peterson, C., (2003). Values in Action (VIA) Strengths Survey for Young People, USA: Values in Action Institute.
[27]. Peterson, C., and Seligman, M.E.P., (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
[28]. Rich, G.J., (2003). “The Positive Psychology of Youth and Adolescence”. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 1–3.
[29]. Ryan, M., (1994). Social and Emotional Problems Related to Dyslexia. Retrieved on March 20, 2015, from http://www.ldonline.org/article/19296/
[30]. Seligman, M.E., and Csikszentmihalyi, M., (2000). “Positive psychology: An introduction”. The American Psychologist, Vol. 55, No. 1, pp. 5–14.
[31]. Seligman, M.E., Steen, T.A., Park, N., and Peterson, C., (2005). “Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions”. The American Psychologist, Vol. 60, No. 5, pp. 410–421
[32]. Simonton, D.K., and Baumeister, R.F., (2005). “Positive psychology at the Summit”. Review of General Psychology, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 99–102.
[33]. Trautwein, U., Ludtke, O., Koller, O., and Baumert, J. (2006). “Self-esteem, academic self-concept, and achievement: How the learning environment moderates the dynamics of self-concept”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 90, No. 2, pp. 334-349.
[34]. Vaughn, S., and Elbum, B., (1999). “The self-concept and friendships of students with LD: A developmental perspective”. In R. Gallimore, L.P. Bernheimer, D.L. MacMillan, D.L. Speece, & S. Vaughn (Eds.), Developmental Perspectives on Children with Highincidence Disabilities. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
[35]. Vaughn, S., and Elbaum, B., (2003). “Self- concept and students with learning disabilities”. In H.L. Swanson, K.R. Harris, & S. Graham (Eds.), Handbook of Learning Disabilities, pp. 229-241. New York: Guilford.
If you have access to this article please login to view the article or kindly login to purchase the article

Purchase Instant Access

Single Article

North Americas,UK,
Middle East,Europe
India Rest of world
USD EUR INR USD-ROW
Online 15 15

Options for accessing this content:
  • If you would like institutional access to this content, please recommend the title to your librarian.
    Library Recommendation Form
  • If you already have i-manager's user account: Login above and proceed to purchase the article.
  • New Users: Please register, then proceed to purchase the article.